Throughout the stories, we have read in class there has been a common theme in them and that common theme is Arthur getting betrayed by just about anyone you can think of. He gets betrayed by his people or even close ones like his wife and close friends. Arthur just seems to get betrayed all the time and in some instances, there are many different reasons why he does get betrayed in the stories. But also, most of the times he does not do anything for him to get betrayed and it still happens even if he is the loyal great king he is supposed to be to the people. You start to feel bad for him in most of the stories because he did not do anything to deserve to get betrayed like he does. Maybe Arthur is a weak king or does not do his job to the extent we think he would and people get sick of it or do not think he is worthy of being the king. We will be discussing the betrayal Arthur receives throughout the stories and find a deeper meaning of why he gets betrayed so often or if it is just the people are not the loyal people you think they would be. Arthur is to be looked at, as the top of the top, he is the king, the ruler of all the people. So, …show more content…
It is such an occurring theme it has been looked at so many times by many people. In one story, we see that it was the start to the fall of Camelot by them having this affair and ruining the kingdom. This was such a crazy thing that happened that so many people look it over because it was also one of the main points of some of the stories. Why would so many people just betray King Arthur like that, he is there great king who would do anything for them and they just go behind his back right away. Even if Arthur might be weak or any of that he cares so much about his kingdom and his people and you know it hurts him very much when he is
Arthur is portrayed to be somewhat foolish and gullible in Book I along with Book IV, not in the sense that he is silly and imprudent, but in the sense that he is a pushover.
The Arthurian cycle shows a sporadic awareness of the impossibility of mere humans fulfilling all the ideals that Arthur and his court represent. The story of Lancelot and Guenevere, Merlin's imprisonment by Nimu‘, and numerous other instances testify to the recognition of this tension between the real and the unrealistic.
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’...
The love triangle of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenever is a constant theme throughout every account of the Arthurian legend. Geoffrey Ashe's The Arthurian Handbook states that "We may say that these knights are expected to serve their King..."(81). The revelation of the affair finally comes when Sir Agravaine shouts, "'Traitor Knight! Sir Lancelot, now art thou taken'"(White 569). Lancelot was summoned to Queen Guenever's bedroom, and Sir Agravaine is finally exposing the affair and gaining revenge on Lancelot for unhorsing him many times in the past. The two people that Arthur trusts most are Guenever and Lancelot. Arthur is well aware of the affair between the two, but chooses to pretend that nothing is going on. Due to this naivety, Arthur earns the disrespect (and even hatred) of Agravaine and Mordred, who eventual...
Who was King Arthur? Most people would tell of a great King; a devoted circle of heroic knights; mighty castles and mightier deeds; a time of chivalry and courtly love; of Lancelot and Guinevere; of triumph and death. Historians and archaeologists, especially Leslie Alcock, point to shadowy evidence of a man who is not a king, but a commander of an army, who lived during the late fifth to early sixth century who may perhaps be the basis for Arthur. By looking at the context in which the stories of King Arthur survived, and the evidence pertaining to his castle Camelot and the Battle of Badon Hill, we can begin to see that Arthur is probably not a king as the legend holds.
