How Chivalrous Are You?
Etiquette is a difficult thing – especially when it’s linked to a code that was developed in the 12th century.
The chivalric code arose due to a synthesis of Germanic and Roman traditions, welding religious notions of bravery, self-presentation, and service to others with combat training and war.
Today, chivalry is most commonly associated with the set of rules that govern the way a man behaves around, and courts, a woman. And while life in the 21st century is closer than ever before to an egalitarian understanding between the sexes, it still remains that the man is often expected to conduct himself in a chivalrous fashion.
Of course, not everyone succeeds – or tries. A picture has gone viral on Twitter over the past two days asking people to identify the non-chivalrous behaviour exhibited by a couple walking in an open street. Few, it seems, are able to recognise what is ‘wrong’ with the image.
Can you tell?
With the help of etiquette consultant William Hanson, we’ve designed ten questions that put your etiquette knowledge to the test. Take the quiz to find out whether you are a knight in chivalrous armour, or an uncouth and graceless lout.
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