Biography of Sir Kay
Sir Kay is known as the knight who is King Arthur's Seneschal, an official in charge of domestic arrangements in the medieval household. “He is usually shown as boorish, mocking, and cruel” (“Sir Kay”). Despite Kay's cruel background, he holds a high position, a position of honor, in King Arthur's court. Some people say that Sir Kay only holds his position because of King Arthur. He is personally close with Arthur, who some people say is doing Kay a favor.
A modern version of King Arthur is Disney’s depiction. In here, Kay is Arthur's older brother who attempts to take credit for pulling the sword from the stone, and attempts to take Arthur’s rightful throne.
In Malory’s story, Sir Kay is the son of Sir Ector and foster-brother of King Arthur. Following the
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pulling of the sword from the stone and anvil, Sir Kay was knighted at All Hallowmass and, at Ector’s request, he was made Arthur’s seneschal for life. In Arthur’s earliest days of his reign, Kay was the champion. At battles he was always by his side and everyone felt his presence. During the battle of Reince, Kay was mentioned first and foremost among the champions of the day. Sir Kay is a main character in T.H White’s first three books, The Once and Future King, The Sword in the Stone, and The Queen of Air and Darkness. In all of these he is quick witted and mean but always a loving brother to Arthur. The year following Arthur’s wedding, the realm was invaded by the five kings, and Kay proved his bravery. When his counsel was overrun by invaders, Arthur was forced to flee towards the Humber, and Sir Kay stepped up to defeat two kings. Sir Kay is one of the earliest knights to be associate with the Arthurian legends.
He played a major role in early medieval Welsh Literature. Most Important, Sir Kay played a major role in the short poem Pa Gur from the tenth century where Arthur lists the accomplishments of his companions, focusing on Kay.
Arthur presents himself and specifically mentions Sir Kay, which implies that he is Arthur's best knight. Arthurian literature does not consider Kay as the best of the Knights because of his position, he has more of a personal relationship with the king. Sir Kay is not the greatest knight by far as told in the Welsh Pa Gur. Remnants of Kay’s heroic nature still remain in the battle against the Romans in the History of the Kings of Britain. “Even then Kay fell back with a few men still alive and made his way to the Golden Dragon with the corpse of Bedivere” (Geoffrey, 252).
Though he was considered a minor knight compared to the others, Sir Kay still played an important role in the battle against Romans, which secured Arthur’s spot as King. In Geoffrey’s tale, Kay was thought as Arthur’s supporter rather than his having his own
narrative. “His very acts of courage provide Arthur with the opportunity to rally the army and turn defeat into total victory.” (“Sir Kay in Malory’s Le Morte”). For this, he became a knight of the Round Table and even if his life wasn’t very important, Arthur gave him a spot amongst the other knights.
The story of King Arthur is widely known, either his beginnings told in The Sword in the Stone or how he led the Knights of the Round Table. While there are many version of his story T. H. White’s written version and Disney’s animated version of The Sword in the Stone are two of the most recognized versions. Most movies have the ability to embody the original intent of the book they were based upon. Disney’s movie version of T. H. White’s rendition of The Sword in the Stone, however, while portraying the correct story, does not truly convey enough elements of White’s version to be effective in telling the original story. The characterization and Merlyn’s ‘lessons’ within the movie inhibit the film from being an effective portrayal of the book.
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’...
Knights were an integral part of medieval society. They originally began with primitive warriors such as the Mongols who fought on horseback for added speed and power, but quickly advanced to chivalrous gentleman such as the Normans. Much has been written about medieval knights with the most famous being a series of legends about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Arthur and his knights were the ultimate example of what a perfect knight should have been. They were brave and skilful in battle, but merciful to their enemies once vanquished. They were courteous to ladies, and never ate or drank to excess.
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.