King Arthur’s forgetful nature illustrates the fallacy of the feudal system which Mari de France refers to. Joseph and Francis Gies comment on this as they describe “[the real destroyer was not gunpowder but central government” (219). The political system in place proved ineffective as it favored certain elites. The nobility prospered while the commoners perished in anguish which is clearly presented in Lanval. Lanval fails to thrive while his comrades continue to gain wealth. Lanval’s distress stems from King Arthur which reflects the ineffective political system. Kings stabilize society as they dominate much of the politics and decisions made, yet kings frequently “forget” about the lower classes. Mari de France references this as two separate kings fail to reward Lanval. Lanval received “nothing from [his father]” (Mari de France 31) nor did Lanval receive “ample patronage” (Marie de France 13) from King Arthur. Those unfortunately in the third estate lack any political influence. Therefore, commoners have little control over the quality of their life. King Arthur, as any king should, must ensure the prosperity of his subjects especially the most loyal. Kings cannot deviate from this as the feudal system will not support this. France and Joseph Gies refer to this in their book Life in a Medieval Castle. France and Joseph Gies discuss the daily lives of the king and the subjects. The
What would you do if someone told you you would end up killing your father and marrying your mother when you grow up? You would do anything to keep that from happening, wouldn’t you? Oedipus did in Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Unfortunately, Oedipus fails in avoiding his fate. Faced with a choice between pursuing the truth which everyone tells him would lead to his destruction or accepting a life without knowing any better, Oedipus chooses self-knowledge over self-deception. This makes Oedipus a perfect example of a tragic hero. In Greek drama, a tragic hero is a protagonist of a noble birth who possesses a tragic flaw that leads to his down fall but shows the courage to accept responsibility for his own actions.
King Arthur shows to be a very provident king who treats his people with a large amount
King Arthur loved his wife and hated to kill her, but he had to follow his own laws and show his power by announcing her death. As the King, he had lots of power and shows it when he has to kill the person he loves most. Being the King Arthur had a ton of power, so much it made it a struggle to try to put his wife to death. King Arthur’s title, “king”, automatically gives him
Malory's Le Morte D’Arthur isn't known to be classic just because of Arthur-but rather the themes of family, love, revenge, identity, loyalty and betrayal. As King, Arthur is put in many situations that test the people he surrounds himself with. Therefore, betrayal has become a reoccurring theme. Throughout the novel, people are seen betraying each other. Betrayal has become familiar in a way to the members of the round table, ultimately leading to it's demise. The acts of betrayal occur in various forms, whether it be through adultery or just going behind the other person's back. Regardless of how it happens it brings about serious disorder for all involved.
The ancient Greeks were fond believers of Fate. Fate, defined according to Webster’s, is “the principle or determining cause or will by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as the do.” The Greeks take on Fate was slightly modified. They believed that the gods determined Fate: “…fate, to which in a mysterious way the gods themselves were subject, was an impersonal force decreeing ultimate things only, and unconcerned with day by day affairs.” It was thought that these gods worked in subtle ways; this accounts for character flaws (called harmatia in Greek). Ancient Greeks thought the gods would alter a person’s character, in order for that person to suffer (or gain from) the appropriate outcome. Such was the case in Oedipus’s story.
Oedipus is guilty because, despite knowing the prophecy that he will commit parricide and incest, he yet kills an elderly gentleman and sleeps with an elderly women. The choice was his, and this accounts for his guilt.
Oedipus the King tells the tragic story of Oedipus and how Oedipus unwittingly fulfills his prophecy. Oedipus prophecy was that he would murder his father and marry his mother. Oedipus grew up in the kingdom of Corinth where he believed that he was the son of the Kings of Corinth; when Oedipus discovered that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus decides to leave Corinth and try to prevent the prophecy from happening. Unknowingly to him during his escape from his destiny, Oedipus murderers his father and eventually marries his mother and fulfils the prophecy. After reading Oedipus the King I believe that one of the main ideas of Oedipus the King is that Oedipus own tragic flaws lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy and his eventual downfall.
In Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, Sir Launcelot betrays his own king by having intimate relations with his wife, Queen Gwynevere, as well as kidnapping the Queen, and fighting a war against King Arthur. Sir Launcelot is arguably the one in the story who betrays King Arthur the most. When Launcelot is officially accused of treason along with the Queen, he kills many knights and takes the Queen with him. King Arthur and Launcelot are considered enemies by both sides due to Sir Launcelot’s betrayal of the whole kingdom. “Understand, Sir Launcelot, that I am your mortal enemy” (503 Malory). King Arthur has accepted that his most honorable knight has betrayed him which spirals into a divided kingdom as well a war.