A Legend Intertwined With The Holy Grail, Bravery And Love

Chivalric romance is an important part of medieval literature,and it is also one of the few cultural treasures left by the Middle Ages to the world.The knights in literature are not created out of thin air.They have corresponding prototypes in the real world.The knight system was originated in Europe in the 12 th century — the golden age of Christianity.Therefore,the Chivalric romance was inevitably affected by Christian thought.A large part of its authors were priests.This dissertation will mainly focus on the works of Chrétien de Troyes(1135?-1185?)and the later Sir Thomas Malory(1415-1471),from the perspectives of the Holy Grail,courtly love and the braveness of the knights,to explore the Christian spirit of chivalric romance.The first chapter will introduce the history of knights and chivalry.It will describe the relationship between chivalry and Christianity.Chivalry is not a military order,it is a social phenomenon,a code shaping the spirit of the knights in accordance with the medieval Christian values: generosity,fidelity,liberality,and courtesy.In the last part of this chapter,some of the most famous Chivalric romances will be listed.The fact that a considerable number of the Chivalric romances authors are Christian monks is relevant and must be highlighted.The second chapter will concern the image of the Holy Grail.The Holy Grail is the cup that Jesus Christ drank from at the Last Supper and that Joseph of Arimathea used to collect Jesus' s blood after his crucifixion.The Holy Grail has been an object of mystery and fascination for centuries and its myth was spread over all Christian Europe through the Arthurian cycle.In Chivalric romances,the Grail symbolizes salvation and bespeaks the mystery of the union of the soul with God.Only the purest knight deserves to find it and the quest for the Holy Grail constitutes a narrative structure of "the hero's adventure",filled with perilous challenges,that will influence literature for centuries.As for the knights to find the "Holy Grail",it shows that the virtuous knights have to achieve a spiritual quest so they are ready to complete their divine transformation in the flesh.The third chapter will talk about courtly love in chivalric romance which was widely influenced by Christianity.Courtly love(in French: "Amour Courtois")is the code of romantic love that enjoyed a vogue among the aristocracies of Western Europe,particularly from the 12 th to the 14 th centuries.In its literary form,if not in life,it involved a vassal-lord relationship under which the knight was his lady's obedient servant,prepared to overcome any obstacle or undergo any suffering to win her favour.Although Christianity in the Middle Ages advocated abstinence and prohibited sensuality,it did not condemn love itself.This prompted the society to abandon the vulgar "sexual desire" and to chase for the noble "love desire".Love has thus become something elegant and sacred,which was highly represented by romance in the chivalric literature.The last chapter will discuss the figure of the knight through Chrétien de Troyes' s novels.Knights are the soldiers of God.They are martyrdom,and always protect the weak.The knights' inclination for duel and sacrifice is a manifestation of their braveness but their fondness for duels can also be considered as a reminiscence of the ancient divine law.They believe that the victorious side is blessed by God,and therefore must be just.The knight's sense of sacrifice is often reflected in their quest for the "Holy Grail" but also during their encounters with others: evils knights,robbers,sorcerers or creatures.They are not afraid of all kinds of dangers,and they are willing to sacrifice to demonstrate their strength and courage.