Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Medieval romance and the matters of romance
Essay on king arthur
Personality of the character King Arthur
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Medieval romance and the matters of romance
“Morte Darthur” by Sir Thomas Malory is an example of a ‘Medieval Romance’ and it regards to a series of events about the story of the great legend King Arthur and his knights. The most repetitive theme in the text is about the journey, or quest. Knights within Morte Darthur have a strong desire to seek adventure, to do noble deeds, and to find glory within the most difficult situations. However, in my opinion, I don’t think King Arthur can be portrayed as an ‘epic hero’ like Beowulf. However, King Arthur is a ‘Romance hero’ - as he is a knight of superhuman strength, intelligence and follows the code of chivalry. Whenever I hear about King Arthur, the other word that pops up to my mind is Excalibur sword. I have seen movies and cartoons about
King Arthur and I have this scene in my mind especially about the part where he pulls out the mystical sword from the stone. When everybody else have failed in trying to pull out the sword from the stone, King Arthur drew it out which in turn proves his rightful kingship.
One of the most enduring myths in the Western world is that of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Regardless of the origins of the tales, the fact is that by the time they had been filtered through a French sensibility and re-exported to England, they were representations of not one but several ideals. Courtly love and chivalry and the various components thereof, such as martial prowess, chastity, bravery, courtesy, and so on, were presented as the chief virtues to aspire to, and the knights as role models. Arthur's eventual fall is precisely because of having failed at some level to fulfill these ideals in his life.
Throughout Wyoming many landmarks are named after an early French—Canadian trapper. These landmarks include the Laramie River, the Laramie Peak , the Laramie Plains, Laramie County , Fort Laramie , the town of Fort Laramie , and the city of Laramie . Jacques LaRamee (Laramée, Laramé, Laramie , De la Ramie, de la Rame, or La Ramee it is spelled different by almost all the listed sources) was a mysterious man with obvious influence (Chittenden, 1935; Coutant, 1899; Fetter, 1982; McDermott, 1968; Pitcher, 2000). However, there is little known about him. LaRamee’s significance is seemingly lost along with his complete history, but when researched further one can begin to understand his historical impact.
Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’arthur, T.H. White’s Once and Future King, and George Romero’s Knightriders encompass the evolution of the Arthurian tale from Malory’s time to the 1980s. Through this time many things have changed and these changes can be seen within the differences between each work. While there are many prominent differences chivalry or the knightly code is one of the main forces that tie these tales together. Malory reworks many of his sources to bring attention to the grand fellowship of Arthur’s Round Table and the chivalry that holds the knights together. Malory idealizes the power of chivalry and gives a great importance to it throughout his text. Unlike Malory, White does not idealize chivalry, but he does see the good and honorable aspects of chivalry. From Sprague Kurth’s article, “Conclusion,” it is clear to see that White gives his text an anti-war stance and shows chivalry and the controlling moral compass of Arthur’s knights. Chivalry is once again idealized in George Romero’s Knightriders the situations within the film are modernized but the emotions and illusions remain the same. T.H. White is directly referenced within the film and Malory’s idealization of the glory of chivalry can once again be seen. In my essay, I will show how chivalry is used in all the texts above as a bonding agent between all Arthurian knights. As Arthur’s knights honor and respect chivalry they remain as one cohesive group, but once they begin to abandon chivalry the Round Table begins to crumble and chaos ensues.
Marie De France’s Lanval is a remarkable short narrative that engages the reader into a world filled with unrealistic elements, but enhances on the true meaning of romance, chivalry and nature during the years that King Arthur reigned. “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” unfortunately does not have an author that can be recognized but this epic poem demonstrates the ghastly adventure of a knight who decides to defend the honor of young King Arthur against a supernatural being in this malicious game of cat and mouse. Both of these pieces of literature have enchanting characteristics that define them as a masterpiece of their era and that’s why they both are easily compared and contrasted. In addition, both Lanval and “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” can be classified as similar through their themes, style and plots, although they are different through their language and diction. Even though both of these literatures can be viewed as similar as well as contrasting, in the end, each of these tales have illuminated the realm of fantasy throughout the court of King Arthur.
The Arthurian legends of Iwein and Gawain and the Green Knight are two examples of the medieval initiation story: a tale in which a character, usually in puberty or young adulthood, leaves home to seek adventures and, in the process, maturity. Through the course of their adventures, including a meeting with the man of the wilderness, temptations at the hands of women, and a permanent physical or mental wounding, the character grows from adolescent awkwardness and foolishness to the full potential knightly honor. While both Arthurian legends fit this format, the depth of character development, specifically in terms of relationships, is vastly different. Whereas Gawain and the Green Knight does little more with relationships than demonstrate the evils of female temptations, Iwein effectively explores the formation, destruction, and resurrection of numerous male and female relationships.
