Preview

Knights Templar and Ivanhoe

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1533 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Knights Templar and Ivanhoe
IVANHOE TEACHES US A LESSON IN CHIVALRY

In everybody's life, there is something that makes him or her strive for success. That something can be money, a significant other, fame or many other incentives. To the medieval knights, victory renown and glory are the ambitions they strive for. Breaking a law in this code would be considered a disgrace, and would bring a dishonor worse than death itself. However, by applying the Code of Chivalry, the knights in medieval time displayed certain character traits that would secure success and honor in both battle and morality. In the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a knight named Wilfred of Ivanhoe illustrates this by devoting his attention to keeping the rules of the Code of Chivalry, which consisted of love of adventure, integrity and loyalty to the king, to name just a few. These character traits of Ivanhoe coupled with strong characters and a realistic setting allow the reader to understand the importance of a strong set of moral guidelines to all individuals of all times in spite of Sir Scott's excessive detail and confusing subplot. Respect and loyalty are two of the character traits that Ivanhoe not only possesses but also helps the reader to see their importance for a successful life. For example, in the very beginning of the book Ivanhoe is known as the Disinherited Knight because his father, Cedric the Saxon, disinherits him; however, even though he is abandoned, he still respects his father and is loyal to him. His respect is shown in the book when the castle burns and someone asks his father whether defeat is visible. Cedric responds by saying, "Not so, by the soul of Hereward." He then denounces his Ivanhoe's beliefs. Instead of getting angry with Cedric, Ivanhoe shows respect, brushes the comments off, and leads a successful life as a result. This is a very good example to today's reader that comes from generations of children having relationship problems with their parents. Ivanhoe is not

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    A knight’s word is a powerful thing because knights are sworn into their positions and often opt for death over disgrace. Pride and honor along with respect and reputation are some of a knight’s main ethics and a knight must be a gentleman with a valued inner worth. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, Sir Gawain’s inner worth is tested by The Green Knight by playing Knightly games. Each game represents certain virtues in life and gives ambiguous interpretations of how one should morally act in order to remain close with his ethics.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Knights Templar were a monastic military order formed at the end of the First Crusade with the mandate of protecting Christian pilgrims on route to the Holy Land. Never before had a group of secular knights banded together and taken the monastic vows. In this sense they were the first of the Warrior Monks. The Templars fought along side King Richard I (Richard The Lion Hearted) and other Crusaders in the battles for the Holy Lands.…

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 476 AD, during the medieval times, there were many knights. Most knights followed a chivalric code. By definition chivalry means the rules and customs of medieval knighthood. Chivalry can also be defined by seven knightly virtues: courage, justice, mercy, generosity, faith, nobility, and hope.…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chivalry is the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight. Some of these qualities include courage, honesty, courtesy, loyalty, and justice. There are three major themes in chivalry; courtly love, religion and war. The code of chivalry helps outline the morals and behavior in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The principles of chivalry come from the Christian idea of morality. The role of chivalry/knighthood in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was an important part of society.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    the Code of Chivalry is a system that helped govern the people of the Middle Ages and was treated like the Bible to knights in Le Morte Darthur, The Canterbury Tales, and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. The knights following it must be someone whose worth brings respect and fame, someone who has the strength to venture and withstand difficulty and someone who has consideration and cooperation. These characteristics are apparent in the portrayal of Le Morte Darthur, Canterbury Tales, and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Since the beginning of recorded history, people have been telling stories. These stories have often been grand tales of heroes that reflected the virtues of the time in which the hero lived. Starting in the Middle Ages, these stories started to focus on tales of knights, specifically King Arthur and his knights of the round table. The most prevalent virtue accounted for in these stories was that of chivalry. Chivalry is a somewhat contradictory trait clashing between “rudeness and exaggerated politeness” (Moelker and Kummel 292). One Arthurian legend that exemplifies the practice of chivalry is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This conflicting virtue worked during this time because the Middle Ages themselves were full of contradictory beliefs. While most tales of knightly adventure and chivalry…

    • 2767 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The motto of chivalry is also the motto of wisdom; to serve all, but love only one.” (Honore de Balzac). The Chivalric code is a clutter of rules that contradict each other and challenge normal human behavior. These rules of chivalry are predominantly concerned with courage, honor and gentlemen- like- behavior, which play an important role in proving one’s faithfulness to the King. In the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain proves to be a hero because he continually struggles against his human flaws to act in a heroic manner. Sir Gawain is acknowledged as a chivalric human because he is a courageous man who perseveres through difficult events and faces both human temptation and terror.…

