Example Of Essay On The Medieval World

Art has always had a way of portraying the distinctive qualities of life during a given era. When looking back and studying cultures in the past, one of the best things to do would be to look at the art work of the time to decipher what life was truly like. Because of this, the two images provided on life in Medieval Europe speak and provide insight into what was actually going on during this time. The two paintings show what is distinct regarding both the aristocracy and the peasants. They both address key elements of what life was like in the medieval feudal system.
The image of the aristocracy shows the luxurious lives those in nobility got to live. The image appears to show the elites of society, so it is likely showing the king, lords, and the knights, all who formed the upper ruling class in medieval society. In the bottom right hand corner, there is a man wearing a brown hat, which could also be considered a crown of some sort. The blue robes he is wearing also appear to be expensive garments. Therefore, one interpretation of this man could be that he is the king. He appears to be sitting in a place of authority, at the head of table, and is at the center of attention. In medieval Europe, this image clearly speaks to the idea that lords and kings were at the top of pyramid in terms of power.
Another noteworthy aspect is the immense food being served at the kings table. Since a king was at the top of the pyramid, he would have probably taken much of what the peasants worked and farmed, and he was the highest priority in being served food. After all, it was believed that kings and lords owned all the land, so it would be expected that they would reap the fruits of that situation. The image also looks like it is portraying a big feast involving many higher up members in society. This would suggest that for those in power, they often engaged in many feasts and parties. In a time where nutrition was hard to come by, those at the top of the pyramid did fine, at least according to this image. It appears that those in the aristocracy would have therefore lived lives of luxury and excessive partying. They most likely had many different festivals according to the calendar year, and had many different forms of entertainment. While there may have been breaks for battles fought against rival lords, the life of the aristocracy would have been quite pleasant, based on the reactions of the people in the image.
Finally, surrounding the king are a number of other individuals of importance. Also sitting at the table appears to be a monk. This can be concluded because of the way is hair is cut, as it is in a traditional style of monk would have, plus his robes look to be that of a religious man. The image suggest that monks were highly respected in medieval society because he is sitting right next to the king or lord. Religion must have played a large role in their society. This is further suggested because at the top of the image is a calendar, or at least some representation of one. This would suggest possible superstitious ties, and viewing life in a cyclical nature. It is very likely that religion combined with superstition in medieval Europe. Right behind the table are people who appear to look like court gestures or entertainers of some sort. This appears to also be common practice at a festival for a king or lord.
The second part of the image is telling a slightly different story about the aristocracy in medieval Europe. It portrays knights, and shows several groups of them. It looks like the three different factions of knights are about to fight each other. This suggests the medieval Europe was a time of violence and many battles between kingdoms. One part of the image shows knights coming out of a castle, showing that a castle is a central part to life in medieval Europe. The knights are riding horses, showing this was a common mode of transportation. Altogether, life for knights was probably not all the peaceful, and because of the constant violence projected by this image, life expectancy would probably be quite short for knights. This could also explain the excessive partying portrayed, as lifetime expectancy would not have been very long. Therefore they tried to have as much fun as they could in a short time period.
The second image of life in medieval Europe depicts peasant life. There is a stark contrast between this image and the one of the aristocracy. The aristocracy image was full of color and very action packed. It featured many different people and had many different images to analyze. This is not the case in the peasant image. In the bottom left hand corner of the image, three peasants are portrayed living in a small house or hut. This suggests the primarily living conditions of those who worked in medieval Europe. Peasants probably worked in little manors on the lord or kings land. Furthermore, they are not dressed as exquisitely as those in the ruling class. Lack of funds or time would be likely reasons for this, as peasants probably could not afford the best. Also missing from this image is a portrayal of an abundance of food. Clearly, the peasants were not always fed as much as the aristocracy, even though they appear to be the ones actually growing the food.
The main activity the image portrays about life in medieval Europe is that of farming. It shows a shed full of sheep, a type of silo or storage unit, as well as a type of goat going down a path. A man also appears to be chopping wood in the image. Basically, this suggests peasants did the major farming and were constantly in contact with nature. There are no castles is this image, only small houses, and the image also displays harsh winter conditions. This might suggest that winter was an extremely difficult time for peasants and their survival was based on how efficiently they could farm the land.
Finally, there is a major difference between the two calendars at the top of each image. The peasant’s calendar is filled in with many details, whereas the one from the aristocracy was not. The peasant’s calendar appears to be divided into seasons or some way to keep track of the changing times. This further suggests to agrarian society they lived in, as farming is dependent on timing and natural cycles. However, this image could also imply a sense of superstition or astrology as well. Natural cycles are often interpreted in light of some supernatural meaning, especially by those less educated.
In conclusion, these two images clearly show the tremendous difference between the aristocracy and peasants. The aristocracy lived in relative luxury, while the peasant class did not. The grim setting of the peasant class is entirely different than the festive and, likely at times, gluttonous behavior of the aristocracy. Each class of people had its own role, but some just had an easier role to play. The one similarity is that superstition or religion appears to impact both classes.