A Look At Choosing The Code English Literature Essay

Imagine a clip where 1 ‘s actions were shaped by a set of regulations. It does non look so different than today, and for the characters in T.H. White ‘s The Once and Future King, the codification of gallantry was the ideals they were supposed to populate by. However, as with any set of regulations, sometimes it worked and sometimes it did non. King Arthur is a primary illustration of one who abided by the jurisprudence but still had problems. In The Ill-Made Knight, Arthur ‘s married woman Guinevere and his best friend, Lancelot, had an matter. It finally ruined Arthur and Lancelot ‘s friendly relationship but throughout the whole ordeal, Arthur kept to the codification and respected his fellow knight and married woman. ( White 313-514 ) In the 2nd book of T.H. White ‘s novel, Gawaine, Gareth, Gaheris, and Agravaine Orkney are introduced. The brothers are an illustration of those who ignored the codification of gallantry and suffered for it. They lied and lived dishonorably, and as a consequence of their hapless picks, their lives were unhappy and all were murdered. ( White 626 ) Sir Ector is an illustration of one who embodied the regulations of functioning one ‘s state and seting others foremost. He took the duty of raising Arthur and was rewarded with a long, happy life. ( White 9 ) Even though the characters who upheld the codification of gallantry suffered adversities, all characters should hold kept to it because those who went against the knightly codification had more hard lives and those who kept it experienced more felicity.

No affair how flawless a set of regulations seems, there will ever be those who suffer for making good. Arthur began his life as a immature squire, larning the codification of gallantry and ways of a knight. He strove to continue the regulations, such as “ ne’er abandon a friend, ally, or baronial cause. . . ever maintain one ‘s rules. . . unrecorded for freedom, justness, and all that is good ” ( The Rifts: England Supplement ) . Even as a immature male child in The Sword and the Stone, he showed qualities of a true knight. When Arthur and his adoptive brother, Kay, took a hawk hunting, it flew off and Kay wanted to go forth it behind. However, Arthur showed his trueness by stating, “ Oh, we could non go forth [ Cully ] . . . I will remain ” ( White 17 ) . Although it required a forfeit on Arthur ‘s behalf, he made his determination based on the codification of gallantry.

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Possibly the cruelest ordeal Arthur encountered, happened in A Candle in the Wind, the last portion of T. H. White ‘s novel. In this book, Lancelot and Guinevere were together behind Arthur ‘s dorsum. Unfortunately for them, other people knew of their matter, including Arthur and his conniving boy, Mordred. ( White 551-560 ) While the male monarch did all in his power to disregard Lance and Gwen ‘s matter, Mordred did all he could to convey it out in the unfastened, which finally happened. White goes on to compose, “ King Arthur loved his Table with all his bosom. He was prouder of it than he was of his ain beloved married woman ” ( 636 ) . To be an illustration to his staggering Table, he had no pick but to travel to war with Lancelot. It caused Arthur great hurting to contend person he loved. The male monarch ever tried to be wise and gallant in his determinations, but he learned that sometimes, being honest caused much hurting.

While the characters who upheld the codification of gallantry suffered adversities, all should hold kept to it because those who did non had harsher lives. As antecedently mentioned, the Orkney brothers are an illustration of knights who did non maintain to the codification and hence experienced much unhappiness. When the brothers were younger, they had a female parent who did non love them. They went to great lengths to acquire her attending and in The Queen of Air and Darkness, they decided, “ We want to catch a unicorn ” ( White 254 ) . They believed by making this, their female parent will be proud and show her love toward them. In seeking to demo their worth, they murdered an guiltless unicorn in a barbarous manner. By making this, they broke a regulation in the knightly codification: “ Thou shalt regard all failings, and shalt constitute thyself the guardian of them ” ( Gautier ) . This means they should protect people and animals more lame than themselves. When Gawaine, Gareth, Gaheris, and Agravaine dragged the unicorn ‘s caput back to their female parent she ignored them at first, but “ When she found out about the unicorn in the eventide she had them whipped for it ” ( White 263 ) . Throughout their grownup lives, they continued to disobey the knightly codification and experienced more penalty because of it.

Another character who disobeyed the codification was Sir Lancelot, one of the greatest knights in The Once and Future King. He is introduced in The Ill-Made Knight and vowed as a kid to be the best knight and to be portion of Arthur ‘s Knights of the Round Table and all it encompasses. ( White 316-318 ) He was really gallant in his immature old ages but when he met Arthur ‘s married woman, Guinevere, they fell in love, had an matter, and were met with many obstructions. “ Another faltering block to making as he pleased was the really thought of gallantry or of civilisation which Arthur had foremost invented and so introduced into his ain immature head ” ( White 367 ) . Lancelot ‘s life was spent in convulsion, seeking to make his knightly responsibility, and although he loved the King with all his bosom, his and Gwen ‘s love was true. Consequently in A Candle in the Wind, Lancelot had to fly Camelot and fight against Arthur all because he was dishonest and betrayed his male monarch. If he made all his determinations based on the knightly codification, Lancelot ‘s life would hold turned out really different and been much happier.

For the bulk of characters in White ‘s, The Once and Future King, unhappiness and calamity occurred. However, the most of import ground all characters should hold kept to the codification of gallantry is because those who kept the it experienced more joy than unhappiness. Sir Ector, swayer of the Caste Sauvage, accepted care of Arthur when he was an baby. He brought him up as if he were his ain boy and taught him about knighthood all the piece maintaining to the knightly codification. “ Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone ” ( Gautier ) . Ector did this by raising Arthur and giving him all the chances a true knight would hold. At the terminal of The Sword in the Stone, when Arthur unwittingly pulls a blade from an anvil, doing him male monarch of England, Sir Ector could hold taken advantage of the state of affairs and taken the blade for himself or his true boy, Kay. However he exhibited “ trueness to state, King, award, freedom, and the codification of gallantry ” ( The Rifts: England Supplement ) . He did so by bowing to Arthur, the male monarch, and assisting him throughout his life to do of import determinations. ( White 206-207 ) Sir Ector lived to be old and continued to populate by the codification until he died. He helped Arthur accomplish many victories and did non hold calamity knock on his door. He is an illustration of why all the characters should hold kept to the codification.

After reading White ‘s novel, one can see that although the characters who upheld the codification of gallantry encountered hardships, all characters should hold kept to it for two chief grounds. First, those who went against it had more debatable lives, but most significantly, those who made determinations based on the codification experienced more joy. King Arthur formed the Knights of the Round Table on the foundation of award, honestness, and gallantry. He did all in his power to incarnate his thought and for the most portion succeeded. However, toward the terminal of his life, the determinations he made based on the codification caused him to endure when he went to war with Lancelot and Guinevere. The Orkney brothers had harsh and hard lives because they did non maintain knightly ideals such as “ Live to function King and Country. . . Never attack an unarmed enemy. . . Avoid lying to your fellow adult male. . . Respect adult females ” ( The Rifts: England Supplement ) . They lied, cheated, attempted to slay Sir Lancelot, and accordingly, all ended up deceasing by being murdered. Sir Ector was one of the few characters who lived a pure, knightly life. He helped the less fortunate and was loyal to the king all the yearss of his life. If everyone possessed his honest properties, the universe would be a really different topographic point.

Today ‘s society is non so different from Arthurian times. There are still Torahs one must continue and if a individual breaks a jurisprudence, there is penalty. While some experience adversities for obeying Torahs, most people live safe, honoring lives when they live by the regulations. Whether a Knight from the Round Table or a 21st century American citizen, everyone should obey their social Torahs because without regulations comes ruin.

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