In the movie Becket, honor was a motif throughout the whole movie. Thomas Becket, the movie's main character, did not know what honor was until it was too late. He found that honor was whatever you believe in.
Honor is something that we all must face sooner or later. When the time comes, we all take different paths. Why do we all take different paths? Becket said, "Honor is a private matter. Every man has his own vision about it." Becket is very right with this quote because everybody's opinion about a situation is very different and honor is nothing but an opinion. Just like everybody has different opinions about the situations of today, the same can be said about honor. My honor and your honor will differ and neither is right, but the fact that we stayed true to ourselves is honor in itself. .
"Where honor should be, there is only a void," said Becket to Gwendolyn. Becket did not know whether he should stay true to the Saxons rather than side with the Normans. Becket was in a struggle with this dilemma for most of the movie. Becket felt that he had loved the Norman job he held and his Saxon heritage so much that he could not love one over the other. I know that if you find two things two things that are totally opposite that you love dearly and you do not know which one you should be honorable to, your feeling of honor is not there. The confusion of this is that you do not want to hurt any feelings but you want to make a decision that make you feel comfortable. Many times it takes a drastic situation for you to realize which one you should be honorable to.
Honor is something that we cannot avoid. "And if one day he should meet his honor face to face in truth? Where is Becket's honor?" This quote from Becket himself tells us that all, like death, will confront this issue in our lifetime. It is easy for some people but a very hard one for others. Why? You are not born with the knowledge of honor, but it is something that you learn over time.
