- Recite
Chivalry; no better way to meet another young Italian: Dante Alighieri
Literary Term #1
- Chivalry: a code of conduct associated with the medieval institution of knighthood which developed between 1170 and 1220:
- When examining medieval literature, chivalry can be classified into three basic but overlapping areas:
- Duties to countrymen and fellow Christians: this contains virtues such as mercy, courage, valor, fairness, protection of the weak and the poor, and in the servant-hood of the knight to his lord. This also brings with it the idea of being willing to give one’s life for another’s; whether he would be giving his life for a poor man or his lord.
- Duties to God: this would contain being faithful to God, protecting the innocent, being faithful to the church, being the champion of good against evil, being generous and obeying God above the feudal lord.
- Duties to women: this is probably the most familiar aspect of chivalry. This would contain what is often called courtly love, the idea that the knight is to serve a lady, and after her all other ladies. Most especially in this category is a general gentleness and graciousness to all women. (Term definition taken from Wikipedia.)
- Jesus Christ: Jesus was born of Mary. Jesus met with women (other rabbis would not). Jesus anticipated a new, richer grace and generosity in the world of men and women.
- Conversion of the Pagans: Think of them rather like rude gangs of men trouncing about...stealing, raping, and destroying. When they were converted, rather than having them put away all arms, they were often told to feel free to go about as they did (even go on crusade), only now they would fight to defend and support the weak rather than attack them.
*Literary Term #2: Courtly Love (as the tradition continues, it cloys and becomes less pure, though not in all cases)
Think of a knight acting in valor to woo a beautiful woman in the court back home, but there are a few complications that make this love a bit more tricky.
- Love is more of an art than a passion.... During Medieval times, marriages were arranged, so love was something sought outside of marriage and was pursued for the sake of love itself, not a future.
- While love was supposed to be honorable and God-fearing...love is sensual and often secret. Ideally, it was not physically realized...but this was playing with fire and sometimes led to sin.
- The lady is elevated as one to be worshiped, served, and wooed.
- In the efforts to woo, the lover usually gained manners, virtues (honor)
- The lady is of very high status and her reputation must be kept in tact.
- The lover often suffers sickness, nervousness, trembling, etc... in the presence of this high lady.
- The god of love is usually personified in the stories of courtly love (love is depicted as an omnipotent deity so that love is something we cannot escape from).
- Click here for more.
*EQ: How have these ideas about love and women affected the modern way women are treated and viewed even in our culture?
HW: Read the Introduction Tonight: Dante Alighieri
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