Analyzing Chivalry: Don Quixote and Sir Gawain's Actions Compared

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Don Quixote from "Don Quixote de la Mancha" and Sir Gawain from "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," focusing on their adherence to the chivalric code. It explores the characters' virtues, mistakes, and the cultural values they represent. The essay discusses Gawain's tests of loyalty, honor, and integrity, and Quixote's descent into madness fueled by chivalric novels. It examines the historical context of chivalry, its unwritten laws, and the expectations placed on knights, including loyalty to their lord, King, and God. Gawain's journey and moral dilemmas are analyzed, highlighting his flaws and eventual realization of his imperfections in upholding the chivalric code. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of striving for chivalric ideals while remaining conscious of morality and human weakness. Desklib offers this essay and many other resources for students.

ESSAY

Compare and contrast the behavior of Don Quixote and Sir Gawain. Given that both men
make mistakes, which do you believe better upholds the Chivalric code and ideals of
knighthood? why?
In the literary works, there are similar and distinctive qualities that includes the ways one
handle with the circumstances for heroic actions or decisions. The characters of Don Quixote
from "Don Quixote de la Mancha" and Sir Gawain from "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” are
outstanding with moral and cultural values.
In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the character of Sir Gawain is portrayed to carry
out different expressions for the pinnacle which is about loyalty, honor, integrity and the
chivalry. There are challenges which are tested and then one can possess different characteristics.
The tests are for the loyalty to King Arthur and the courage to handle the fierce knight. The
journey is also to find Green Knight castle which is generally challenged by the virtue, chastity
and the integrity1. There are events which are considered to be notary of the different honorary
times. Green Knight is considered to be portraying the different times where he is the enemy to
Sir Gawain.
In story of Don Quixote de la Mancha, the characters are clearly visible, where the
visibility is depicted in terms of Alonso Quixano, who is a middle age man. He is the foolish
person but a kind person at heart. His character is defined vividly, and Don Quixote is a sane
man who ends up completely going mad after reading the books which were related to the
chivalry nights. The actions also depict about the longing with the sense of purpose and beauty.
1Joan-Pau R.. "The Emergence of a Naturalistic and Ethnographic Paradigm in Late Medieval Travel
Writing." Medieval Ethnographies. Routledge, 2017. 43-64.

With all this, he has been fiercely intelligent and sane, with cogently working and concisely
talking about the literature, soldiering and government. Chivalry is flourished in 12th and 13th
centuries which is considered to be a code of Knights for the Middle Age time. This is
considered to be unwritten with the different laws of bravery, loyalty, honesty or the courtly
love. There have been laws related to devoting to his loyalty to a lord or King and to God. The
knights are considered to show the respect with benevolence towards the other Knights. Gawain
is being loyal to King Arthur who is able to volunteer the game which is against the Green
Knight2. The promises are to meet the Green Knight in a year time to continue the game. Gawain
does not clearly present any magical sash that is for him by the Lady after there was a hunt. The
tale is considered to be a grail story which is not in the sense for looking up for a cup for
personal Christian purity. The knights code of Chivalry is expected to have not only the strength
and the skills for combatting in the violent Middle Ages but also expect to temper the aggressive
side of Knight. There are no authenticity for moral system which is seen to be set beyond the
rules of combatting and qualities that are idealized by knighthood like bravery, courtesy, honor
towards women. The Knights Code of Chivalry is considered to be a part of the culture for the
Middle Ages which is documented in “The Song of Roland” in the period of William the
Conqueror who rule England from 1066. The ideals are about emphasizing on the oaths and
vows that are sworn in Knighthood ceremonies of Middle Ages and Medieval era. The ideals of
chivalry is about the strict rules of etiquette and conduct. The wandering minstrels of Middle
Ages are set with memorizing the words for the longer poems and describing about the faith,
2 Nahir G. "Arthur's Heirs: Comparing the Nordic and Spanish Tristan." International Journal of Atlantic
Europe in the Middle Ages 2 2015.

charity, justice and prudence3. According to the analysis, the chivalric knight like Gawain needs
to be abiding inner code of mortality with remaining true to his self, lord and God. Sin is
considered to be beginning in mind and then it leads to the dishonorable deeds that are in the
world. Through Sir Gawain and Green Knight, there are travelling on the path which is for inner
contemplation for actual travel. The traits are likened for five wounds of Christ to set up the
eventual fall from the start4. From the small wound, Gawain realize that he cannot live up for an
image where the sworn is for upholding and is closer to be the death knell of the entire moral
system. The moral system is about the rules of combat and introducing the concepts of conduct,
qualities which are for medieval knights. The values of honors and courtesy and purity with
loyalty to Lord, a cause or a noble woman is also important. There are conversations in between
the two that are considered to be untruths and Gawain is repeatedly pretending about things like
sleeping which he actually thinks and allow his wife to kiss him, at numerous times. Gawain’s
idea is about chivalrous attitude and not pursuing the lady to be synonymous with deceit and
pretension attitude5.
Gawain realizes about the severity for the poor decisions to make and force into
attempting to perfect the notion for chivalric code. The chivalry helps in providing the different
set of ideals that are set towards striving, but a person needs to remain conscious of the morality
3 Carr, David, and Harrison T. Educating character through stories. Andrews UK Limited, 2015.
4Bethany Danielle D.. Knights in Tin-Foil, Dames in Damask: Middle English Romance Parodies and
Estates Satire. Diss. University of South Alabama, 2017.
5Renata J. "King Arthur and Medieval Knights." Zeszyty Glottodydaktyczne 2015.Zeszyt 5 2016: 181-205.

and weakness 6. There are knights of Arthur courts with inability to volunteer to tribute and lying
down, trickery and the untruths which are considered to be told though Gawain is supposed to be
more chivalrous knights in land. The ideal of militant knighthood is mainly for enhancement by
Crusades. The monastic orders are for the Knights Templars and Hospitals who produce soldiers
sworn to uphold the Christian ideal.
6 Richard Z.. Homoeroticism and Chivalry: Discourses of Male Same-Sex Desire in the 14th Century.
Springer, 2016.

References
Carr, David, and Tom Harrison. Educating character through stories. Andrews UK Limited,
2015.
Dankovic, Bethany Danielle. Knights in Tin-Foil, Dames in Damask: Middle English Romance
Parodies and Estates Satire. Diss. University of South Alabama, 2017.
Gracia, Nahir I. Otaño. "Arthur's Heirs: Comparing the Nordic and Spanish
Tristan." International Journal of Atlantic Europe in the Middle Ages 2 2015.
Jawniak, Renata. "King Arthur and Medieval Knights." Zeszyty Glottodydaktyczne 2015.Zeszyt 5
2016: 181-205.
Rubiés, Joan-Pau. "The Emergence of a Naturalistic and Ethnographic Paradigm in Late
Medieval Travel Writing." Medieval Ethnographies. Routledge, 2017. 43-64.
Zeikowitz, Richard. Homoeroticism and Chivalry: Discourses of Male Same-Sex Desire in the
14th Century. Springer, 2016.