1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Arthurian Romance

2. Castles and Keeps
Stone castles were encircled by massive walls and guard towers
Home to lord and lady, their family, knights, and servants
A fortress of defense 2

3. Castles and Keeps 3

4. The 3 Estates in the Middle Ages
The idea of estates, or orders, was encouraged during the Age, but this ordering was breaking down.
Clergy
those who pray, purpose was to save everyone’s soul, primarily spoke Latin
Nobles
those who fight, purpose was to protect—allow for all to work in peace—and provide justice, primarily spoke French
Commoners
those who work, purpose was to feed and clothe all above them, primarily spoke English

5. A tenant (vassal) renews his oath of fidelity to his lord
feudalism
The economic system of much of the Middle Ages ( )
Based on premise that the king owns all the land in the kingdom. William the Conquerer kept ¼ land for himself, gave ¼ to church, then parceled out rest to loyal barrons.
A tenant (vassal) renews his oath of fidelity to his lord

6. Feudalism
Think of a chess set 6

7. Feudalism Provide knights in times of war Provided land
Provided lodging, food, etc
Military protection
service
Barons gave land to serfs in return for take on profits. No “rent to own” option, however. 7

8. Feudalism Manors The lords estate –
The lord provided the serfs with housing, farmland and protection
Serfs tended the lands, cared for the animals, maintained the estate 8

9. Feudalism Manors
Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from the manor
Was home to 15 – 30 families
Self-Sufficient community
Peasants heavily taxed, including a tithe – a church tax of 1/10 their income 9

10. Arthurian Romance Legend of King Arthur Many tales
Told since the Anglo-Saxon period
Many countries: England, France, Germany, etc.
Sir Gawain = 14th C.

11. Romance poetry - genre Kings/knights
Idealized courtly love (i.e. love within the king’s court, or assemblage)
Fantasy
Supernatural creatures
Challenge/Test  Quest

12. Feudal social institutions
Chivalry – knightly code of behavior
Truth
Honesty
Respect for women
Courage
Obedience to the king
Humility/humble

13. Chivalry Knight obeys the king because he’s the king
One-way relationship

14. Chivalry
A product of feudalism, chivalry was an idealized system of manners and morals
Restricted to nobility
Chivalric ideals include...
desire to do good to others
brotherly love
politeness

15. The Age of Chivalry
The mounted Knights were the most important part of an Army
Knights were professional soldiers – main obligation was to serve in battle
Devoted lives to war 15

16. The Age of Chivalry
Chivalry – a complex set of ideals, demanded that a knight fight bravely in defense of three masters: his feudal lord, his heavenly lord, and his lady
Meant to protect the weak and the poor
Be loyal, brave, and courteous
Demonstrate honesty, respect for women and humility 16

17. The Age of Chivalry
Sons of nobles began training at an early age for knighthood
Page – at 7 they were sent to another lord to be trained
Squire – at 14 they act as a servant to a knight
Knight- at 21 they become a knight and gain experience in local wars and tournaments 17

18. The Age of Chivalry
Tournaments – mock battles that combined recreation and combat training
Fierce and bloody competitions 18

19. The Church Provided guidance through well known precepts..
Seven Deadly Sins
Pride
Greed
Wrath
Envy
Gluttony
Sloth
Lust

20. The Wheel of Fortune
The idea of Fortune and her wheel was one of the most pervasive ideas throughout the Middle Ages.
On the wheel are depicted four figures: one at the top, one at the bottom, one rising, and one falling.

21. It served to remind of the temporality of earthly things.
The Wheel helps understand the medieval mind, and it can help remind us that the important things in life come from within, that hard work has its own merits. An award, an office, a title--these are not the things that make for greatness.

24. With the Crusades comes The Black Death
spreads along trade routes
kills much of the population
the plague outbreaks occur through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance
Paradoxically, the Plague provides for continued growth in cities
Afterwards, hundreds of new jobs available
Many debts “died off” with creditors
also contributed to society’s culture

25. Challenge / Test Purpose of the Test:
Ensure that Sir Gawain must stick by his morals and convictions

26. Challenge / Test Chivalry guides his actions
 the moral structure by which he bases his choices

27. Why read this today? Moral lesson
14th century—Knights had to make choices
choices should reflect acceptance of the chivalric code

28. Why read this today? Moral lesson
Modern Day – We have to make choices in life based on our belief system.
1st: we must explicitly know and understand what we believe in
2nd: we will judge our actions based on those beliefs

29. Why read this today? Conclusion: Can you hold firmly to your beliefs?
beliefs, then, become the way in which we measure our actions
way in which we decide what we have done as either good or bad
Can you hold firmly to your beliefs?

30. Courtly Love in romance poetry
Audience = mostly women
Interest in stories where women play larger role
Focus: contained alternates to combat (although combat is present)

31. Courtly Love in romance poetry
The courtly love consisted of a relationship between a knight and the liege lady (sometimes already married to the king)

32. The Characters of Chivalric Romance
A Kingdom with castle (Camelot)
A King (Arthur)
A Queen (Guinevere)
Knights (Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, etc.)
Ladies (objects of affection/devotion)
Wizards, Sorcerers (Merlin)
Enemies (other kings/knights)

33. The Ideal of Courtly Love
This relationship was modeled on the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege lord.
The knight serves his courtly lady with the same obedience and loyalty which he owes to his liege lord.
She is in complete control; he owes her obedience and submission

34. The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds, in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor.

35. Were marriages like this, too?
“Courtly love" was not between husband and wife because it was an idealized sort of relationship that could not exist within the context of "real life" medieval marriages.
In the middle ages, marriages amongst the nobility were typically based on practical and dynastic concerns rather than on love.

36. Courtly Love continued
provided a model of behavior for a class of unmarried young men who might otherwise have threatened social stability.
Knights were typically younger brothers without land of their own (hence unable to support a wife).
They became members of the household of the feudal lords whom they served.

37. What is the purpose?
It provided young men with a model for appropriate behavior.
It taught them to sublimate their desires and to channel their energy into socially useful behavior (love service rather than wandering around the countryside, stealing or raping women).

38. Castle – What is this today?

39. King and Queen – Who rules the modern castle?

40. Knights – Who follows behavior code today?

41. Ladies – Any modern examples?

42. Identify these elements in Sir Gawain (graphic organizer)
Hero
Evil Enemy
Quest
a dangerous journey
a test/ordeal for hero
a return to some point of the beginning

43. Identify these elements in Sir Gawain (continued)
Test(s) of the hero
Supernatural elements
Good vs. Evil
Female figures (maidens in need of rescue, mothers, crones, or temptresses)

44. The Quest
In addition to the theme of Courtly Love, the Quest was highly important:
an errant knight wandering in search of deeds of chivalry is bound by a code of behavior - a set of conventional principles and expectations

45. Let’s Get Reading!! “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”
The Canterbury Tales: “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”