Chivalric Choices in Malory’s Balin, The Knight with the Two Swords

Thomas Malory’s Balin refuses to return the sword that he attains in the opening of Balin, The Knight with the Two Swords. His choice to keep the sword initiates a chain of disastrous events culminating in his own death. However, Balin’s tragic adventures stem not from personal shortcomings or poor decision making, but rather from ambiguities and contradictions inherent within the chivalric code. Through Balin’s well-intentioned chivalric choices and their unexpected negative consequences, Malory highlights the impossibility of adhering to a code that mandates potentially contradictory actions and loyalties. The ambiguities in Balin’s choices also anticipate subsequent conflicts in Malory’s text that similarly illustrate the challenges of upholding the chivalric code.