In the Joint of his Armour by Marie Van Vorst

Name: In the Joint of his Armour
Author: Marie Van Vorst

King promises Sir Guldemar that if he can name a woman fairer than the king’s sister Isobel, he may have her in marriage; if none is fairer, he shall wed Isobel. Though renowned as a warrior indifferent to women, Guldemar secretly loves the queen, as shown by the chain of her hair hidden beneath his armour. As Isobel descends the marble stair in celebrated beauty, the king demands Guldemar’s judgment. Guldemar declares that the queen is more beautiful. The king, suddenly enraged by the revelation of Guldemar’s love for his wife, breaks his sword and curses him. Yet his royal promise and the holy cross bind him: the man who keeps the lovers apart must join the crusading host and depart as a pilgrim. Outside, armed men and horses gather, crusading banners bear the red cross, and the warder announces that the king rides to war that night.

By Marie Van Vorst · First published 1908 · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Medieval Romance, Historical Fiction · 1,414 words

First lines

I. Then said the king: -- "Stand here, Sir Guldemar, / Beside me, where the arras falleth close. / Now, down this marble stair the princess goes. / And thou shalt mark her, hidden here with me: -- / And thou shalt tell me, on thine honour's oath, / If any woman is as fair as she. / (Giving thy guerdon, no fear hanging loath! ")

II. "For, when thou sayest, -- ‘_She's_ more fair / Than the queen's sister! ' -- straight that woman shall, / Guldemar, to thy have and hold befall. / The hour thou didst so knightly lift thy lance / To shield our life, we gave our royal word -- / For Guldemar! the fairest in all France! ". / (Guldemar stood beside his king and heard.)

Open reader

What this Textopian page supports

In the Joint of his Armour is listed on Textopian as a poem by Marie Van Vorst, dated 1908 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Poem
Author: Marie Van Vorst
Date: 1908 CE
Language: English
Genres: Narrative Poetry, Medieval Romance, Historical Fiction, Courtly Love Romance, Tragic Romance
Length: 1,414 words
Structure: 1 section, 15 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for In the Joint of his Armour by Marie Van Vorst
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
Readability and classroom-planning context
Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Similar titles

Genres

Narrative Poetry — The work tells a complete dramatic story in numbered verse stanzas, using dialogue, action, and lyrical description.
Medieval Romance — Its courtly setting, knightly hero, idealized beauty, vows of love, royal authority, and martial honor draw strongly on medieval romance conventions.
Historical Fiction — The poem evokes a medieval European world of monarchs, feudal courts, crusading armies, armor, heraldry, and the Holy Sepulchre.
Courtly Love Romance — Guldemar's concealed devotion to the queen, expressed through a chain of her hair and his refusal to praise another woman above her, centers the poem on forbidden, idealized love.