LIBS 1870: Changing Trends of Medieval Themed Television Shows

This essay examines the shifting trends in medieval-themed television shows, highlighting the transition from historically grounded portrayals to more commercially driven, often stereotypical, representations. It discusses how earlier productions focused on the socio-political complexities of the Middle Ages, while contemporary shows prioritize entertainment and consumerism, often misconstruing historical facts. The essay references examples like 'Game of Thrones,' 'A Knight's Tale,' and 'The Name of the Rose' to illustrate the impact of technology, audience demand, and marketability on the depiction of the medieval world. It concludes that while modern shows entertain, they may not accurately educate viewers about the realities of the era, thus creating myths and misinterpretations.

Running head: CHANGING TRENDS OF MEDIEVAL THEMED TELEVISION SHOWS
CHANGING TRENDS OF MEDIEVAL THEMED TELEVISION SHOWS
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1CHANGING TRENDS OF MEDIEVAL THEMED TELEVISION SHOWS
Answer to Question Number 5 :-
The rapid growth of digital media in the last few decades have led to an array of
television shows depicting the medieval world. Being presented more in the form of a
fantasy, or fictional occurrences, the authenticity of these depictions are subject to debate.
The medieval themed fictional television shows, along with films of the same genre have
undergone marked changed over the last 50-60 years. Whether these changes have helped the
viewers to understand the Middle Age better or not is subject to speculation, which has been
discussed at length in this paper.
Films based on J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ or J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’
have further intensified the interest of a middle-class audience in films or television shows
based on the Middle Ages (Pagès & Kinane, 2015). This unabated interest gave rise to shows
like ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Merlin’, or ‘Camelot’, and films like ‘King Arthur’, ‘Kingdom of
Heaven’ and ‘A Knight’s Tale’ among many others, in the 21st century. Earlier films and
television shows like like ‘The Name of the Rose’, ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ (1955-
1960), ‘Arthur of Britons’ (1972-73) or ‘Mystery!: Cadfael’ attempted to trace the medieval
age from a historicist perspective and portrayed the psychological, political and socio-
economic complexities which existed in the society of the Middle Ages. The increased rate of
medieval-based television productions in the 21st century has shifted the focus from such
explorations to crass commercial entertainments, for which those historical times are often
misconstrued, based on certain common stereotypes. Those of the 1980s and nineties
portrayed medievalism as full of injustice and misery. This stereotype has continued to be in
use, yet compromising on its genuine impact on the modern society. Amidst all the medieval
ethics, sophisticated complications pertaining to the modern society were found in a number
of television shows, and they were presented artistically in the age of the celluloid. They
raised questions about the socio-cultural ethics of the Middle Ages, and how it came to have

2CHANGING TRENDS OF MEDIEVAL THEMED TELEVISION SHOWS
a significant bearing on the contemporary age. The cliché of narrow-minded brutality of the
Middle Ages in ‘The Name of the Rose’ gained popularity not because of its accurate
portrayal of that time, but it questioned the evolution and progress of humankind as a whole.
Allegations against modern television shows based on medieval times may be called
erroneously harsh in this regard, because the line of action for television strictly follows a
capitalistic path, where there would be a continuous bombardment of popular images, notions
and archetypes which would entice the audience to buy the products (Pagès & Kinane, 2015).
The role of ideology in shaping the course of creativity, authentic representation and accurate
understanding of the age is therefore intertwined with consumerism, in case of these visual
products. The cast is often decided, based on the marketability of the characters through those
actors. Kit Harrington portraying the character of a typical good-looking, brave and
chivalrous Jon Snow in ‘Game of Thrones’ can be a case in point (Uckelman, Murphey, &
Percer, 2017). It immediately establishes a connection between the programme and the
viewers. Director Brian Helgeland has deliberately introduced modern elements like music
and fashion in ‘A Knight’s Tale’ with the intention of bringing the medieval age close to the
modern audience. He used of authentic elements like the name Ulrich von Liechtenstein, and
there was a medieval author by that name who had existed. However, the amalgamation made
it more difficult to understand the medieval age, rather than making it easier. The
serialization and domesticity of the modern television, with complexities specific to a modern
psychology, make the shows all the more appealing and comfortable for the viewers. Thus,
without getting judged in their private zones, their emotions are being played with
uninhibitedly, with pretentious yet productive and market-friendly items.
This consumerist attitude in the portrayal of middle ages in television shows were
however, not present in the earlier ages. They were more driven by the intention of learning,
both from the perspective of their makers as well as the viewers. This shift in focus, which