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.
Dr. Kevorkian was mostly known for his role in aiding people in ending their life with assisted suicide. He helped people euthanize themselves that were critically ill. Dr. Kevorkian was often in courts over his actions in assisted suicide. Even thought Dr. Kevorkian was raised in a strict religious home where suicide was a sin (The Biography Channel Website 1). He still continued to help people even though it was frowned upon by his church. The life of Dr. Kevorkian has affected the way people look at assisted suicide.
Morte d Arthur In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples of chivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve the world in which he lived. Respect for women and courtesy were two major characteristics that knights longed to develop, and King Arthur was able to demonstrate them in two specific instances.
Le’ Morte d’ Arthur is a medieval romaunce by Sir Thomas Malory about King Arthur, Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table, violence plays a very crucial part in the story. Many different kinds of violence occur in this set of stories, some of which are very ordered and fine, like jousting, and also disordered violence like war. The worst type of violence though is when people use violence to get vengeance, which is a major theme, because many of these knights are mad at others. While many of the knights in the book are concerned with getting revenge, these actions and the search for vengeance are often futile and almost always end badly.
Le Morte d'Arthur, a French version of the Arthurian legend, Mort Artu, written by an
“To die, to sleep; To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub: For in this sleep of death what dreams may come...” (Shakespeare 278) reflects Prince Hamlet in his famous “to be, or not to be” melancholic soliloquy. In Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet’s declamations are filled with melancholia, which was an extremely common mood among the literal and intellectual characters of the Elizabethan’s times. One of them, Robert Burton, wrote its greatest depiction in his popular Anatomy of Melancholia at the beginning of the 1600’s. Burton’s work is believed to had been significant to Shakespeare in the sense that it pinpointed the common stereotype of the melancholic individual and, furthermore, delivered the measuring stick Shakespeare’s audiences would have used in their analysis of his more “dismal” characters. Shakespeare’s best work and mother of modern psychology uncovered the veil to one of the most melancholic characters in the history of literature after presenting Hamlet as a picture of a tortured, miserable young man who loses his path in the labyrinth of his sorrowful t...
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem which tells the tale of a knight who undergoes trials-testing the attributes of knighthood-in order to prove the strength and courage of himself, while representing the Knights of the Round Table. One of King Arthurs most noblest and bravest of knights, Sir Gawain, is taken on an adventure when he steps up to behead a mysterious green visitor on Christmas Day-with the green mans’ permission of course. Many would state that this tale of valor would be within the romance genre. To the modern person this would be a strange category to place the poem in due to the question of ‘where is the actual romance, where is the love and woe?’ However, unlike most romances nowadays, within medieval literature there are many defining features and characteristics of a romance-them rarely ever really involving love itself. Within medieval literature the elements of a romance are usually enshrouded in magic, the fantastic and an adventure. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight follows Sir Gawain over the course of one year, from one New Years to the next, as was the deal he and Bertilak, the green knight, struck.
The legend of King Arthur; the tale of how one man ,born from sin, and a sword can make such a profound difference. Before we talk about Arthur we must first start at the beginning of it all; before Arthur. Uther Pendragon was a very strong and powerful man who was king of all of England. There came a time during his reign that a mighty Duke of Cornwall known as the Duke Gorlois of Tintagel waged war on King Uther for a very long time. However, there was a short period of time during their feud that they were at peace with each other. This was because Uther had gotten the sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. This proved that he was worthy and therefore let his opponent see that as well. But, that moment of peace was ended quickly after
In his article “A Stranger in Camelot,” Edward Hirsh refers to “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” as a romance novel. While reading the story, you encounter many of the aspects of a Medieval romance story. For example, there is a near perfect leading character, Sir Gawain, and an evil enemy, the green knight. Also, in part one of the story, you are given the sense that even though a quest has not yet begun, that there will be one in the future, since Sir Gawain now faces such a large problem of being hit with an ax in a year and a day. Another aspect of the story that links it to medieval romance, is its use of supernatural elements. Although in part one the reader has not yet been told why the green knight can have his head cut off and still
How would you describe Sir Lancelot? Most people would say he is the strongest, bravest, and kindest knight of the round table. Some might say he is the biggest Benedict Arnold of all time because of the adultery he committed with Queen Guinevere. However, his chivalry and code of honor make him the epitome of a true gentleman. These contrasting qualities set Sir Lancelot apart from all the other knights and characters in the “Morte D’Arthur.” Lancelot’s gallant, courageous, and conflicting personality make him a complex character in this dramatic tale of love and betrayal.