In this vivid and contemplative poetic monologue, Steven Shivers brings to life the private world behind medieval spectacle. The Burden of Honor speaks from the vantage point of a knight entering the lists, where gleaming armor and festive crowds conceal a far heavier truth. What appears as pageantry becomes a crucible in which lineage, expectation, and personal worth collide.
Drawing from the stark pressures described in the Preface, where a single pass with the lance might define family honor, social standing, and a future hard-won or lost, this poem explores the silent weight carried behind polished steel. Through lyrical verse, Shivers reveals the strain of chivalry’s demands: courage bound to duty, pride interwoven with fear, and the unrelenting tension between public glory and private doubt.
Inspired by the realities of medieval jousting rather than its romanticized image, The Burden of Honor offers a timeless reflection on performance, reputation, and the cost of living up to a name. Beneath the cheers of the crowd lies a struggle that echoes into modern life: the unseen battles we fight to meet expectations, to avoid disgrace, and to hold fast to a sense of self.
For readers of historical poetry, dramatic monologues, and character-driven reflection, this is a work of quiet intensity and enduring resonance, a glimpse into the mind of a knight poised between triumph and ruin.
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Author: Steven Shivers
Language: English
Publication date: 2025
ISBN: 978-87-85353-01-6
Length: 8 pages (including front matter)
Format: Digital download (PDF)
Publisher: Sapientia Publishing
In this vivid and contemplative poetic monologue, Steven Shivers brings to life the private world behind medieval spectacle. The Burden of Honor speaks from the vantage point of a knight entering the lists, where gleaming armor and festive crowds conceal a far heavier truth. What appears as pageantry becomes a crucible in which lineage, expectation, and personal worth collide.
Drawing from the stark pressures described in the Preface, where a single pass with the lance might define family honor, social standing, and a future hard-won or lost, this poem explores the silent weight carried behind polished steel. Through lyrical verse, Shivers reveals the strain of chivalry’s demands: courage bound to duty, pride interwoven with fear, and the unrelenting tension between public glory and private doubt.
Inspired by the realities of medieval jousting rather than its romanticized image, The Burden of Honor offers a timeless reflection on performance, reputation, and the cost of living up to a name. Beneath the cheers of the crowd lies a struggle that echoes into modern life: the unseen battles we fight to meet expectations, to avoid disgrace, and to hold fast to a sense of self.
For readers of historical poetry, dramatic monologues, and character-driven reflection, this is a work of quiet intensity and enduring resonance, a glimpse into the mind of a knight poised between triumph and ruin.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Author: Steven Shivers
Language: English
Publication date: 2025
ISBN: 978-87-85353-01-6
Length: 8 pages (including front matter)
Format: Digital download (PDF)
Publisher: Sapientia Publishing
