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King arthur's myths and legends
History of king arthur essay 300 words
History of king arthur essay 300 words
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Many have heard about King Arthur and the legendary castle of Camelot. However, many do not know what really happened. From falling in love with Guinevere to fighting Mordred, this charming tale still intrigues people all over the world today.
The story starts with Igraine, Arthur’s future mother accidentally taking Uther, her secret admirer, as Gorlois, her current husband. Igraine conceived as a result and became pregnant with Arthur under Uther. Not long after, Gorlois was slayed and Uther decided to take Igraine as his bride. Since Merlin, the wizard, had helped Uther trick Igraine, Uther promised to hand over his first son if their plan worked. Needless to say, the plan succeeded and Uther fulfilled his promise. Later on, however, Arthur was sent to his foster father, Sir Ector due to constant warfare. He grew up with Ector’s son, Sir Kay not knowing who his real mother and father were.
Years past, and it was time for Sir Kay’s first tournament. Arthur forgot to pack Kay’s sword and frantically wandered around in hopes of finding another one. That was when he came upon the sword in the stone. Whoever pulled it out was promised the title as High King. With ease, Arthur pulled the sword out and the news quickly spread. The local kings refused to accept this and a rebellion broke out. Merlin helped King Arthur rule by taking him to the Lady of the Lake. She revealed the Excalibur, a magical sword that guarantees victory over any opponent. Arthur joined in a colossal amount of battles against the local kings and won every single one, earning the respectful title as High King. Arthur married Guinevere and they were given the Round Table as their wedding gift. Then, Arthur recruited all the bravest knights of the country to sit...
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...is story evolved into an exaggerated tale that seem more dramatic than how it originated. Fact or fiction? We may never know. However, the wondrous tale of King Arthur and Camelot will be treasured for many centuries to come.
Bibliography
Secondary Sources
Ardrey, Adam. Finding Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend of the Once and Future King.
New York: Overlook, 2013. Print.
"Britannica School." Britannica School. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. .
"EBK for Kids: King Arthur's Life-Story." EBK for Kids: King Arthur's Life-Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. .
Macleod, Mary, and John W. Hales. The Book of King Arthur and his Noble Knights.
Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1960. Print.
Steele, Philip. The Medieval World. Boston: Kingfisher, 2006. Print.
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.
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’...
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 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.
Malory, Thomas. King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales by Sir Thomas Malory, ed. Eugene Vinaver (London: Oxford UP, 1975) 124-25.
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.
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.
As this mythical poem begins readers are quickly introduced to the pinnacle of this “pyramid of power”, the king and queen. King Arthur and his “full beauteous” wife Queen Guinevere were “set in the midst, placed on the rich dais adorned all about” (Neilson 3). During this time, royal monarchs often hosted large illustrious gatherings in order to display their wealth, prestige and power. This display of rank is evident when the all powerful “King Arthur and the other knights watch approvingly as Sir Gawain advances” to take the place of his cherished king and accept the Green Knights challenge (Swanson 1). Randy Schiff further clarifies the difference between kings and knights in medieval times when he states, “ Displaying his mastery of courtly deference, Gawain in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” publicly defines himself through kinship, telling Arthur that he is praiseworthy only “for as much” as Arthur is his “em” (uncle)”(1). In the fourteenth century feudal system the top ranking social class position belong to the king and the queen.
The Court of King Arthur in the Tales of Lanval and Sir Gawain the Green Knight
The passage (130-202) of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight describes the appearance of a strange knight in King Arthur's court. The anonymous author of the epic describes the rider in great detail, emphasizing the importance of this character. The passage is intended to arouse readers' curiosity, and at the same time, to introduce the mighty danger that the main character, Sir Gawain, will have to face. Furthermore, the strange knight is shown to be a test or trial for King Arthur and his knights. Finally, the passage presents the actual dynamics of Arthur's court as incompatible with the poet's initial praising of nobility, justice and chivalric ideals.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. Brian Stone. The Middle Ages, Volume 1A. Eds. Christopher Baswell and Anne Howland Schotter. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Fourth ed. Gen.eds David Damrosch, and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2010. 222-77. Print.
Malory, Thomas, and Keith Baines.Malory's Le morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the legends of the Round Table. 1962. Reprint, New York: New American Library, 2010.
"Arthurian Legends." U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology. Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 120-124. Gale World History In Context. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.
King Arthur, was he man of truth or myth? King Arthur was a real person, not just a fictional character. While many believe that King Arthur was a non-fictional character, others feel that he was a fictional character. This was because there is no written record of a King Arthur in any area where he was reportedly born or deceased. King Arthur was real because there many people recall King Arthur or who have known personal stories of him, his family, and the wars he so bravely participated in. There are many people who recall King Arthur or know someone he was based off of. King Arthur was not real because it was not recorded in history that there was ever a “King Arthur.”
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Second Edition. Translated with an introduction by Brian Stone. New York: Penguin Books, 1974.