knights

In class last week code of chivalry was mentioned some more but this time regarding how knights respected woman. I did further research and learned that there is actually so much more to the code of chivalry. for one the knights were not allowed to have sex before combat and knights actually were romantics because they had rules on courtly love that they had to follow. here is what i found about courtly love:

http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-knights/medieval-courtly-love.htm

• Marriage is no real excuse for not loving
• He who is not jealous, cannot love
• No one can be bound by a double love
• It is well known that love is always increasing or decreasing
• That which a lover takes against the will of his beloved has no relish
• Boys do not love until they arrive at the age of maturity
• When one lover dies, a widowhood of two years is required of the survivor
• No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons
• No one can love unless he is impelled by the persuasion of love
• Love is always a stranger in the home of avarice
• It is not proper to love any woman whom one would be ashamed to seek to marry
• A true lover does not desire to embrace in love anyone except his beloved
• When made public love rarely endures
• The easy attainment of love makes it of little value; difficulty of attainment makes it prized
• Every lover regularly turns pale in the presence of his beloved
• When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved, his heart palpitates
• A new love puts to flight an old one
• Good character alone makes any man worthy of love
• If love diminishes, it quickly fails and rarely revives
• A man in love is always apprehensive
• Real jealousy always increases the feeling of love
• Jealousy, and therefore love, are increased when one suspects his beloved
• He whom the thought of love vexes eats and sleeps very little
• Every act of a lover ends in the thought of his beloved
• A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved
• Love can deny nothing to love
• A lover can never have enough of the solaces of his beloved
• A slight presumption causes a lover to suspect his beloved
• A man who is vexed by too much passion usually does not love
• A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved
• Nothing forbids one woman being loved by two men or one man by two women
  
  
  
  
  I just think that it is sweet how they have all these romantic things but they are kind of realistic because they say one can't help it if one is loved by too....i thought that was funny. I think this is common sense..boys need to learn and live this and breath this...hahaha
  

So in class the knights code of chivalry was mentioned. I had never heard of this before so I decided to look up what it was. First of all I actually thought knights did go around "getting some" from any woman that he wanted and they were just good romanticists. Knights actually had very strict rules that they had to live by and these are some.


http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/knights-code-of-chivalry.htm
The Knights Code of Chivalry described in the Song of Roland and an excellent representation of the Knights Codes of Chivalry are as follows:

• To fear God and maintain His Church
• To serve the liege lord in valour and faith
• To protect the weak and defenceless
• To give succour to widows and orphans
• To refrain from the wanton giving of offence
• To live by honour and for glory
• To despise pecuniary reward
• To fight for the welfare of all
• To obey those placed in authority
• To guard the honour of fellow knights
• To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
• To keep faith
• At all times to speak the truth
• To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
• To respect the honour of women
• Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
• Never to turn the back upon a foe

Beowulf2

The exercise that was done in class about writing our own script and then interpreting it was hilarious!!
Of course i loved Josh's "hood talk" but beyond the funny parts in class, I really liked how we broke it down and interpreted into modern language. When i read some stories it is hard to get past the language but this puts a new way to do it. I know teachers constantly tell us to interpret it and put it in our own words but this might actually be helpful.

Beowulf

Beowulf is really annoying!!
He has the biggest ego and I've never had a thing for characters whether it is in a movie or a book, with big egos. It's ok to have a little ego but not that it defines the person. What I do like about this story is that he is kind of like his own super hero with a twist. I think the reason that this story has maintained itself to still being read and discussed about is that it is not the typical story of love, or a super hero, it has its own flavor that people will always be able to remember it (even if it is vague) about the dude who could chop heads and kick butt. It is like any other fairy tale that makes a name for itself. all of the other fairy tales follow a trend behind it.