The Death of Chivalry
As it was Expressed in Tales of Camelot, Chivalry No Longer Exists
Chivalry
Chivalry can be defined in many ways. Originally known as a code of conduct or behavior that was followed by medieval knights, the most common conception of chivalry today includes "gallantry, courtesy, and honor...courage and readiness to help the weak...
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The reader enters the tale in the midst of a great holiday feast held by King Arthur. A short time later, the Green Knight appears at the door. For reasons that escape me, the Green Knight "declares that one knight in Arthur's court must agree to accept one blow of his axe, after having the chance to give one to the Green Knight" (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Book Notes Summary). When nobody volunteers to accept this challenge, King Arthur volunteers. However, Sir Gawain steps in at the last minute and replaces King Arthur, which is his first chivalrous act.
Sir Gawain cuts off the head of the Green Knight. After the Green Knight is beheaded, his headless body retrieves his head. He then reminds Sir Gawain of the promise to receive a blow of the Green Knight's axe in one year, and that Gawain will have to find him at his home. The Green Knight then rides off.
Later in the story, Sir Gawain exhibits chivalry once again when he chooses to honor his vow and travels across the land to search for the home of the Green Knight. Throughout the tale, Sir Gawain meets many people, and he often acts in an honorable and courteous manner. For example, while a guest at the castle of a Lord, he gently refuses the advances of the Lord's wife.
Finally, Sir Gawain arrives at the home of the Green Knight. Instead of running in fear, the chivalrous Sir Gawain bravely "exposes his neck to receive the exchange blow" (Li). When the Green Knight finally strikes his blow, he merely scratches the skin on Sir Gawain's neck. The Green Knight then admits to Sir Gawain that he is the Lord of the castle in which Sir Gawain stayed, and that he had arranged for his wife to make the passes at Sir Gawain. He tells Sir Gawain that he "is the finest man alive" (Li, 2007).
Chivalry Today
My personal belief is that, overall, chivalry does not exist today. There may be many reasons for this, but it is most likely due to the fact that chivalry is impractical.
In this day and age people follow the rules that they absolutely must follow, such as state or federal laws. In addition, people only follow these rules and laws when following them is convenient. Overall, courtesy and honor are not of any importance to people today. Generally speaking, people are only concerned with themselves and do not consider others.
One personal example is the group project requirement in the college classes I attended. I had group members who did not seem to care about the project or just did not want to bother with it. There is no sense of honor in that. These non-participating group members had no problem letting one person bear the brunt of the project. There were many times that I was responsible for completing the entire group project on my own.
Another example is the actions of people and governments during and after disasters such as Hurricane Katrina (see supporting links). This only reinforces my belief that each man must look out for himself and chivalry no longer exists.
Is Chivalry Needed?
I believe that formalities such as true chivalry help to keep a culture connected, and that the lack of chivalry today has lead to problems in the past and will continue to lead to more problems in the future. Chivalry is important because it promotes order, teaches reverence, and teaches the importance of respecting and looking out for others. Chivalry teaches us that the self is not the only thing of importance in this world.
However, it may just be the case, as some believe, that chivalry is "doomed to failure in the real world" (Jensen). While some may believe that chivalry creates problems such as racism or sexism, I do not believe that to be the case. This is because I believe that chivalrous acts can, and probably should, be performed by both men and women, as well as by Caucasians, African Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, etc. Chivalry does not need to indicate superiority of one over another; it should indicate kindness from one to another. However, it seems that a feeling of superiority in regard to chivalrous acts is a common perception, which could be the root cause of chivalry not being able to persevere today.
