H is for Honor Code

From Romeo & Juliet’s royal ballet at the London Opera house on Youtube.

The Honor code in the Renaissance was a major driver of personal behavior. However, the code was a shift in attitude from the medieval times. Where once humility and charity had reigned, the new code rested more heavily on public image. That meant far more men would be far more sensitive to public insult, and you know where that leads, if you have swords. As Benevolio says in Romeo and Juliet:

For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring.

How did men go from bending knee and expressing honor quietly to brandishing epees and prancing about? Change in attitude and little help from the influencers of the day.

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