"He was only a man who had meant well, who had been spurred along the course of thinking by an eccentric necromancer with a weakness for humanity. Justice had been his last attempt-to do nothing which was not just. But it had ended in failure" (White, OAFK 634). The "he" in this passage refers to King Arthur, the main character in T.H. White's The Once and Future King and Book of Merlyn, who failed in his attempt to unite England due to the mistakes made by him and those close to him.
Arthur, betrayed by those close to him, not properly educated on the greedy, selfish, and violent heart of man, failed in his attempt to create a stable, progressive, and peaceful society.To begin with, those close to Arthur made mistakes that would lead to his eventual downfall. Merlyn's forgetfulness kept him from informing Arthur of his mother's name. "...but suddenly he remembered it in his sleep-the simplest thing! It was Arthur's mother's name which he had forgotten to mention in the confusion!" (White, OAFK 310). If Arthur had known the identity of his mother he would not have slept with his own sister, "...but it seems, in tragedy, that innocence is not enough" (White, OAFK 312).
This account with his sister created Mordred, who, taught by his mother that revenge had to be taken, would be his father's killer. Others close to Arthur betrayed him as well. Gwenever's selfishness and jealousy as well as Lancelot's "evil steak" played an important role in the King's downfall. They chose to sleep with each other behind the King's back, knowing that the discovery of their affair would destroy his life's work. If Gwen and Lance could have just come to the realization that they could not sleep each other and still be loyal to their King, this tragedy would not have taken place. Perhaps Lance put it best when he said "...your friend can hardly be your friend if he is also going to be your betrayer" (White, OAFK 336).Arthur did not receive a proper education on the greedy, selfish, and violent heart of man.
As the young Wart growing up in the Forest Sauvage, Arthur "...had been taught by an aged benevolence, wagging a white beard. He had been taught by Merlyn to believe that man was perfectible: that he was on the whole more decent that beastly; that good was worth trying: that there was no such thing as origi...
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...as he felt that the nature of men could be perfected.
In T.H. White's OAFK and BOM, Arthur, not give the proper education on the violent, selfish, and greedy hearts of men, was not able to create a stable, progressive, and peaceful society because he, as well as those close to him made mistakes that eventually led to his downfall. Arthur grew up in a loving and kind environment, making him incapable of hate, jealousy, and greed. This led him to forgive and love those who betrayed him and treated him badly. His close friends, in return, continued to betray him for they, not being capable of such decency and kindness as he put out, knew he would love them no matter what they did.
The task set before this kind and good-hearted king was doomed to fail. Just as the grass-snake told him in the Book of Merlyn, "You will fail because it is in the nature of men to slay, in ignorance if not in wrath. But failure builds success and nature changes. A good man's example always does instruct the ignorant and lesson their rage, little by little through the ages, until the spirit of the waters is content: and so, strong courage to Your Majesty, and a tranquil heart" (White, BOM 128)
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.
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. Annotated Bibliography Sprague, Kurth “Conclusion.” Arthuriana 16.3 (2006): 129-152.
Hawthorne explains this further, “It was a ghastly look with which he regarded them; but there was something at once tender and strangely triumphant in it” (229). At first Arthur is shocked that he could get the words out, but since he did, he felt relieved and soon felt happiness as he finally let go of his sin. In this quote, Hawthorne shows how Arthur’s body language reflected his emotions, this explains how the character has faced many trials in the last moments of his life and can finally escape his sin a proud, holy man. Though Arthur is portrayed as such a holy being, he also has darkness in his life. Hawthorne describes some of his darkness, “He trod in the shadowy by-paths and thus kept himself simple and childlike” (62).
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...
Because this book takes place mostly in the Forest Sauvage and in the surrounding areas, Merlyn has ample opportunity to provide Arthur with numerous out of body adventures, all of which help him prepare for the life he is destined to live. The first adventure that Merlyn provides Arthur occurs on the grounds of the castle. Merlyn turns Arthur into a fish, specifically a perch. Both Merlyn and Arthur go swimming in the moat of the castle. While in the moat, Merlyn introduces Arthur to Mr. P, the King of the Moat. When Arthur swims up to Mr. P, he sees “… a face which had been ravaged by all the passions of an absolute monarch - by cruelty, sorrow, age, pride, selfishness, loneliness and thoughts too strong for
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.
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.
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.
...h century or today, is human and subject to failings, as well. Gawain learned his lesson from the Green Knight and communicated it to Arthur's court. I believe that the author hopes that his audience will take the message to heart, as well.
Sir Gawain is, undoubtably, the most varied of the Arthurian characters: from his first minor appearance as Gwalchmei in the Welsh tales to his usually side-line participation in the modern retelling of the tales, no other character has gone from such exalted heights (being regarded as a paragon of virtue) to such dismal depths (being reduced to a borderline rapist, murderer, and uncouth bore), as he. This degree of metamorphosis in character, however, has allowed for a staggering number of different approaches and studies in Gawain.
had served him. / That was Lanval; Arthur forgot him, / and none of his men favored him
The first of act of real betrayal is seen towards the beginning of the novel committed by Sir Accalon of Gaul and Morgan Le Fey. King Arthur under the impression that he and Accalon were friends, had no idea that Accalon was planning on killing him. But the even worse was the fact his sister spearheaded the whole thing. At this point Arthur is being betrayed by his Knight and his sister. Morgan was the one who seduced Accalon into the idea of becoming the strongest knight and giving him this false confidence. His false perception of strength came from the fact that Morgan gave him sword of Excalibur. Arthur finds out and says, “But I fele by thy wordis that thou haste agreed to the deth of my persone: and therefore thou art a traytoure – but I wyte the lesse, for my sistir Morgan le Fay by hir false crauftis made the to agré to hir fals lustis. (Malory 90) In theses lines Arthur is forgiving
Arthur was an ambitious man, who was interested in building his future; we learn this in the first chapter: This house was one day to be my own home. (p13) To finance these ambitions he hopes to take more responsibility in the business so that he can ask for a pay rise from Mr Bentley his employer. (p41) On the train journey to Crythin Gifford Arthur expresses his pride in his job by saying: ‘I am her solicitor’. I was rather pleased the way it sounded.
...ructure of a mysterious birth which ties into the theme, one should never think less of who they really are. Finally, the lasting effect that Arthurian legends have on modern day literature and culture may include inspiring young men and possibly women to become warriors and to remain chivalrous. Be thankful for Arthurian Legends because they allow respect to distinguish around the world.
Although King Arthur is one of the most well-known figures in the world, his true identity remains a mystery. Attempts to identify the historical Arthur have been unsuccessful, since he is largely a product of fiction. Most historians, though, agree that the real Arthur was probably a battle leader of the Britons against the Anglo-Saxons in the sixthth century. In literature, King Arthur's character is unique and ever changing, taking on a different face in every work. There is never a clearly definitive picture that identifies Arthur's character. It is therefore necessary to look at a few different sources to get better insight into the character of Arthur, the once and future king.