An anonymous contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer wrote Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the 14th century. It was written in a Northern dialect and uses alliteration similar to the Anglo-Saxon form of poetry. Alliteration is characterized by the repetition of consonants and a sharp rhyme at the end of each section.
Arthur’s world as a child growing up in White’s novel is centered in Sir Ector’s castle and the surrounding areas. Sir Ectors’ castle is the location where Merlyn finds a home from which to educate Arthur, with Kay part taking in Merlyn’s educating and adventures on a part time basis. Merlyn and his teaching are the focal point of White’s story that eventually leads to the pulling of the sword out of the stone, and the crowning of Arthur.
The figure of Gawain throughout Arthurian literature is an interesting one; he appears in more texts as a secondary character than any other knight named, and often gains glory even at the expense of the main hero (Busby 1980, 5). The first characteristic which separates him from the other knights is his relationship to Arthur: it is usually stated that he is Arthur's sister's son, a kinship that is found from William of Malmesbury's Gesta Regum Anglorum (c. 1125) and Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136) onward (Busby 1980, 31). However, it is notable that Gawain often seems more like a type than an individual; in Old French literature he is never the subject of a biographical romance, as are most of the other knights, he never has one particular lady's name associated with him, and he is frequently used as a constant against which other knights are judged, the perfect embodiment of good qualities, more a symbol of perfection than an actual person (Busby 1980, 7).
Malory, Thomas. King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales by Sir Thomas Malory, ed. Eugene Vinaver (London: Oxford UP, 1975) 124-25.
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 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.
That’s the story of how we know the story (or stories) today. King Arthur was raised and taught by the wise Magician named Merlin who has helped many kings before Arthur be great. Who created the Round Table and the Knights that sit around it and among those the famous Lancelot. Without Merlin there is no Arthur, without Arthur there is no Lancelot. So we now know that even though it’s called the Arthurian legend, all of them are big contributors to the legend.
What role did the great King Arthur play in the way English Literature is perceived? The Arthurian Legends reveal King Arthur as a chivalrous king and not as a historical figure but as a myth of mass amounts of achievements. From his search of the Holy Grail, to his perfect society in Camelot and his development of the Round Table, King Arthur’s legend displayed his heroic character. Through the many countless legends of the glorious King Arthur, England’s society underwent a drastic change in the outlook on life. With the influences of King Arthur came an extreme change in philosophies and lifestyles. Countless situations on how exactly the people of England altered their views on life were they became more cultivated and highly intellectual amongst themselves. The majority of the English society felt the need to escape the strenuous lifestyle that the Industrial Revolution brought upon. The Arthurian Legends was an effect of the Romantic Era and resulted in the abstract thinking, and the beautiful arts such as music, paintings, poems, and stories. The birth of the Arthurian Legends came from Celtic mythology and medieval romance and the existence of the presence of magic confirm the conception of artistic intellect. Whether or not King Arthur truly existed the ideas of him dramatically changed the English society and English Literature to its current form. The Arthurian Legend has proven to be extremely influential and benefited the people of England during the Romantic Era. Therefore, even if he is a fictional figure of English history King Arthur’s childhood, his countless glorious achievements as the king of Camelot, the final down fall of his strong empire King Arthur validated his importance to English literature. ...
King Arthur Arthurian legends are well known in today's society. However, very few people know of the "real" Arthur -- who he was and what his accomplishments were. This paper will establish the difference between legend and truth, show evidence to support and explain who the real Arthur was, and shed some light on the sometimes confusing Arthurian legends. To establish any sort of idea that there was, in fact, a "real" Arthur, it is imperative to look at the legendary Arthur and his impact on different cultures. Arthur's beginnings are shrouded in mystery, though it is generally accepted that he is the bastard child of Uther Pendragon and Ygerna.
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.
Grimm, Kevin T. “Knightly Love and the Narrative Structure of Malory’s Tale Seven.” Arthurian Interpretations, vol. 3, no. 2, 1989, pp. 76–95. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27868661.