The Castle in the Attic

Chivalry comes from the same root word as cavalry, and it refers originally to the honor code of mounted soldiers. Medieval knights swore oaths to protect their lords and countries; these codes, with their rules for good behavior, varied across the centuries. Most of what modern people know of those codes were inscribed in books that told stories, many fictional, of chivalrous knights of the past.

In literature, chivalry became a theme during the 1100s, especially in the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Among these are the 12th-century epic poem Yvain by Crétien de Troyes and Le Morte d’Arthur, a 15th-century prose book by Thomas Malory. These tales portrayed knightly conduct as more refined than it was in reality. The cruelties of warfare and feudal life often collided with virtuous ideals; chivalry thus was as much a figment of fiction writers’ imaginations as it was a well-observed code of conduct.

Several basic principles are common to both the fictional and real chivalric codes. They include compassion, courage, heroism, honesty, honor, and politeness, especially toward women, children, and the poor. These ideals recur, in later centuries, in various forms: In the American West of the late 1800s, a Code of the West evolved informally, with elements of chivalry, individualism, and “code duellos” that set for the rules for settling disputes. In the 1950s, TV Westerns often had plots that followed such rules. The show The Lone Ranger, for example, had its own published code of conduct. Elite military units enforce specialized codes of behavior, and many youth groups, including scouting, often follow strict customs that reflect their ideals.

Sir Simon teaches William the tenets of his chivalrous code of conduct while they train to face Alastor. These principles include compassion, selflessness, modesty, cheerfulness, and mercy. William remembers Sir Simon’s code of chivalry while journeying to the castle, and these ethics guide William’s choices as he is met with challenges, such as plucking an apple out of a tree for an elderly man. William remembers to have compassion when he desires to get to the castle as quickly as possible, and in doing so, he frees a man from one of Alastor’s curses. Thus, chivalry becomes a code that leads William to make honorable choices for everyone within the story.