The Grand Ideas of Camelot Today
The grand ideas of Camelot manifest today in the fact that everyone wants to live the grand life, such as entertaining guests at the castle for elaborate meals, and to be respected and admired. It is my belief that this is the only way the grand ideas of Camelot manifest in this day and age. Overall, people do not want to go to the trouble of earning these things, people do not want to care for the masses, and certainly people do not want to bother with behaving in a chivalrous manner. I realize this is a generalized statement, and that there are some people here and there that do work hard and act chivalrous, but they are so few and far between that their actions do not make any difference in the grand scheme of things. As a matter of fact, Colby Donaldson performed an experiment on the Rachael Ray show where he acted chivalrous throughout the day, and reactions were almost universal: "genuine surprise that chivalry still exists" (2007). Mr. Donaldson went on to remark that "we're so conditioned against anything [chivalrous]. It's just not prevalent these days".
Melissa Bushman has published additional articles at Associated Content. Please click her name at the top of this page to view her other work.
References
Donaldson, C. "Is Chivalry Dead. The Rachael Ray Show website. URL: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/?q=colby-chivalry
Farrell, S. "What is Chivalry?" Chivalry Today website. URL: http://www.chivalrytoday.com/Farrell/What-Is-Chivalry.html
Jensen, S. (1993). "Chivalry." The Knighthood, Chivalry, & Tournaments Resource Library website: http://www.chronique.com/Library/Chivalry/chivsten.htm
Li, Winnie. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Study Guide - Short Summary. GradeSaver website. URL: http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/gawain/shortsumm.html
"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Book Notes Summary: Plot Summary. BookRags website. URL: http://www.bookrags.com/notes/sgk/SUM.html
Published by Melissa Bushman
Melissa Bushman is a freelance writer living in Clark, Wyoming with her husband, two dogs, and three cats. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in accounting. View profile
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41 Comments
Post a CommentI think you may be misinterpreting what chivalry was in the past, and how it relates to people today.
To knights, chivalry was something that came with the land, the title, and the sword; to be a nobleman was to be a chivalrous man in addition to his other duties. As the story shows, chivalry is something to be attained, not enforced, and something only a select few even hope to achieve. The common man couldn't do it, and not all of the knights in Camelot could do it well.
Chivalry isn't dead now, any person who does deeds based on their intrinsic value, not their consequences, is a chivalrous person. There are just fewer folk-tales about it today.
[i]A short time later, the Green Knight appears at the door. For reasons that escape me, the Green Knight "declares that one knight in Arthur's court must agree to accept one blow of his axe, after having the chance to give one to the Green Knight"[/b]
How can you not understand that?
Only a woman would not understand his action/dare?
It is A DECLARATION to a roomful of men "I AM AN ALPHA MALE! Any man in this room that can take a hit and survived is worthy to be a fellow ALPHA MALE!
That is it.
What is so confusing about that?
Great article! It's sad but true that people are often surprised when someone is polite and thoughtful. Often times, chivalry today is met with a suspicious look--what are you up to? I'm glad I married one of the few men left who still believes in being a true gentleman!
Luckily, some men still believe in it :)
Interesting piece -- the days of chivalry make for great reading, and it's too bad it's so hard to find common courtesy these days.
I think courtesy and honor are valued today more than ever. Perhaps, not by superficial actions(rushing ahead to open door) but by being a person of honor,integrity, and compassion.
Great choice of topic and good view on it.
I sure can relate to taking the brunt of the group projects! People do not seem do care and it amazes me that it does not bother them!
Interesting background for a prevalent problem.
I don't think that chivalry is dead, but is indeed dying, and that selfishness and bad manners are killing her. I still pracrice chivalry, however, as do many other Southern folks. I will even hold the door open for other men, especially if they're carrying a load. In this Feminazi-infected culture, I have had several women make smart-ass comments towards me and call me unrepeatable names for holding a door open for them(hence your well-made point concerning the perception of "superiority"). I don't let that stop me, though. In my opinion, chivalry does indeed reflect the superiority of the chivalrous one, because, to me, chivalrous men and women who care enough about others to look out for them are indeed superior in every way to the rude, self-absorbed bastards in this once-great nation. WELL DONE!