Knights And Chivalry :: essays research papers

Knights and ChivalryChivalry was a system of ethical ideals developed among the knights ofmedieval Europe. Arising discover of the feudalism of the period, it combinedmilitary virtues with those of Christianity, as epitomized by he Arthurianlegend in England and the chansons de geste of medieval France. The word valour is derived from the French chevalier, meaning horseback rider or knight.Chivalry was the code of conduct by which knights were supposedly guided. Inaddition to military prowess and valor and loyalty to God and the knightsfeudal lord, it cal conduct for dexterity toward enemies and generosity toward thesick and oppressed, widows, and other disadvantaged people.Also incorporated in the ideal was courtly love, romantic devotion for asexually unattainable woman, normally another mans wife. Veneration for theVirgin Mary played a part in this concept. Chivalric ideals influenced thefounding of religious military orders during the period of the Crusades, amongthem the Tem plars and the Hospitalers, the Teutonic Knights, and the Spanishorders of Alcantara, Calatrava, and Santiago. In the late Middle Ages, rulersformed secular orders of chivalry such as the English Order of the Garter andthe Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece. By this time, however, chivalry hadbecome largely a system of etiquette. Tournaments, in which knights hadoriginally risked their lives in jousting combat before the ladies, becamesimply elaborate, stylized, and harmless entertainments. Moreover, the expenseof this and other trappings of knighthood led many nobles who were eligible forknighthood, having served the customary apprenticeship of 7 years as a page at anoble court and another 7 as a squire, or attendant, to a knight, not to becomeknights at all. From chivalry, always larger in literature than in life, comesthe modern concept of the gentleman.The Knight tells a tale of ideal love and chivalry. This type of talemight seem somewhat strange to todays readers, but this t ale would be verypopular in the time of Chaucer. The story of the Knight fits his characterperfectly. We would expect this from the Knight because he is a very loyal andhonorable person. The Knights tale is filled with love, honor, chivalry, andlots of adventure. Furthermore, appointee the Knights character, there are nostories bordering on the vulgar and no coarseness. The love is an ideal love inwhich there is no hint of sensuality. The love exists on a high, ideal,platonic plane. The emphasis in the Knights tale is upon the rules of honorand proper conduct. These qualities fit the Knight good because he would bring

The Odyssey :: essays research papers

The OdysseyThe Odyssey is one of the two great epic poems written by the ancient Grecian poet Homer. Due to its antiquity, it is not known when or where it was first written, nevertheless, the approximate date and place is 700 BC Greece. Later publications are widespread as the text is tinned in modern English with no deviation from the original story.The story is set in the lands and seas in close proximity to Greece changing by books as Odysseus, the protagonist champ, recounts of his many dowerd adventures and misfortunes in a series of flashbacks. Odysseus, a survivor of the bloody Trojan War that left many Greek heroes all in(p) and a city plundered, yearns to come down Ithaca and his wife Penelope, who is solicited by countless suitors, yet due to an accidental grievance done to the God of Sea, Poseidon, Odysseus is plagued by misfortunes and spend around ten years traveling the seas searching a path home.The Odyssey is written in the third person omniscient perspective , perhaps the only voice able-bodied of integrating Homers usage of the Gods and the supernatural. This perspective shifts as necessary to give the reader a full understanding of Odysseus journeys. In fact, without incorporating the supernatural forces, thither would be no way of understanding why Odysseus is met with such inhospitality from certain Gods or constructing a majestic recount of the actions in the plot.Odysseus is the classic Greek hero by all standards. He is a hardened warrior who has fought against the Trojans, a dutiful husband who would journey years to return home, a cunning wayfarer who fares tumefy with any host hostile or amicable, and a mortal in bipolar relation with the Gods. He may be the protagonist, yet as a mortal, he is only a servant to the Greek Gods. Poseidon has a bitter grudge against Odysseus for blinding the Cyclopes Polyphemus, yet Homer balances Odysseus fate by liberal him the aid of the Goddess Athena. Thus, Odysseus fortunes and misfortun es are all the deeds and misdeeds of the Gods, and the protagonist is subject to his fate as determined by the supernatural. Homers implications about the life and fate of a man could be easily recapitulated as uncontrollable. Though the Greek Gods do not exist, mans fortunes and misfortunes still contain unexplainable entropy, going mortals with no precise knowledge or grasp of their future yet mortals do have an unfailing sense of hope, just as Odysseus is determined to return home despite his foes and hardships.