Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, Contradictions, And Crazy Spanish Guys

Chivalry, Contradictions, and Crazy Spanish Guys 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 …show more content…
He lacks the divine inspiration of the knights of the Middle Ages. In fact, he is actually questioned on this very subject. A traveler asks Don Quixote why knights errant never “commend themselves to God, as every Christian’s meant do,” but instead they commend themselves to their lady (Cervantes 98). Don Quixote provides him with a very roundabout answer that leaves what is guiding him undetermined. In reality, he sets out for adventure only because he has read that this is what knights do. Don Quixote travels “in search of adventures…exposing himself to peril” in order to “gain eternal fame and renown” (Cervantes 27). The real basis for his desire is unclear; he has no set quest. He is simply a picaresque hero heading towards nothing. He also has no sound reason for violence, fighting, and rudeness, such as when he attacks a man he believes to be kidnapping women in a carriage (Cervantes 67-70). It is not justified through religion, because the society lacks this contradiction therefore leaving no real