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Social Status In Knight's Tale

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Social status and rank are very important to everyday life because it defines where a person comes from in society. In the movie “Knight’s Tale”, William is a young man who’s stuck in a lower social class. That being so, he doesn’t let his rank get the better of him. William’s social class may seem to define himself in society, but not in his heart. His social class has not only made him a humble man, but a man that shows mercy that others can’t surpass.
A social class is a group of people who occupy similar positions in an economic system. Social class includes factors such as power and wealth. William has neither power or wealth, only the dream to be a knight. To meet that goal, his only choice is to fake his social rank. A person's rank makes the public look at you from a whole new angle. Before William became a “knight”, nobody knew who he was or even seemed to care. Once he put on the armor, and started winning jousts, his name became well known all around. Even though it wasn’t his actual name. Social status is obtained by birthright. Simply, if your parents were poor it’s likely that you will be too. The same thing goes for if your parents are wealthy. William’s father was an immensely poor man who …show more content…

One of those being you can’t marry beneath you and still hold the same rank. Also, someone can’t just move up in rank. The rank a person is born at is the rank that person stays all their life. William is an exception to these rules only because he fakes his social rank. Faking your social rank was illegal in this time period. When William strayed away from his rank he became famous and loved by many. He also got to fulfill his dream. Although, when he was figured out he was put in the stocks and was in line to be killed. Only his respect towards a prince kept him alive. There are restrictions on ranks due to power, which not everyone can achieve. Power had to be passed down to you in this

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