    • 1149 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The textbook definition of chivalry is “a gallant or distinguished gentlemen” or “the system, spirit, or customs of medieval knighthood.” In the Medieval era, a knight had to behave in a certain manner, they had to follow the chivalric code or where punished. A knight had to be honorable and courteous towards others, and uphold a system of values of loyalty. A knight was required to have not just the quality and abilities to fight battles in the savage period of the Middle Ages but at the same time was relied upon to remember his chivalric duty and to maintain his composure. The concept of chivalry gave inspiration for stories about King Arthur and his round table in the Medieval period (169, Pearson).…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Medieval times were a time when honor was valued above all other qualities. All knights, the highest models of medieval manhood, adhered to a code of chivalry. When properly followed, this code allowed men to be truly honorable. Among the qualities most highly esteemed were integrity, loyalty, and courage. The clearest examples of chivalry were King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The Pearl Poet vividly illustrates the concepts of chivalry in his epic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, where Sir Gawain is characterized as a very honorable, chivalrous knight. Throughout the poem, Gawain’s unceasing commitment to his code of chivalry provides a protection against, thus proving the value and necessity of chivalry.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The passage shows that moral values played a fundamental role in the chivalric society, that religion was considered an important part of being a good knight and that good behaviour was one of the key characteristics for being an ideal chivalric knight.…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chapter 4: The Templars in Town. Ignatius Donnelly, heard of him? He for the third time now, has been mentioned. He truly has surpassed any expectations of being anything but an Idiot. After his Ragnarok book failed him, Donnelly decided to pursue his dream of proving that Sir Francis Bacon was the mastermind behind Shakespeare’s writing, not Shakespeare himself. Charles Pierce says it better than anyone, “It was a snob’s argument, and it ran counter to the populist principles that still animated Donnelly’s politics.” (Page 61). He continues to dig his own grave when it comes to his crazy theories and what he thinks in general. Charles Pierce moves on to discuss “movement conservatism”. At the time this book was written, America was moving…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scholar William Childers states that, “by Cervantes's day, then, chivalry was debased to the point where its ethos of altruistic service had been replaced by sloth and greed, overlaid with a thin veneer of pretense.”1 This quote helps us realize what the real problem is when trying to discuss whether the medieval chivalry effectively died by the close of the Middle Ages. Indeed, it is important to establish a clear definition of what chivalry was for William Marshal and his successors. It was clearly not an altruistic service at all. William Marshal first motivation into entering the tournament fields, which grant him his everlasting fame “as the perfect knight […] [who] almost became the living embodiement of the mythical Arthurian knight”, was “not only to affirm [his] prowess […] [but] it could also bring [him] rich material rewards.”23 Likewise, William Childers insists on the knight's “service to God and king.”4 Loyalty was certainly a crucial feature of medieval knights, however, it was not so much about the king but rather the lord, to whom a knight swore an oath. For instance, William Marshal chose to stay loyal to his lord Young Henry and thus to be named in the the formal list of “diabolical traitors” to Young Henry's father, king Henry II of England.5 William Childers' definiton of…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon, which was later called the Knights Templar, was founded by a French Knight named Hughes de Payens. Hughes had taken religious vows upon the death of his wife. He was known to have been an austere man and had deeply held spiritual value, humility, and had uncompromising valor. He was almost fifty years old when he founded the Order; he was a veteran of the First Crusade who had spent twenty-two years of his life east of Europe. Hughes, along with eight other knights, took vows of obedience to the Patriarch of Jerusalem.…

    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the presence of chivalry in nearly every aspect of the knights’ lives, whether it is being tested or acted upon, is hard to miss. During medieval times, the ideal of chivalry was how a knight was supposed to act and live their life, and in this story, Sir Gawain is the embodiment of chivalry even through all of the tests he is put through by the Green Knight and Morgan le Fay. Now, in today’s society, chivalry is nowhere near as prominent as it was during medieval times. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, chivalry is a vital part of everyday life, whereas in modern times, chivalry can seem almost nonexistent.…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Living by morals or a code can be extremely difficult, especially when an opportunity arises to go against them, where no one would know but you if you took it. If you were tested on a set of rules you were held standard to and no one would know your decision, would you stick by them or go astray? Sir Gawain was tested on his chivalrous code as a knight twice, first privately and the second publicly. Gawain fails the first test and passes the second. The natural urges for sex and instinct for survival are exemplified through the tests in this literary work.…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics