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King Arthur and Christianity
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King Arthur could be known as a hero or a dashing prince in armor but no one ever thinks of him as a Savior. In many literature pieces there are multiple biblical allegories showing that King Arthur was the Savior of the Medieval Times referencing to Christ was the Savior for the Earth. There are also relationships between King Arthur’s literature and Christ’s story involving the Holy Grail even though the “powers” of the cup are different in these pieces. King Arthur’s literature has many metaphors relating to Christianity including the Savior element and the Holy Grail, which center around how people viewed Christianity in the Middle Ages and how Christ affected many people’s lives. Furthermore, King Arthur has many biblical references that
could change how people react to this legend. King Arthur was known for his heroic, loyal, chivalrous character. He was one who always wanted others to know his name. Arthur was known as the Prince of God because of his abilities and gifts he had. Many monasteries believed that he was sent down by God as a saving grace for their time, because of this the Church of Christ put Arthur on the throne and worshipped him because of his great deeds. The way these people praised King Arthur is a way that many worshipped Jesus in his time. Professors have looked at the “Prince of God” aspect of King Arthur and asked if he really was sent from Heaven or if he was sent from hell as the enemy of God. The church is what has given us many different written words about Arthur. We would know next to nothing about Arthur if it weren’t for the church.
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.
Authors incorporate religious principles to set forth the moral characteristics and ideals expected of a person. Literary works are illustrated with biblical allusions to help express the message behind the plot of a story. The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight integrates biblical beliefs to depict the views on human nature. In this work, Christian concepts are embedded into the poem to suggest the Green Knight’s characterization as God, a representation to test human nature’s fidelity.
Long Live The King Savannah M. Lang James Madison High School JM1610242 In the short story “Arthur becomes King of Britain” by T.H.White, the king has died with no heir to take his place. The story is set in medieval England where there is to be a tournament
In comparing and contrasting the Arthurian Legends and J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Fellowship of the Ring, it is almost like a medieval contest between the two with many of the similarities coming from the customs of the Middle Ages. A look at the make up of the groups involved, the moral code, the protagonist, the antagonist, the use of supernatural elements and the knightly quest involved in each book shows how alike they are but yet different.
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.
The three heroes discussed here, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and King Arthur, are heroes for different reasons. Beowulf, our earliest hero, is brave but his motivation is different than then other two. To Sir Gawain personal honor and valor is what is important. King Arthur, Sir Gawain's uncle, is naturally the quintessential king of the medieval period. Though all men to a certain extent share the same qualities, some are more pronounced than in the others. It is important to see how these qualities are central to their respective stories and how it helps (or hinders) them in their journeys.
The evolution of human society consists mainly of ineffective ruling regimes and oppressed peasants. Medieval Europe falls into this same pervasive cycle. Social and political hierarchies intertwine which creates a grossly inefficient system. Hereditary lineage determines nobility. Commoners possess no hope of social mobility. Every aspect of life is virtually preordained. These circumstances revolve around the figure Lanval by Mari de France. Mari de France introduces Lanval as a courteous and distinguished knight of King Arthur’s court. Lanval possesses the most moral nature of all of King Arthur’s knights, yet even so, the other knights of King Arthur’s round table despise him. The many knights neglect acknowledgment of his nature as does
The significance of religious beliefs in the tales of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, portrayed diverse roles in each story. Although it was clear that God was highly-favored and worshipped in each of these tales, the abundance of praising Him was greatly differed. Both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the green knight are written to be believers of God and his mighty works and miracles. In this passage, the significance of religious beliefs in these tales are explained by presenting how Beowulf and the characters of his time praised the Lord for all of his works, even those that pertained to evil doings, Sir Gawain praised the Lord for blessings and strength instead of his unfortunate times, and how each character was destined to become more like Christ, living their lives being heroes and God-like.
One of the main topics discussed in lesson one is the fact that heroes over time and overseas all heroes have something in common; which is true in the case of King Arthur and Beowulf. It is obvious that they are similar in the fact that they are both heroes, but what makes them an idol of their time and in their culture are poles apart. There are many things that are different about Beowulf and King Arthur, but the ones that stand out the most are what kind of hero they are and what actions they did to make them heroic. Both heroes possess qualities that others do not have, but it is what they do with those abilities that prompts someone to write a story about them and idolize them in time.
In the dark ages people were always looking for a deeper meaning in everything and rightly so, seeing as the authors of that time often wrote in allegories. Lacking technology and education, information was best spread through stories that could be easily recited. Different groups would use different influences, full of deep symbolism, to better illustrate their message. The monks flooded the pagan epic Beowulf with christian influence and reserved the last books as an allegory of Christ’s crucifixion. In this epic, the monks used uncanny and deliberate parallels with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ such as Beowulf’s twelve warriors abandoning him, his sacrificial death, being martyred for the will of God, and being a humble king whose followers offer them praise and glory.
The Quest of the Holy Grail is an exciting tale that follows the adventures of King Arthur's knights as they scour the countryside for the legendary Holy Grail. Throughout their journeys, the knights engage in many exciting jousts and sword fights with a variety of enemies. The author of The Quest of the Holy Grail intends for the story to be more than just entertainment: the knights' search for the Holy Grail is analogous to the pursuit of morality and spiritual chivalry, showing success through asceticism, confession, chastity, and faith.
... person committing everyday acts of bravery and selflessness without the aid of superhuman abilities. Our society has been so corrupted by stories of great people doing great things that the average member of our community no longer believes that they can be a catalyst for change. If we begin to each improve ourselves and agree to together help fix our society then modern day versions of Lancelot will not have to exist to ride in and fix everyone’s problems. The key to our future is relying on our community as much as our community relies on us and if this had been the case in King Arthur’s court then the fall of Camelot would have been avoided.
Ralls, Karen. "Legends of the Grail: The Chivalric Vision." Http://www.theosophical.org/publications/1506. Quest Magazine, Nov.-Dec. 2003. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .
Mark Twain’s novel, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court reveals the power of the unconscious self through the symbolism of an eclipse. The eclipse’s effects are prevalent throughout the journey of The Yankee and King Arthur when the true self is revealed. When put in the right situation, anyone will find their inherent greediness or arrogance as the dark side of their eclipse. The Yankee needs constant reaffirmation of power through “magic” stunts whereas King Arthur finds himself unaccepting to becoming a peasant despite the potential of losing his life.
What exactly is the Holy Grail? Does anyone really know why it is so significant? Why is this grail so important? These are all such questions that anyone could ask if one had no knowledge of either the Last Supper or the Arthurian age--two times in which the Holy Grail holds outstanding significance. Throughout the length of this research paper, one will come to know what the Holy Grail is, why it holds such a high amount of significance, its relationship to the Arthurian age and what the Holy Grail means now in the modern world. Let’s begin.