World

Literature
Le Morte
dArthur
Jason O. Salvadora
BSED 2P

1. WHAT CODE OF CHIVALRY IS DEPICTED ON EACH BOOK? WHAT IS

THE IMPLICATION OF KNIGHTS AND KINGS SUBMISSION TO OR
VIOLATION OF THE CODE TO THEM AND TO THE KINGDOM?
The most evident code that almost all of the knights exemplified
among the books: to persevere to the end in any enterprise begun.
Book 1
To obey those placed in authority. The archbishop decreed that no one
was to touch the sword until the high mass was complete. No one tried to
remove the sword until the masses were finally finished.
To serve the liege lord in valor and faith. King Arthur led his army, with
the help of his loyal knights, Sir Baudwin, Sir Kay and Sir Brastias.
Book 2
To serve the liege lord in valor and faith. Balin and Balan arrived to help
King Arthurs fight against the twelve kings including Nero and King Lot
(killed by Pellinore).
To guard the honor of fellow knights. Balin seeks to revenge the death
of a sorrowful knight at the hands of an invisible foe.
To protect the weak and defenseless. The lady accompanying Balin was
assaulted by many men and Balin confronted the men. Balin killed Sir Garlon
to have his blood to be used for the healing of a rich mans son.
To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit. Balin and Balan disdained
the cruelty of the castle inhabitants who engineered their fight and tragedy.
Book 3
To respect the honor of women. A lady suddenly arrived on a white horse
and demanded that Arthur rescue her brachet and so the king sent: Sir Tor
after the brachet.
At all times to speak the truth. Pellinore swore on a holy book to tell the
truth of his adventure to Arthur.
Book 4
To serve the liege lord in valor and faith. Sir Kay, Sir Gawaine and Sir
Griflet engaged in battle with King Arthur.

To eschew deceit. Sir Accolon swore vengeance on the woman who tricked
him.
To refrain from wanton giving of offense. Pelleas abstained from quarrel
so as not to displease Arthur.
To protect the weak and the defenseless. Sir Uwaine defended the Lady
of the rock against her two brothers.
Book 5
To fight for the welfare of all. To protect for the weak and the
defenseless. Arthur killed a treacherous giant who devoured and murdered
many people and children.
To serve the liege lord in valor and faith.
Book 6
To guard the honor of fellow knights. Launcelot attacked Turquine when
he confessed his hatred of the Round Table.
To protect the weak and defenseless. Launcelot saves a lady from a
villainous knight. He healed a good knight.
To fear God and maintain his church. Launcelot thanked God he was
done with that adventure.
Book 7
To respect the honor of women. Beaumains insisted he would follow the
lady on her quest no matter how harshly she insulted him.
To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun. Beaumains continued
on his adventures despite all the mockery and insults.
Book 8
To fight for the welfare of all. Lamorak and Tristram killed the giant and
liberate the islands people.
To serve the liege lord in valor. Tristram fights in a war for King Howel of
Brittany.
Book 9

To respect the honor of women. Sir Lamorak, Sir Meliogrance and Sir
Launcelot fight for the honor of their queens.
To guard the honor of fellow knights. Sir Launcelot arrived to separate
Lamorak and Meliagrance.
Book 10
Never to refuse a challenge from an equal.
To obey those placed in authority. Mark swore to uphold his promises to
Arthur.
To refrain from giving of wanton offense. Sir Bersules, refused to take
part in Marks plan of killing Tristram.
To fight for the welfare of all. Tristram agreed to fight for Cornwall under
attack by the sessions and Saracens.
Book 11
To protect the weak and the defenseless. Sir Launcelot freed a lady
trapped for five years.
To serve the liege lord in valor and faith.
Book 12
To guard the honor of fellow knights. Launcelot defeated the knights
who overcome Sir Bliant.
Never to refuse a challenge from an equal. Sir Launcelot threatened
Bliant then he armed himself to fight for Launcelot.
Book 13
To fear God and maintain his church. Galahads noble quest for the
Sangreal would inspire the other knights onto a similar spiritual path.
To fight for the welfare of all. Galahad defeated the seven knights who
were tyrants and practicing wicked customs in the castle of Maidens.
To fear God and maintain his church. Launcelot vowed to repudiate his
wickedness and to go great deeds in the Lords name.
Book 14

