Black Knight (Monty Python)
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Image:Black Knight.PNGThe Black Knight is a fictional character in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He is, as his name suggests, a black knight who guards a tiny bridge for unknown reasons. Although supremely skilled in swordplay, he suffers from unchecked (and hilarious) overconfidence and a staunch refusal to ever give up. Though he only appeared in one scene, he has gone on to become one of the most (if not the most) popular characters of the entire film. The character may be an allusion to the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
In the film, King Arthur (Graham Chapman), accompanied by his trusty serf/steed Patsy (Terry Gilliam), is travelling through a forest when he enters a clearing and observes a terrific fight taking place between a Black Knight (John Cleese) and a Green Knight (Gilliam again) by a bridge over a small stream. The Green Knight decides to run straight at the Black Knight with an axe, arms above his head. The Black Knight throws his sword through the Green Knight's head. The Green Knight thus bloodily slain, Arthur and Patsy ride up to the Black Knight to congratulate him and invite him to join the Knights of the Round Table at Camelot. The Knight is totally impassive and does not acknowledge their presence. Arthur regrets this and makes to continue his journey over the bridge, which the Knight then prevents ("None shall pass!"). Arthur attempts to negotiate, but the Knight is intractable.
Another terrific sword fight takes place between the Knight and Arthur, which is interrupted when Arthur chops off one of the Knight's arms. The Knight protests that "'tis but a scratch" and resumes the attack. In turn, the Knight loses his other arm and his sword. With a cry of, "It's just a flesh wound", he goes into battle kicking. He loses one leg to Arthur's sword, but insists on letting the fight continue. Arthur, completely fed up by this point, finally hacks off the Knight's remaining leg.
By now the Knight is now nothing more than a torso with a head, so the Knight declares the fight a draw. (Alright, we'll call it a draw.). Arthur and Patsy resume their journey, while the Knight fumes impotently at them. "Oh, I see, running away, eh?! You yellow bastard! Come back here and take what's comin' to ya! I'll bite your legs off!"
Cleese said that the scene would seem heartless and sadistic except for the fact that the Black Knight shows no pain and just keeps on fighting, or trying to, however badly he is wounded. Also, as the scene progresses and Arthur becomes increasingly annoyed, his dialogue lapses from medieval ("You fight bravely, Sir Knight") to modern ("Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left!") to just plain sarcastic ("What are you gonna do, bleed on me?!").
The bridge scene is, perhaps, the best-known scene of the entire film. Arguably the most famous line of the scene, "It's just a flesh wound!", has since become an expression used by someone who ignores a fatal flaw/wound/problem either out of optimism or stubbornness.