We Will Say Ni Again to You
The Knights Who Say "Ni!", too called the Knights of Ni, are a band of knights encountered by King Arthur and his followers in the 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. They demonstrate their ability by shouting "Ni!" (pronounced "nee"), terrifying the party, whom they refuse to allow passage through their forest unless appeased through the gift of a shrubbery.
Description [edit]
The knights appear silhouetted in a misty wood, wearing robes and horned helmets; their full number is never apparent, but there are at least vi. The leader of the knights, played by Michael Palin, is the just one who speaks to the party. He is nigh double Arthur's height, and wears a corking helm decorated with long antlers. The other knights are large, just of human proportions, and wear visored sallet helmets decorated with cow horns. The knight explains that they are the "keepers of the sacred words 'Ni', 'Peng', and 'Neee-Wom'". Arthur confides to Sir Bedivere, "those who hear them seldom live to tell the tale!"[1]
Tasks [edit]
The knights demand a sacrifice, and when Arthur states that he merely wishes to pass through the woods, the knights begin shouting "Ni!", forcing the political party to shrink back in fear. After this sit-in of their power, the head knight threatens to say "Ni!" again unless the travellers appease them with a shrubbery; otherwise they shall never pass through the wood live. When Arthur questions the demand, the knights again shout "Ni!" until the travellers agree to bring them a shrubbery, which the head knight specifies must be "one that looks nice. And not also expensive."[1] [2]
In order to fulfill their promise to the Knights of Ni, the party visits a small village, where Arthur and Bedivere ask an one-time crone where they can obtain a shrubbery. The woman questions them, and Arthur admits that it is for the Knights who say "Ni!", whereupon she refuses to cooperate. Arthur then threatens to say "Ni!" to the old woman unless she helps them, and when she nonetheless refuses, begins shouting "Ni!". Bedivere has trouble proverb the sacred discussion, which he pronounces "Nu!" until Arthur demonstrates the correct technique. Equally the crone shrinks back from their combined assault, they are interrupted by Roger the Shrubber, who laments the lack of constabulary and order that allows ruffians to say "Ni!" to an old woman. Arthur obtains a shrubbery from Roger, and brings it to the Knights of Ni.[1]
The head knight acknowledges that "it is a adept shrubbery", just asserts that the knights cannot let Arthur and his followers to pass through the wood because they are no longer the Knights who say "Ni!" They are at present the Knights who say "Ekke Ekke Ekke Ekke Ptang Zoo Boing!"[i] and must therefore requite Arthur a test. Unable to pronounce the new name, Arthur addresses them as "Knights who until recently said 'Ni!'", inquiring every bit to the nature of the examination.
The head knight demands another shrubbery, to be placed next to simply slightly higher than the first; and so Arthur "must cut down the mightiest tree in the forest—with a herring!" The knight presents a herring to exist used. Arthur objects, asserting that "information technology can't be done!" upon which the knights recoil as though in fright and pain. Information technology shortly emerges that the knights are unable to withstand the word "it", which Arthur'due south party is unable to avoid maxim. The knights are presently incapacitated by the word, which even the head knight cannot stop repeating, allowing Arthur and his followers to make their escape.[1]
Motion-picture show notes [edit]
In the original screenplay, it was suggested that the head knight be played by "Mike continuing on John's shoulders". In the DVD commentary for the film, Michael Palin states that their use of the discussion "Ni!" was derived from The Goon Prove. Later, Palin gave another inspiration – his history teacher at Shrewsbury School, Laurence Le Quesne, who had the habit of saying "Ni" while searching for books.[3] Upon Arthur's return, the knights were to take said, "Neeeow...wum...ping!"[4]
Contemporary scholarship [edit]
The Knights who say "Ni!" take been cited every bit an example of intentional disregard for historical accuracy in neo-medievalism, which may be contrasted with the casual condone for historical accuracy inherent in more traditional works of the fantasy genre.[5] However, in Medievalisms: Making the Past in the Nowadays, the authors suggest that the original characters of Monty Python and the Holy Grail actually represent medievalism, rather than neomedievalism, as many of the flick's details are in fact based on accurate medieval texts and ideas. With respect to the Knights who say "Ni!", the authors suggest that Sir Bedivere'due south difficulty pronouncing "Ni!", despite its levity, "carries a very learned joke about the difficulties of pronouncing Centre English", alluding to the Great Vowel Shift, which occurred in English language during the tardily medieval period.[6]
Footnotes [edit]
- ^ There are several slight variations in spelling based on different sources; this spelling is based on the moving-picture show subtitles, which requite "Zoo" rather than "Zoom"; the stop of this give-and-take is indistinctly pronounced in the movie. The subtitles only include iii "Ekkes", just four can definitely exist heard in the dialogue. This line appears to have been semi-improvisational, and may differ from the original script and later on versions, with "Ni!" sometimes beingness added at the end. Despite the head knight's pronouncement of the new proper noun, some of the other knights still churr "Ni!" in the groundwork.
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones (Directors) (1975). Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Motion moving picture). EMI Films.
- ^ Kevin J. Harty (2002). Cinema Arthuriana. McFarland. ISBN0-7864-1344-i.
- ^ "'Ni!' - Former Shrewsbury schoolmaster the inspiration for famous Monty Python sketch", Shropshire Star, 17 December 2015
- ^ Parker, Alan; O'Shea, Mick (2006). And Now For Something Completely Digital: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Monty Python CDs and DVDs. The Disinformation Company. p. 62. ISBN9781932857313.
- ^ Carol Robertson and Pamela Clements (editors), "Neomedievalism in the Media: Essays on Film, Television and Electronic Games", in Parergon, vol. 30, no. one, pp. 313–315 (2013), Australian and New Zealand Association of Medieval and Early Modern Studies.
- ^ Tison Pugh and Angela Jane Weisl, Medievalisms: Making the Past in the Nowadays, Routledge (2013), p. 4.
Further reading [edit]
- Larsen, Darl (2003). Monty Python, Shakespeare, and English Renaissance drama. ISBN978-0-7864-1504-5 . Retrieved 2011-08-21 .
External links [edit]
- The Knights Who Say "Ni!" – Monty Python and the Holy Grail – Official Monty Python Channel
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Who_Say_%22Ni%21%22
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