Redcrosse Knight and the Misconception of Medieval Chivalry
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
English
Faculty Mentor
Josephine Koster, Ph.D.
Abstract
The idea of medieval chivalry existing in Renaissance literature, such as Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, is widely agreed upon. However, our 20th-century misconceptions about medieval knighthood and medieval life have led us to a mostly modern construction of medieval chivalry as opposed to an authentic analysis of medieval chivalry in The Faerie Queene,. In the first canto of book one, Redcrosse Knight exemplifies and deviates from medieval chivalry in regard to political duties, social conduct, faith, and allegory as described by Ramon Llull's The Book of the Order of Chivalry. By examining Redcrosse Knight using an authentic medieval text that defines chivalry, we closely observe how he fits into and breaks the medieval model of knighthood. Ultimately, Spenser uses the idea of Chivalry as a stock image on which to base his epic character, then adds a Renaissance makeover. Unfortunately, this means that Redcrosse Knight may not have fit into the Order of Chivalry as well as previously thought. By applying Raymond Lull's theories of Chivalry to Redcrosse Knight, I argue that Spenser is in effect rewriting the definition of chivalry to appeal to his Renaissance audience and promote his Protestant agenda.
Start Date
24-4-2015 4:20 PM
Redcrosse Knight and the Misconception of Medieval Chivalry
DiGiorgio Campus Center, Room 221
The idea of medieval chivalry existing in Renaissance literature, such as Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, is widely agreed upon. However, our 20th-century misconceptions about medieval knighthood and medieval life have led us to a mostly modern construction of medieval chivalry as opposed to an authentic analysis of medieval chivalry in The Faerie Queene,. In the first canto of book one, Redcrosse Knight exemplifies and deviates from medieval chivalry in regard to political duties, social conduct, faith, and allegory as described by Ramon Llull's The Book of the Order of Chivalry. By examining Redcrosse Knight using an authentic medieval text that defines chivalry, we closely observe how he fits into and breaks the medieval model of knighthood. Ultimately, Spenser uses the idea of Chivalry as a stock image on which to base his epic character, then adds a Renaissance makeover. Unfortunately, this means that Redcrosse Knight may not have fit into the Order of Chivalry as well as previously thought. By applying Raymond Lull's theories of Chivalry to Redcrosse Knight, I argue that Spenser is in effect rewriting the definition of chivalry to appeal to his Renaissance audience and promote his Protestant agenda.
