How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"You're here, Alan of Trebond, to learn what it is to be a knight and a noble of Tortall. It's not easy. You must learn to defend the weak, to obey your overlord, to champion the cause of right." (2.6)
The way Lord Gareth describes the place of the knight and the noble in Tortall society, it almost makes it sound like part of an ecosystem. The knight/noble answers to the king, and in turns owes his services to those below him. Which sounds nice and all, assuming that everyone stays in his place like a cog in a machine. And as we all know, machines never break…
Quote #2
"If I were anyone else, they wouldn't have two words to say to me. But I'm the prince, and I think every man in that room wanted something from me" (7.43).
Even at a young, tender age, Jonathan has learned that being prince puts him at the center of attention now and forever. He has the sense to not let it go to his head, but just imagine having to always take what people say with a grain of salt because they might be talking to your status instead of you. We here at Shmoop have to deal with that all the time, and trust us: it's a mind-trip.
Quote #3
The next class was deportment, or manners as they were practiced by nobles. Alanna had learned very early to say "Please" and "Thank you," but she quickly realized that these were only the rudiments of deportment. She did not know how to bow. She did not know how to address a Lord as opposed to an Earl. She did not know which of three spoons to use first at a banquet. (2.100)
Apparently there's more to being a noble than being born into the right family. Nobles have to act proper and polite, know how to address each other so as not to give offense, and other boring business like that. How does knowing the right etiquette help uphold the social order, again?