To fear God and maintain his church. To live by honor and for glory.
Percival glimpsed the crucifix on his sword handle and remembered he
should remain a virgin. Percival had resisted temptation by rejecting the old
woman as sin and the devil.
Book 15
To fear God and maintain his church. Launcelot prayed at a cross for his
sins to be forgiven.
Book 16
To respect the honor of women. To protect the weak and
defenseless. Bors prevailed in a battle to fight for the lady in a tower. He
made the ladys enemies respect her. He also saved a maiden from a chasing
knight.
Book 17
To respect the honor of women. Galahad refused to grant the act that the
lady should donate a bowl of blood and fought the knights.
Book 18
To respect the honor of
Gueneveres honor in a duel.

women.

Launcelot

fought

and

defend

Book 19
Never to refuse a challenge from an equal. Launcelot challenged
Meliagrance for a duel and he accepted it.
Book 20
To serve the liege lord in valor and faith. Gareth and Gaheris honoured
Arthurs request to escort the Queen in her execution by fire.
Book 21
To serve the liege lord in valor and faith.
To guard the honor of fellow knights.
To respect the honor of women.

THE IMPLICATION OF KNIGHTS AND KINGS SUBMISSION OF

THE CODES OF CHIVALRY TO THEM IS THAT THEY ARE LIVING THE
IDEALS OF HAVING HONOR NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THEIR
KNIGHTHOOD BUT GENERALLY OF BEING A MAN. THE IMPLICATION
TO THE KINGDOM GIVES US THE NOTION THAT IF ALL KNIGHTS
ABIDE BY THESE CODES, THEN PEACE AND PROSPERITY WOULD
PREVAIL. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE VIOLATIONS OF THE CODE
WOULD IMPLY THAT NO MATTER HOW GREAT THE IDEALS OF THE
CODE OF CHIVALRY ARE, IT WILL ALL ZERO IN TO THE FACT THAT
NOBODY CAN ESCAPE IMPERFECTION THROUGH THE RESISTANCE TO
TEMPTATION FOR LUST AND GREED IN TERMS OF INTEREST, DEEDS
AND CHOICES.
What leads Launcelot, Gareth, and Tristram to their individual failures
in chivalry is their inability to reconcile their loyalty to their king and their
knightly oath with their loyalty to their respective ladies. Whereas Gareth
abandons courtly love for a more traditional form of chivalry, Tristram
exhibits a perversion of courtly love that consequently produces a flawed
chivalry. Launcelots failure ultimately represents the impossibility of
upholding both chivalry and courtly love as a unified code. 2Gawain as a
fierce warrior who never entirely follows the code of knighthood and chivalry
dictated by King Arthur.
1

Gareth exhibits a perfect blend of battle prowess and humility as he

defeats enemy knights and rescues a fair maiden; he then shatters his
depiction of chivalry by attempting to sleep with his new-found love before
their wedding night. Tristram does not have just one lady-love but many, and
more than one at a time. Then, of course, there is the affair between
Launcelot and Guenevere, who is not only another mans wife but the wife of
the king. It is no coincidence that these events all pertain to the relationships
between the knights and their respective ladies. The inconsistencies in the
characters of these knights grow out of their individual understandings and
demonstrations of loveparticularly what is known as courtly loveand their
attempts to combine this love with their chivalric code.
2. DISCUSS THE INTERPLAY OF RELIGION, MAGIC, POLITICS, WAR AND
ROMANCE IN THE STORY.
THE STORY RECOUNT THE MARVELOUS ADVENTURES OF
CHIVALROUS, HEROIC KNIGHTS OFTEN OF SUPER HUMAN ABILITY,
WHO, ABIDING THE CODES OF CHIVALRY OF HONOR AND DEMEANOR