3CHANGING TRENDS OF MEDIEVAL THEMED TELEVISION SHOWS
took place at around the turn of the century, may be attributed to two factors which are also
intertwined among themselves – firstly the advancement of technology leading to a change
from celluloid to the digital format of film-making, and secondly the same advancement
leading to a fast-paced lifestyle where people, in the leisure time, demanded entertainment
more knowledge by means of critical thinking. The digital format allowed the makers of
films and television shows to explore and experiment with the tools and the medium of film-
making, rather than the content. Nonetheless, the content was also shaped by the demand of
the audience as mentioned in the previous line. Therefore, the flowery and superficial content
goes well with today’s audience.
Also, medievalism in television, at present, fully focuses on neither the present nor the
medieval. The more prominent issues are thereby discarded and attractive elements are taken
into consideration. Rather than highlighting the social inequalities and other documentable
events, that were present in medievalism-based television shows a few decades ago, more
importance is given to adventure and fantasy (Smith, 2016). The irony is that, while on one
hand it allows a free flow of imagination for the viewers, on the other, it brings plurality in
the interpretation of historical facts. Thus the facts often get misinterpreted. Different
presentations of ‘Joan of Arc’ or ‘Robin Hood’ at different times offers a variety of
interpretations of the medieval society (Delony, 2018).
Thus, Hollywood is presently creating some myths about the Middle Ages which is
misleading for the modern man. The use of torches can be seen in almost every such film. As
mentioned earlier, executions or beheadings and unashamed killing of human beings are
often presented in gory detail (Massie & Mayer, 2014). The food habits of the medieval men
portray them as extremely gluttonous; the dinner table was always filled with a lavish diet,
irrespective of the social or financial status of an individual. Christianity has been given a
moral high ground, as compared to other religions. This appears as a dominant theme in the

4CHANGING TRENDS OF MEDIEVAL THEMED TELEVISION SHOWS
film ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, where Christianity is in conflict with Islam (Liu, 2017). All these
stereotypes are being used time and again, and other relevant details about the age, which can
be available through adequate research, are absent.
Therefore, it may be concluded by saying that the purpose, content and manner of
portrayal of the Middle Ages experienced a significant change in the 21st century. The
responsibility of authentic portrayal has taken backseat due to the involvement of consumerist
politics. As such, these new television shows on the Middle Ages serve the purpose of
entertaining the viewers, but are not beneficial enough for their accurate understanding of the
age. It is ironical how the television shows portray that medieval men blindly followed the
codes of conduct laid down by the church, just as the modern men blindly follow whatever is
offered to them by the television about that particular bygone era.

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Reference List
Delony, M. (2018). A Review of the Year's Publications in Robin Hood Scholarship. Bulletin
of the International Association for Robin Hood Studies, 1(1), 32-43.
Liu, Y. (2017). Kingdom of Heaven and its ideological message. CINEJ Cinema
Journal, 6(1), 84-93.
Massie, P., & Mayer, L. (2014). Bringing Elsewhere Home: A Song of Ice and Fire’s Ethics
of Disability.
Pagès, M., & Kinane, K. (Eds.). (2015). The Middle Ages on Television: Critical Essays.
McFarland.
Smith, J. (2016). Medievalisms of Moral Panic: Borrowing the Past to Frame Fear in the
Present. Studies in Medievalism XXV: Medievalism and Modernity, 157-172.
Uckelman, S. L., Murphey, S., & Percer, J. (2017). What's in a name? History and fantasy in
Game of Thrones. Wiley-Blackwell.