The Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain...

The Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous author, are both sophisticated fourteenth-century examples of medieval romance. Medieval romances captured the heart of their audiences as narratives and stories that featured a protagonist, often a knight, and dealt with religious allegories, chivalry, courtly love, and heroic epics. The concept of the knight emerged from the remnants of the Anglo-saxon literature and ideals and influence of the Christian religion and church. There is a distinct difference between the famous pagan heroic like Beowulf and the romantic medieval tales like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight of the Canterbury Tale. The Anglo-Saxon hero Beowulf exemplified†¦show more content†¦Sir Gawain and the Green Knight along with The Canterbury Tales features impressive knights that all boast a chivalric code. As Sir Gawain and the Green Knight unfolds, we readers are led to look beneath the attractive surfa ce of chivalry and question exactly what chivalry is through examples such as: Sir Arthur , Sir Gawain, the Green Knight, Palamon, and Arcite. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins with an extended idealized description of Arthur’s court; â€Å"The most noble knights known under Christ, / And the loveliest ladies that lived on earth ever, / And he the comeliest king, that that court holds. † (Marie, 51-53) The court is in the middle of its Christmas celebration, the knights and ladies are young-and well favored enjoying the pleasures of court life. However, there is a negative side to the youthful King Arthur, and his kingly whim who that desired a tale of â€Å"some suppliant came seeking some single knight / to join with him in jousting, in jeopardy each / to lay life for life and leave it to fortune.† (Marie, 96-99) Thereby implication the court and the romantic ideals they represent: a potentially damaging carelessness, a lack of stability, and responsibi lity. Authur’s court is initially regaled as: And your court and your company are counted the best, Stoutest under steel-gear on steeds to ride Worthiest of their works the whole world over, And peerless to prove in passages of arms, And courtesy here is carried to its height, (Marie,Show MoreRelatedLiterature Reflecting Religious and Political Ideals3433 Words   |  14 PagesChristian knight and holy warrior by the time the story was written down in the 9th Century. His mission is also Christ-like in that he sacrifices his life to defend the people against Grendel and his mother the Dragon or Devil. The Green Knight is a story from the High Middle Ages (1000-1300 AD), which is commonly thought of as an age of chivalry and knights in shining armor. In popular culture, this remains the most popular and persistent image of medieval culture and society. Sir Gawain was theRead More Womens Roles in Epic of Gilgamesh, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales1481 Words   |  6 PagesChanging Womens Roles in The Epic of Gilgamesh, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales Over the course of time, the roles of men and women have changed dramatically. As women have increasingly gained more social recognition, they have also earned more significant roles in society. This change is clearly reflected in many works of literature, one of the most representative of which is Plautuss 191 B.C. drama Pseudolus, in which we meet the prostitute Phoenicium. Although theRead MoreHistory of British Literature3343 Words   |  14 PagesCulture: by 15th century England had become a nation with the sense of separate identity and indigenous culture 1362- English became the official language in court and was also used in schools. 14thc. witnessed the first original literary works written in English. Middle English literature English literature of the medieval period, c.1100 to c.1500. Background The Norman conquest of England in 1066 traditionally signifies the beginning of 200 years of the domination of French in English lettersRead MoreDiscuss the Relationship Between Appearance and Reality and the Issues This Involves in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and ‘the Franklin’s Tale’.2721 Words   |  11 PagesDiscuss the relationship between appearance and reality and the issues this involves in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and ‘The Franklin’s Tale’. Judging a Book by its Cover The appearance of a situation, person or place may sometimes be at total odds with its actual reality, and thus change previous conceptions held of a thing or person. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Chaucer’s The Franklin’s Tale, not only are there illusions throughout the tale’s themselves, but the reality of theRead More Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay1527 Words   |  7 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the late fourteenth century. Its author was unknown, but he or she was a contemporary of Chaucer. The poem consists of two plots: one is the challenge between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in a beheading game, and the other is the temptation of Sir Gawain by a lady from a beautiful castle. The outcome of the challenge as well as the life of Gawain is made to depend--though Gawain does not know it--on his behaviorRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucers Style Of Literature956 Words   |  4 Pagesliterary world in a new way. During these times, there were expectations of all people, Knights were to act with chivalry and dignity, Monks were to solely practice faith and religion, and ordinary people were to have morals. These expectations were just a few of the things that would be considered Anglo Saxon beliefs, the most popular form of literature of this time. The poems, plays, epics and pieces of literature written during the Medieval times all con tained the Anglo Saxon traits, which there are manyRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight1591 Words   |  7 Pages  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English chivalric romance. It is one of the best known Arthurian stories, and is of a type known as the beheading game. The Green Knight is interpreted by some as a representation of the Green Man of folklore and by others as an allusion to Christ. Written in stanzas of alliterative verse, each of which ends in a rhyming bob and wheel, it draws on Welsh, Irish and English stories, as well as the French chivalric tradition. It is anRead MoreReligion Throughout British Literature2205 Words   |  9 PagesWith all the books read in class this year, there has been some type of influence on the way each story was written. From Beowulf to Paradise Lost, there have been many, mostly religious, persuasions in the style and approach to writing of the novel. These influences, whether theyre religious or cultur al or psychological, have a deep impact on the story and are reflective of a literary time period. The differences in each story show the changes in the culture, religion, or the way people thoughtRead MoreWomen As Represented In Society By Anita Kay OPry-Reynolds-Renolds938 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent Medieval works of literatures to help support her thesis. OPry-Reynolds uses some details from Beowulf, Lancelot, Knight of the Cart, and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight to show the different gender roles between men and women. The details OPry-Reynolds finds from the different Medieval literatures in her essay are not supported in The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales and The Wife of Bath. Anita Kay OPry-Renolds Men and Women as Represented in Medieval Literature in Society explainsRead MoreThe Changing Face of Love in English Literature1528 Words   |  7 Pageshave studied have written about love in its many forms, from the cerebral to the visceral and they have used this compl ex emotion to propel their stories and their sonnets. As we progress forward in time we see a distinct change in the freedom writers had as they addressed this theme and a change in the way men perceived love. Chaucer explores love as a motivating theme in â€Å"The Knight’s Tale† within his â€Å"Canterbury Tales†. Arcita and Palamon are the main characters within this tale and their actions