Podcast 47: Chivalry And A Modern Morte Darthur

Scott considers the language of chivalry and King Arthur as he is joined by Dorsey Armstrong, Associate Professor of English and Medieval Literature at Purdue University, and editor/translator of the book Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur: A New Modern English Translation of the Winchester Manuscript. Prof. Armstrong talks about the language of Arthurian legend (from the 15th to the 21st centuries) and what this classic tale has to say about living by the code of chivalry.

Plus: A discussion of the code of a different kind of knight as we consider The Jedi Path with author Daniel Wallace; and a line of chivalry from the words of one of Shakespeare’s most famous characters.

Quicklinks — Learn more about the books and authors mentioned in this podcast with the links below:

• Buy a copy of Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur by Prof. Dorsey Armstrong;
• Have a copy of The Jedi Path delivered from a galaxy far, far away.
• Join our 50 By 50 support drive.

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Segment 1: Lines Of Chivalry

This month’s line of chivalry comes from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. When Hamlet tells his steward Polonius to welcome a band of players into the castle, Polonius replies, essentially, “Sure, I’ll give ’em as good as they deserve.” (Not much of a promise, since actors and performers in Shakespeare’s time were notorious for being rogues and pickpockets.)

In response, Hamlet says:

God’s bodykins, man, much better: use every man
after his desert, and who should ‘scape whipping?
Use them after your own honor and dignity: the less
they deserve, the more merit is in your bounty.

If you would like to suggest your own “line of chivalry” from a play, movie, book, TV show, song or poem, just visit our Listener Challenger page and send us an e-mail. Every month we’ll draw one of the entries to win a prize, and we’ll read some of the more memorable lines on upcoming editions of the podcast.

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Segment 2: A Modern Morte Darthur And The Code Of Chivalry

Scott speaks with Prof. Dorsey Armstrong, editor and translator of Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur: A New Modern English Translation Based on the Winchester Manuscript , published by Parlor Press, about the work of updating the language of this 15th century book, and about how the fantastic adventures of Arthur’s knights in Morte Darthur reflects the real-world values and practices of the code of chivalry — in Malory’s time, and in the 21st century.
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Segment 3: The Jedi Path And The Code Of Chivalry

The Jedi Knights of Star Wars are arguably the most common and recognized icon of the concept of knighthood in today’s society – and characters like Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi exemplify how a knightly code might be put to use in a time of high-technology and galactic commerce, rather than castles and Crusades. Daniel Wallace, a New York Times bestselling author and Star Wars guru, has written a new manual of knighthood for the Jedi order: The Jedi Path. He joins Scott to compare the Jedi way and the code of chivalry, and to consider how the cinematic depictions of space knights shapes our own understanding of the principles of chivalry.

Below: Check out a teaser video for The Jedi Path by Daniel Wallace (and a few other notable Jedi knights).

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Next Month: Scott will interview Mike Loades, renowned historical interpreter and combat expert, about his new book Swords And Swordsmen, and what the history of the use, design and symbolism of swords reveals about the ideals of chivalry.
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