Phox Truitt
Ms. Cannon
English 4 Honors
11 October 2015
Chivalry and is it Dead?
Chivalry has been around for centuries. It has been respected and disgraced countless times. There will always be those who shame the very idea of it, but as long as there is one who displays its virtues, it will remain an active behavior. During the medieval period chivalry was something to follow as a code of conduct for knights. It was required by them and it meant courage in all forms. One rule that has stood out the most and has persisted through the years is how to treat a lady. The Knight in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” blatantly dishonors chivalry by rapoing a young girl and after recieving the chance to correct his wrong doing, complains of its outcome, but after respecting his ugly but wise wife’s intuition, he is rewarded with a young, intelligent, beautiful, and loyal wife due to him giving her the freedom of choosing for him.
The extensively Knight was on a heinous walk and finds himself facing an evil opportunity. A young girl is minding her own affairs and Knight takes the moment to seize and fornicate her by force. It’s boldly stated, “He saw a maiden walking all forlorn ahead of him, alone as she was born. And of that maiden, spite of all she said, by very force he took her maidenhead.” (61-64) marking the Knight as a vicious and depraved individual amongst far more deserving men of knighthood. This defilement sets the mood towards the Knight as a hateful one in which it is surprising to see that he is being given mercy by the queen. The king lends the life of the Knight into the Queen’s hands and she gives him a chance to save himself. She says “You shall live if you can answer me: What is the thing that women most desire? Beware the axe and say as I require.” (80-82) allowing him a significant juncture to sustain his existence by obtaining her one request. After being given his instructions the Knight sets out to query any women he finds and hopefully beyond doubt come up with the answer to the fateful question.
After a year of searching with fruitless results he makes his way to encounter his horrendous demise. Before he did so, he saw a group of ladies which upon further inspection by the Knight turned out to be an old and notably poor woman. H asks he for an answer to his question. She gives him what he wishes in return for any favor that he is capable of providing. Upon settling his debt with the Queen he faces the marriage of him and the old woman. He pleads for another favor, for he dreads the idea of her hand in marriage. He savors no insult and plainly disregarded her sentiment. He directly says to her “You’re old, and so abominably plain, so poor to start with, so low-bred, to follow; it’s little wonder if I twist and wallow; God, that my heart would burst within my breast.” (276-279) expressing how dire her awful appearance and social stature is to his pride. This is a drastically conceited thing to say as a knight, especially considering how relinquished his moral standing is along the poor girl’s virginity.
The Knight’s wife explains to him that being poor can be a gift, as it means you have nothing a thief would want. She gives him two options to choose from. She says “Have me old and ugly till I die, but still loyal… or would you rather I were young and pretty and chane your arm what happen in a city where friends will visit you because of me.” (396-401) causing the Knight to ponder the final decision. After thinking about his answer he finally comes to the conclusion that he would rather have her choose for him and says “You make the choice yourself, for the provision of what may be agreeable and rich in honor to us both, I don’t care which; whatever pleases you suffices me.” (408-411). the Knight leaves her perfect control over the situation, giving her the freedom that women most desire. She decides to be beautiful and loyal as a reward for his gracious deed. Leaving the power of a major portion of his life in her hands is a frightening move for him, but this proves an as an act of recompense which redeems his previous attitude.
The meaning of chivalry has changed much over the centuries. The phrase “chivalry is dead” has been tossed around countless times. Chivalry is not dead, and unless it becomes an unknown word or loses its meaning, then it will remain very much alive. It is not common for someone to find themselves in the middle of a battle and it is advised to escape if captured, but treating a lady the way she deserves will remain a constant attribute of chivalry. The Knight simulates three levels of harshness through his deeds. His first act of raping a poor young girl is an outright objection to the very meaning of chivalry. Insulting his wife under his recent circumstances and avoiding death with her help was a low and hurtful thing to do The last thing he does is give his wife exactly what women most desire, and that is the same liberty that men have. He lets her decide her own fate as well as his. She becomes an extraordinarily looking, young, and loyal spouse creating a mutual solution for their dilemma. For chivalry to mean as much as it did during the Medieval Age to what it means now would actually be frowned upon. It was a much larger deal to give women more courtesy and freedom then because they were seen as inferior to men, but now it is just common respect for a fellow human. Chivalry is not dead, it is just less significant and better remembered for its absence.