Original artwork, not a still
It's just a flesh wound.
— Monty Python and the Holy Grail · 1975
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Denial played as slapstick: the knight is a stump and still insists it is nothing, so the phrase became the stock reply to anyone downplaying an obvious disaster. It is the Python film's method in one scene, a heroic code of honour pushed until it turns absurd. Fans quote this line or his earlier scratch line, usually while something is plainly on fire.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Monty Python and the Holy GrailShow the scene
King Arthur and his squire Patsy meet a Black Knight who guards a tiny bridge over a stream in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Arthur beats him in a swordfight and cuts off his arms, but the knight keeps fighting, shrugs off each loss as a flesh wound, and carries on kicking until Arthur removes his legs too. Reduced to a torso, he still calls Arthur a chicken. John Cleese plays the knight, one of several parts he takes in the film.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: Monty Python and the Holy GrailThe Black KnightReference checked
- Wikipedia: Black Knight (Monty Python)IntroductionReference checked
- Wikipedia: Monty Python and the Holy GrailPlot and ReceptionReference checked
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