Meione Horton

Mrs. Tierce
English IV H
21 February 2015
The Elements of Chivalry and Modern Times
Lytton Strachey, a British writer and critic, once stated that: the old interests of
aristocracy-the romance of action, the exalted passions of chivalry and war faded into the
background, and their place was taken by the refined and intimate pursuits of peace and
civilization. Essentially stating that the outlook of chivalry has evolved over time. More
irrelevant things have substituted chivalry. Chivalry is defined as the sum of the ideal
qualifications of a knight; courtesy, generosity, and valor. The elements of chivalry are included
in a lot of modern-day traditions and values.
During the Middle Ages, the elements of chivalry included: loyalty, honor, valor, fair
play, and nobility. The definition of loyalty may vary for different audiences. To some, the
definition may be to simply honor someone or something to the best of ones ability. For
example, the troops of America. They fight for the country without the thought of being killed,
all they know is that they are protecting the ones they love and the United States of America.
Another example of loyalty in todays society may be a man who is married and he only has
eyes for his wife. Meaning, he is faithful to her and only her; the thought of infidelity never
crosses his mind. The aspect of loyalty has remained merely the same as it was during the 1300s.
Nelson Mandela, a South African apartheid politician, once said he, learned that courage
was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The literal definition of courage is the
quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain; bravery. During the

Middle Ages, the men did not have much of an option but to have a decent amount of courage
within themselves because there were myths of dragons and other beastly creatures. Guns were
not ivented during those times, most battles were fought with a sword and shield and most of the
time, no more than that. Grenades or other modern-day weapons similar were not yet introduced,
so there was no such thing as throwing a bomb and running. One was either to fight their battles
or be accused of having cowardly ways. In modern-day America, there have been several
incidents that have been fatal that could have been avoided if people had a tad bit more courage.
For example, Trayvon Martin, a teenager who resided in Florida, was killed because he was
suspected of being up to no good. This incident could have easily avoided if George
Zimmerman, his murderer, had a little more courage within himself. If he was brave enough, he
could have peacefully approached Trayvon and asked him what his intentions were. All in all, the
level of courage in the Middle Ages was much higher than it is in todays society. Courage is
important in todays world because it would help to reduce senseless crimes. Crimes that have
been committed because someone was afraid of the other person.
The term nobility is in regards to ones status in a particular society. In the1300s, the
levels of nobility may have went something similar to the kings being the highest and the
peasants being the lowest. In todays society, the levels of nobility are: the president being the
highest and the poor class being the lowest. There were high expectations for the noble during
those times. In a way, the people of their society looked up to people of higher class and rank. In
modern day America, there is no set description of a particular person; there is no such thing as a
duke, servant, king, or queen. However, in the Middle Ages, those titles were taken very
seriously. For example, the servants could not sit at the table with the noblemen. In todays
world, a servant back then may be considered a waiter-waitress now. Furthermore, the nobility of

the Middle Ages is similar to modern-day Americas idea of nobility in the way that they are who
the lower class citizens admire and aspire to be at some point in life.
Fair Play is considered to be the way one abides by the rules set by authority. However,
The Middle Age definition of Fair is beautiful and the definition of Play is the way in which
someone spends their time. All in all, the term fair play for the middl age definition refers to
the way someone is confronted about a specific situation. When the confrontation is taking place,
everyone must play fair. Meaning, if someone has a weapon, they are not supposed to partake
in the use of it unless their opponent has a weapon as well. If one confronts someone on the
ground whilst riding on a horse, they would be considered a coward because they have the higher
advantage of winning if a fight were to take place. The modern day view of fair play is the same
as the middle age view. Although, the modern day definition mainly concerns the rules of
authority. During the older times, there were not many rules unless you were apart of the knight
community, then you would have to abide by the rules regarding the elements of chivalry.
Sophocles, a Greek philosopher, once stated that he would prefer even to fail with honor
than to win by cheating. In so many words he is basically stating that he would rather win the
right way than to cheat. By cheating, that would only leave him with a bit of his confidence torn.
Honor in todays society is shown in different forms and with different symbols. For example, a
badge on man who is in the armys jacket represents him doing something great and he serves
with honor. One of the symbols of recognizing someone honorable is to place ones hand on the
highest point of ones head and then release it; this is mainly done by people who serve in the
army. When people in the army die, the funeral service takes place outside with an American flag
places on the top of the casket and there are gunmen who shoot 21 shots in the air for him/her.

This portrays that the person who died is viewed as honorable. In the Middle Age times,
honorable people most likely had a large supper or received fine jewelry from the king or queen.
Overall, the elements of chivalry: loyalty, honor, valor, fair play, and nobility are included
in todays societys traditions and values in many ways. Loyaltys definition has not changed;
however, the ways that people show their loyalty has. The different brackets of todays nobility
somewhat link with the Middle Ages brackets of nobility because the lower class people admire
them. The definition of honor, or the way honor is portrayed has remained the same, for the most
part. In todays society, not many people are blessed to have the virtue of courage. As far as fair
play, the definition has evolved because it used to mainly entail the way someone handled a
confrontation. In modern-day America, fair play mainly regards the rules of authority. In
conclusion, the elements of chivalry are still around today, they just are not labeled as such.

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