Sir Gawain And Don Quixote Essay, Research Paper

Chivalry which flourished mostly in the 12th and 13th centuries was the code of the

Knights of the Middle Ages. This code was a group of unwritten laws of bravery,

loyalty, honesty, and courtly love. The knight was expected to follow these laws

and in this devote his loyalty to a lord or king and to God. Knights were also

expected to show respect and benevolence towards other knights. The code also

stressed that knights fought for glory and Christian purposes and not for personal

profit.

In Sir Gawain one can see chivalry at work. Gawain being loyal to King

Arthur volunteers for the game against the Green Knight. In respect of the

Green Knight, Gawain promises to meet the Green Knight in one years time to

continue the game. On his journey Gawain stays at Bercilak s castle where he

meets Bercilak s lady. She starts to have a liking for Gawain and there for

introduces the code of courtly love. But Gawain remains loyal and honest to

Bercilak, for after each hunt Bercilak goes on, the two exchange there prizes and

Gawain presents kisses each time. Gawain, although, does not present the

magical sash given to him by the Lady after the last hunt.

The tale of Gawain can also be considered to be a grail story, not in the

sense of looking for a cup but in that of a journey for personal Christian purity.

Unfortunately no one can be pure but can do there best to become pure.

The code of chivalry even continued into the Renaissance with Miguel De

Cervantes Don Quixote. Actually Cevantes was making fun of the code of chivalry in

his book. According to The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces the stories written

in the Middle Ages about chivalry delt with supernatural deeds of valor, implausible and

complicated adventures, duels, and enchantments. The anthology went on to say that the

literature of the Middle Ages had degenerated to what they consider a pulp fiction

by the time of the Renaissance period. The story of Don Quixote was of a man named

Alonso Quijano that read stories of the old days of chivalry and knighthood so much that

he started to create his own world of illusion as Don Quixote de la Mancha. This world

was full of adventure and conquest of valor. Using the code of chivalry Don Quixote

fought giants, armies, and visited castles, but in reality were mearly windmills, sheep, and

country inns. One could say Don Quixote was also on a vision quest, such as, Sir

Gawain. But Don Quixote s quest, in reality was of false intentions; for Don Quixote

was on a quest of goodness and truth in his world of illusions and imaginations.