Arthur’s Journey to Self Discovery
The future is inevitable. It is only with experience that one can come to an understanding of any sort. It is only with time that experience can become achievable. Understanding one’s true self can only be made possible with a multitude of experiences, leading to realizations. The entire package of experiences for one individual person can take no less that a lifetime. This reality, in itself, is a tragedy. A tragedy that Arthur, King of Camelot, was destined to realize.
Born into a life of deception, even the truth about his maternal origin is kept from him. Innocent and naïve, Arthur as a young man succeeds in doing what no other could do before. He pulls from a stone the sword named Excalibur. Long before his birth, his father declared that whoever could remove the sword was to be king.
Unsure and not at all confident in his abilities, Arthur’s strength and will as king is tested almost immediately. With the help of his sword, Excalibur, he wins a fight against Uriens’ men and saves the castle of another king. Arthur earns his first taste of victory. Accompanying this victory, is the respect of the people within his kingdom.
While attempting to cross a bridge, Arthur meets a man who refuses to respect his authority and clear the way across the bridge. Arthur’s “rage unbalances him”. He agrees to fight to the death over the crossing of a bridge that can easily be traveled around. Arthur’s opponent outmatches him. Arthur is forced to call upon the power of his sword, Excalibur. Arthur is victorious, but in the process, Excalibur is broken. “[His] pride broke that which could not be broken.” Arthur is remorseful and refers to himself as “nothing”. It is with this first display of condescension that Arthur realizes that especially because of his stature, his personal mistakes and poor decisions could affect many lives other than his own.
Adding an element of contrast to Arthur’s life is Arthur’s friend and mentor, Merlin. As a seer of the future and a man of great intelligence and wisdom, Merlin is everything Arthur is no. Arthur looks to Merlin for guidance. Through Merlin, the king’s many great possessions are put into perspective.
When the Wart pulled the sword from the stone and became king, he is now known as King Arthur. During his many transformations he learns many lessons that will benefit him and the people he will rule. He learns that absolute power is not good. He can be understanding and open-minded. The power of being king should not control you so much that you forget that you have a responsibility. You have freedoms that should help him to make ethical, wise decisions as a king. His responsibility as a king is not to overpower the people but to lead them successfully.
King Arthur, a courageous man, who was able to pull out a sword from a rock as simple as possible. As for everyone else who tired, it was almost impossible. This was just the beginning stage of Arthur becoming a king. The thing that Merlin didn’...
In T.H. White's Once and Future King, fate plays a very important role in Arthur's life when he meets Merlyn and Merlyn becomes his mentor. When they first met, Arthur was confused as to why Merlyn was going all the way home with him until Merlyn said, "Why not? How else can I be your tutor?" (37) Arthur realizes he had been on a quest to find his tutor. This quote is important to the theme because it was Arthur's first quest on his journey towards king. This reason this quote is so important is because Merlyn is preparing Arthur to become a great leader. After all of Arthur's training with Merlyn, Merlyn tells Arthur that he might not know it yet but he will be, "Hic jacet Arthutus Rex quandum Rexque futurus... The Once and Future King." (287) This quote foreshadows that Arthur, will in fact, become the great leader. If it were not for training with Merlyn, he would not be the great leader he developed into throughout the book.
The world of Arthurian literature is filled with magic and adventure that enchants readers of all ages. T.H. White has done a fantastic job of turning the childhood adventures of Arthur by turning his narrative into spellbinding, cartoon like interpretation of the sword in the stone legend. Moral values are apparent from the beginning of White’s novel. White has cleverly connected all the educational adventures of Arthur, along with the people and animals encountered to the pulling the sword out of the stone. This marvelous amalgamation of key elements not only ties the loose ends of Arthur’s adventures together, they also solidify the reasoning behind Arthurs’ predetermined path to becoming the king of England.
In literature, fictional stories can teach characters important lessons needed for their future. The Once and Future King, by T.H. White, tells the story of how the main character, Arthur, reaches his full potential of protecting and supporting his country. All of the knowledge Arthur learns in his youth is key in developing his skills and intellect. In the story Arthur has several unique learning experiences presented by his magical tutor, Merlyn. Learning from Merlyn’s lessons allows Arthur to lose the innocence of childhood and evolve into a wise and powerful king.
Three times Arthur has to ask Sir Bedivere to throw the sword Excalibur into the lake. This is in fact a testing of faith, one that encompasses body, mind and spirit, meaning he is tested physically, mentally and then spiritually. After being mortally wounded, King Arthur tells Sir Bedivere to "take Excalibur, / And fling him far into the middle mere:/ Watch what thou seest, and lightly bring me word" (Norton, 1298, 204-6). When he takes the sword to the water's edge the first time, he cannot bring himself to throw it in because of the Excalibur's blinding beauty. Tennyson describes the Excalibur as "brightening," "sparkled," "twinkled with diamond sparks, / Myriads of topaz-lights..." Bedivere "gazed so long/ That both eyes were dazzled" (Norton, 1298, 222-7). He returns to Arthur, who sends him back to complete his mission. Thus Sir Bedivere fails his first test, that of the physical realm.
