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Use Of Satire In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

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The Aurthian legends of chivalry and courtly love are archaic. Chivalric code includes being a courageous knight that is willing to sacrifice himself for his king; to be strong during all battles and have integrity in all situations. Courtly love refers to an unattainable love between a knight and a married woman. Although polite and courteous, the knight may only win a kiss from the lady in the end. With that, satire is used today as a way to make fun of these outdated themes. Olden times like the Medieval Era began around 476 A.D. and ended between 1400 and 1450. Although that period ended over 6,000 years ago, we still see these ideas in the literary and film industry today. In both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and in the film, First …show more content…

The idea of chivalry shown in both SGGK and First Knight is satirized in Monty Python. In the beginning of SGGK, the Green Knight challenges King Arthur to a beheading game. Sir Gawain, one of his knights, says to him, “let this adventure be mine” (3). Sir Gawain does not hesitate to volunteer to take the king’s place. He does not think King Arthur should accept any challenges while there are many courageous knights beside him. His willingness to sacrifice himself for his king proves he is a brave knight. These chivalrous acts of courage are satirized in Monty Python. A few knights bring their king to a cave to show him a bunny that they believe to be dangerous and deadly. When the bunny starts to brutally murder some of the knights, the rest of them run away, as an attempt to save themselves. This satirizes chivalry since the knights do not want to sacrifice themselves for their king. In addition, it shows that they are not …show more content…

The king and his knights wake up early one morning to go on a hunt for a boar. While they are gone, the lady of the castle goes to Sir Gawain’s room. On her way out, “she kissed him,” (12) and then was on her way. Because the lady of the castle is married to the king, the love shared between her and Sir Gawain must stay a secret. Although they just met, he is very polite to the lady and wins a kiss from her in the end. Monty Python makes fun of these ideas, satirized by Lancelot and a bride. Lancelot discovers a note that explains that someone is imprisoned and needs help escaping. He completes deadly tasks in order to reach the lady. After arriving at the castle, Lancelot rapidly looks for the lady, only to kick a bride in the stomach. This mocks courtly love because knights are supposed to be very polite towards the lady they love. In the film, the queen, Guinevere, is in danger because of the villian, Malagant. Lancelot goes to battle with him to help protect her and save her. Lancelot hardly knows Guinevere because he just met her. He was completing a dangerous act to get her to notice him. These acts of courtly love are ridiculed in Monty Python. Lancelot performs several dangerous acts after reading a letter from an imprisoned person. He is committing these acts as an attempt to win the lady’s heart. When Lancelot makes it to Camelot, he discovers a man. This

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