GOES ON A QUEST TO FIGHT AND WIN FAVOUR WITH A LADY. ON THE

COURSE OF THESE EVENTS, ELEMENTS OF RELIGION, MAGIC,
POLITICS, WAR AND ROMANCE, THESE DIFFERENT AREAS BEGAN TO
MELD TOGETHER.
The code of chivalry emanated from religion which knights should
follow to achieve glory and honor. 3Declarations of faith were also popular in
heraldry, whether as simple as a red cross or as intricate as a painting of the
Virgin Mary. The order of knighthood has been associated with the defense of
the Church. Knights had pledged loyalty to God and king and faced
numerous temptations imposed to draw them away from this loyalty; those
that succeeded in overcoming these temptations were depicted as symbols
of perfection, having achieved the height of chivalry upon earth. For example
is Percival who glimpsed the crucifix on his sword handle and remembered
he should remain a virgin. Percival had resisted temptation by rejecting the
old woman as sin and the devil. Knights struggled not only of physical quest
and waging war but of spiritual as to the quest of the Holy Grail. Although
Merlin is a supernatural being in his witchcraft, his image portrays a Christian
characteristic of maintaining faith in the Church. Certain events and
situations in the story had a mystical cause-effect relationship as what
prophesies and magical interventions would convey. King Arthur was born in
an unusual, supernatural way because Merlin helped Uther to deceive Igraine
and impregnate her. King Arthurs way to the crown was made possible
through the help of Merlins craft, although still destined by his birth.
Compromise the interest of all the aspiring kings of England through the
removal of a sword in a stone that whoever pulls it is the rightful High King.
This is for me the main political undertaking in the story. Since the aspiring
lesser Kings are too greedy in power, the only resort for things to be at peace
is to have a war. It can be noted that 12 kings waged war with King Arthur.
War is an instrument for power to be acquired if politics become unworkable.
In the same manner, politics also play a vital role in war since it assures
alliances and bonds as well as preserving power and authority within the
crown. Every time the knights go on a quest oftentimes ladies and/or
damsels are involved and creates an adventure coupled with romance. 4With
the advent of courtly love into chivalric tradition, the qualities of knighthood
did not changeheraldry increased, and knights were still expected to
exhibit bravery, loyalty, and courtesy and to protect the Churchbut the
reason for these acts of devotion changed. Whereas the former chivalry was
performed for a lord, whether the king, the Church, or some other highranking official, this new chivalry was undertaken for the sake of a lady. Even

the traditional knightly qualities of bravery, loyalty, and courtesy became the
outworking of a love for ones lady instead of ones lord. Lancelots
combining his allegiance to Arthur and knightly virtues with his chaste
loyalty to Guenevere.
3. HOW DOES THE STORY REFLECT THE AGE OF CHIVALRY AND
KNIGHTHOOD?
Chivalry with its concept of knighthood is adopted by various European
countries in the era as one of the principal codes applied not only in military
campaigns but also in the sphere of morality as well as the social
stratification of the monarchies.
The story reflected the age of Chivalry and Knighthood by way of
presenting adventures of knights as warrior and their struggle to achieve
perfection through the strict compliance of the code of chivalry.
5

The story emphasized the martial aspects of chivalry, created its own
ideal of chivalry and knighthood, combining fighting prowess, a reputation
for following the code of conduct for knights, and virtue, inspired by love and
service to the king as a standard for his greatest exemplar of a knight. The
chivalric ideal of knighthood was primarily worldly. It focuses on the Round
Table and the fellowship of knights bound in a common loyalty to King Arthur.

ENDNOTES
1

Beals, Natalie. Chivalry in Malory: A Look at the Inconsistencies of Lancelot,

Gareth, and Tristram in Le Morte dArthur
2

http://www.arthuriana.org/teaching/Handout_Buff_True_Knight.pdf

Beals, Natalie. Chivalry in Malory: A Look at the Inconsistencies of Lancelot,

Gareth, and Tristram in Le Morte dArthur
4

Beals, Natalie. Chivalry in Malory: A Look at the Inconsistencies of Lancelot,

Gareth, and Tristram in Le Morte dArthur
5

http://www.arthuriana.org/teaching/Handout_Buff_True_Knight.pdf