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Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate how chivalry is presented in Shakespeare’s first tetralogy of history plays, arguing that its conventions are complicated and challenged by key characters and events. It will prove how the nature of chivalry becomes increasingly unsustainable in times of warfare, political turmoil and in domestic life, and illustrate the consequences of its decline on an already fragile and changing society. By looking at historical sources and critical material, this dissertation examines the concept of chivalry within the plays, revealing that its ethos is impossible to achieve without a stable and legitimate monarchical system.

Using examples from King Henry VI 1, 2 and 3 and King Richard III, this dissertation is able to trace the downfall of chivalry throughout the plays and analyse the practicality of its once revered ethos. As characters begin to perform and manipulate chivalry for their own personal or political gain, it becomes clear that the plays do not lend themselves to any straightforward moral conclusions and continue to complicate the chivalric code. The idyllic conventions of chivalry are exposed as being unachievable and futile standards by both men and women within the plays and, despite being frequently referred to as the ideal way to behave, chivalry appears to have no place in an ever-changing and modern reality.

Course: English Literature - BA (Hons) - C0995

Date Deposited: 2020-02-10

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13538.html