Chivelry

As I have been reading excerpts about King Arthur and Sir Gawain I couldn't help but notice the little chivelrous acts that these knights do. The biggest act I have read so far is "Sir Gawain and The Lady Ragnell". He marries an ugly woman, so that his uncle would be saved, and he treats her with respect! He treats her as if he chose her and if he loved her! In the end when she asks him to make the decision whether to be ugly by day or by night, he says "It is a choice I cannot make, my dear Ragnell. It concerns you. Whatever you choose to be-fair by day or fair by night- I will willingly abide by it"(anonymous 24). Sir Gawain is letting her choose because he sees the beauty inside of her and he does not feel that he should make her decision. He feels she is strong enough and that she should know he will be true to her either way. Also in "The Tale of King Arthur" King Uther, Arthur's father, had recongnized the beauty of Lady Igraine and he had been sneaky about getting her. He dressed up as her husband and then came Arthur. Her husband had died and then he came to her rescue, to comfort her. Even though his act can be saw as decieving it was an act of chivelry if you look at the big picture. In these stories you can see that these men will give there lives for their women. These women were suppose to be protected and in the time period it was the proper thing to do to save your lady.