The Evolution of Social Standards: How the “Ideal” Man in the Middle Ages Deviated from Roman Times

Abstract

This work examines the contrast between societal norms placed on warriors in the Roman Era and the Medieval Period. By analyzing the texts Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Aeneid, the paper showcases how each protagonist adheres to these social codes. In the first two supporting paragraphs, the journey of Aeneas after the Trojan War highlights how he utilizes his physical strength and power to navigate through the Mediterranean. In the following three supporting paragraphs, Gawain relies on his intellectual abilities and abides by his morals when beginning his journey to search for the Green Chapel in a forest of King Arthur’s Britain. In conclusion, the Middle Ages were characterized by a restrictive society, dictated by the Catholic Church; Gawain upheld and was defined by these strict social codes. Roman warriors were controlled by their emperors rather than a belief system. In modern Western society, people generally have more liberty to express themselves than in the past.