Pentecostal Oath

End of Book III, Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur


". . . then the king stablished all his knights, and gave them that were of lands not rich, he gave them lands, and charged them never to do outrageousity nor murder, and always to flee treason; also, by no mean to be cruel, but to give mercy unto him that asketh mercy, upon pain of forfeiture of their worship and lordship of King Arthur for evermore; and always to do ladies, damosels, and gentlwomen succour, upon pain of death. Also, that no man take no battles in a wrongful quarrel for no law, ne for no world's goods. Unto this were all the knights sworn of the Table Round, both old and young. And every year were they sworn at the high feast of Pentecost."

What the medieval romance represents:

The Arthur stories are a microcosm of medieval culture emerging from the chaotic days (Dark Ages) in the centuries after the fall of Rome. Rome had given Europe order, laws, judges, roads, improved farming methods, an educated bureaucracy. When the Germanic barbarians destroyed all this, people had to start all over again. What was painfully slow historically was in the Arthurian tales telescoped. Thus, in Arthur's court we have a miniature, speeded-up story of European society reinventing itself, without Rome and with a strong Christian sensibility. In much the same way, Westerns (originally in pulp fiction, later in movies) in America are a miniature story of America inventing itself, turning away from the European and embracing the anti-authority spirit that is the essence of America.

Like the culture itself, Arthur is young and inexperienced, stupid really. The knights are equally clueless.