In his, deep monotone voice he proclaimed, "You shall regret the day you ever raised your sword against me!" I stared at my television, playing to my heart's content. Sweat rolled slowly down my face as if it were a slug on a branch. The sound of swords clashing fills the air as I swung my arm to-and-fro like a knight wielding his sword. King Arthur, riding a dark-colored horse with black armor with a gold and red outline, swiftly cuts down Sonic making me restart the level for the Thousandth time. I was furious. I paused the game again and went downstairs to get water. I got the water bottle and filled it up with ice, then, put the water inside the bottle, closed it, and went back upstairs. I un-paused the game to hear the in-game dialogue
Arthur was the first born son of King Uther but was advised to stay hidden until the need of his reign. However, when the King died, there was much controversy over who would be the next King. Merlin, a magician who knew of Arthur, set a sword in stone that read, "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England." When Arthur unexpectedly stumbled across the sword and pulled it out, he humbly took his place as King of England.
In the story, The Crowning of Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, Arthur shows an unrealistic ability of strength. While everyone in the town was at a jousting tournament, Arthur, who was known as a peasant, went to fetch his brother’s sword because it was left at home. Since everyone was at the fight, the lodging doors were locked. Arthur did not want to leave his brother hopeless, so he decided to ride to Saint Paul’s because he heard there was a sword that was wedged in a stone there. With nobody being present, Arthur pulled the sword from the stone without reading any of the signs that were posted. When he gave the weapon to his brother, Arthur was informed he was now the King of Britain because he was able to remove it, something that only the true born king could do (Malory, The Crowning of Arthur 1069). Arthur started as a peasant and grew to be king because of his ability to be able to pull o...
T. H. White's The Once and Future King is one of the most complete and unique portrayals of the immortal legend of King Arthur. Though it has been in print for less than half a century, it has already been declared a classic by many, and is often referred to as the "bible" of Arthurian legend. White recreates the epic saga of King Arthur, from his childhood education and experiences until his very death, in a truly insightful and new way. This is not, however, the first complete novel of Arthur's life. In the fifteenth century, Sir Thomas Malory wrote Morte d'Arthur, the first complete tale of Arthur's life. Since then, a countless number of books have been written on the subject, yet none can compare to The Once and Future King. It has easily become the most popular of all the Arthurian novels as it is loved by both children and adults. Though similar in many ways to other works of the same subject, such as Malory's, White gives new details, meanings, and insightful modernization to the story, giving it an earthy quality, which the reader can identify with. White's rendering of the Arthurian legend differs from the traditional versions in that he includes contemporary knowledge and concepts, adds new stories and characters to the legend, and provides new perspectives by probing deeper into the existing tales.
This fall from victory, from blamelessness can be seen in many instances through Tennyson’s Idylls. Merlin is a legendary wizard whose name resonates throughout Arthurian legends. Known for orchestrating Arthur’s magical birth, Merlin is regarded as one of the most powerful sages of his time. Regarding women, Merlin tried his best to find a balance between the idealism that surrounded the chivalric code and the realism of the times.
Throughout The Once and Future King, Wart learns many lessons in some unlikely places. Young Wart is the adopted son of a nobleman when he meets Merlyn, a magician, who takes him on many adventures, turning him into several different animals and teaching him skills, both mental and physical. Wart learns to treat people with respect and kindness. Soon after, Wart pulls a magical sword from a stone, which proves him the rightful king of England. Merlyn, who knew this from the start, advises Wart-now called Arthur- on how to be a good king. What Arthur really wants to do is end the chaos that passes for law in his country. He wants his men-the knights of the round table- to help defenseless people and prevent the rich and strong from simply dominating everyone. Many young knights love the chivalrous idea and admire Arthur.
The heroic loyal character of Macbeth is forced into a internal battle to decide between ambition and loyalty to his king. Macbeth overcomes the evil within him, though Lady Macbeth crushes his thoughts of loyalty to the king by calling him a coward or threatening his manliness. Macbeth allows the evilness to grow within him, which allows ambition to take control of his life. Due to the evilness that has started to control his life he prepares to kill the man who has given him everything to his credit, to fulfil his ambition, and to become King.
When he is dying he wants his sword to be returned to the lake where it came from. He ask Bedivere to do this simple task for him because he couldn't do it himself. Bedivere agrees. However, as he goes to take the sword back he doesn't want the power of it to be lost so he hides it under a tree and tells Arthur he did it. When Arthur asks him what he saw, Arthur knows he hasn't returned the sword and sends him again. When Bedivere does this again, instead of getting mad Arthur tells him he needs the Excalibur to be returned and again asks the knight to return the sword. " 'That is untruly of thee,' said the King. " And therefore go thou lightly again and do my commandment; as thou art to me loved and dear, spare not, but throw it in,' " page 192. It is in this part of the story that you realize what loyalty means a lot when it comes to Arthur, but he is willing to allow a person to prove themselves noble and wise to
The legend of King Arthur has intrigued generations for over a thousand years. Over these years, this tapestry has been handed down through the hands of many gifted storytellers. Bits and pieces were taken out and replaced by new strands woven in to fabricate a slight variation of the original that’s suitable for the audience or perhaps the storyteller himself. These modifications are evident in the 1981 film of Excalibur and Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur” published in 1485. The film incorporates magical acts while religious allusions are portrayed in the text. There are several characters that appeared in one but not the other. The two versions have the same essential elements, but with some alterations. The main changes in the story plot are the events leading to the battle and the battle itself. The two versions have the same essential elements, but with some alterations.