What makes somebody a hero? According to Campbell there are only four things that every hero needs to occur in a story: a special birth, early recognition, a great deed, and a loss of power. Hamlet is a hero that follows this basic outline. “King Arthur and the Tales of the Round Table” is another one of the most fitting tales for this archetype.
A unique birth is something that all heroes seem to have in common. In “King Arthur and the Tales of the Round Table,” Arthur was born to King Uther Pendragon and Lady Igraine. This account does not delve into his birth, but many do such as Malory's Le Mort D'Arthur. Uther Pendragon was the king of Britain and was at war with the Duke of Cornwall the husband of Igraine. Malory explains that after a feast with the duke, “King Uther grew passionately desirous of Igraine and, when it was over, begged her to become his paramour” (p.21). Shortly thereafter, Uther sought out Merlin to help disguise him in order to consummate his love with Igraine. She bore a child shortly after at the castle of Tintagel (Monemutensis, 1136). Unique is an understatement of this birth. One, Uther was ruler of all Britain. Two, Merlin allowed the use of magic in the conception of Arthur.
“’Whoso pulleth out this sword is by right of birth king of England’” (Lang, pg. 21). These thirteen words define in every way how Arthur gained his early recognition. People from far and wide pulled with all their might, with hopes of drawing that sword out of the stone. However, not even the most noble and prestigious knights could do so. The only person to do so was young Arthur, who pulled the sword out so his foster-brother Sir Kay could participate in the tourney that day. After proving himself, he obtained the titl...
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...He was apprehensive when his knights decided they wanted to go on the quest, but that did not stop him from going. Had he not gone on a pilgrimage for the Holy Grail, his wife wouldn’t have had an affair, he wouldn’t have had to war with Lancelot or leave his kingdom. He may not have even died. Heroes such as Hamlet and Arthur prove that not only archetypes exist, but they also follow similarities in their loss of power, self-inflicition.
Works Cited
Crowther, John, (Ed.). (2005). No Fear Hamlet. Retrieved September 23, 2011, from http://nfs.sparknotes.com/hamlet/
Lang, Andrew. (2009). King Arthur and the Tales of the Round table. In Patrick J. Jung (Ed.), Supplemental Reader for the Humanities (pp 21-69). Milwaukee: Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Malory, S. T. (1485). Le Mort D'Arthur. London: Caxton.
Monemutensis, G. (1136). Historia Regum Britanniae.
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.
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’...
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 character of Sir Gawain is altered and strengthened. He broke the mold of what it was to be a knight for King Arthur and set an example of what it genuinely meant: to be honest and brave, to be confident in who he served and why he served, but not prideful, and to be willing to fight faithfully and strive for excellence on behalf of the King and the pride he took in his court. Sir Gawain embraces opportunities that not only enforces an examination of character and realization of differences wanted and unwanted, but also awareness of humiliation and the desire to be ultimately faithful.
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.
Sir Gawain is the nephew of the most famous King Arthur. Gawain being in line of the throne knew he must show his bravery and man up in front of his fellow knights. The Green Knight stormed into the king’s courts riding on a mystical horse. He taunted the men asking for the bravest knight in the kingdom to stand up and take his outrageous challenge. As the men sat quietly not knowing what to do, Sir Gawain decides t...
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.
The Arthurian Legends reveal King Arthur, not as a historical figure, but as a mythical chivalrous king obtaining massive amounts of achievements. From his search for the Holy Grail to his perfect society in Camelot with his development of the Round Table, King Arthur’s legend displays his heroic character. Through the many countless legends of the glorious King Arthur, English society underwent drastic changes in their outlook on life. Along with the influences of King Arthur came extreme changes in philosophy and lifestyle. Various situations caused the English to alter their v...
There are various ways to define a hero. There is an endless amount of people who are heroes. A hero can be, "one who exhibits courage and/or daring," a hero can be, "one who is supremely noble or self-sacrificing," a hero can be a champion or a winner. A hero can save the day, or even save your life. A hero can be that normal person you see just walking down the street. According to either of these definitions, Prince Hamlet can definitely be identified as a hero. For his words and actions, clearly exhibit such label, and give one the right and reason to say so.
Although there is a plethora of heroes in the fictional pantheon, there is one who stands out above all the rest. King Arthur, a legendary character, has permeated literature and culture for centuries ever since his conception for his bravery, leadership, and possible existence. Arthur and his legend revolves around his adventures as King of Britain. He became king when he pulled the magical sword Excalibur out of a stone. He has his wife Guinevere, the wizard Merlin, and his trusted knights aid him in his journeys. Arthur usually has to fight Mordred, and many other enemies. Sometimes the plot of Arthur’s stories involve retrieving an item. An intrinsic element of Arthur’s myth is its roots in history. It is debated whether or not King Arthur actually existed. Many historians claim to have made important discoveries about King Arthur, but their validity is doubted. More importantly, archaeological digs seem to have the key to Arthur’s alleged existence in history. Two very important discoveries are Tintagel Castle, an excavation there revealed a plaque with the name ‘Artognou’, and South Cadbury Castle, which is believed to be the castle ‘Camelot’. Still, it remains an ongoing quest for archaeologists and historians to find the ‘Holy Grail’ that is the final evidence needed to prove the king existed. Regardless of authentic, definitive evidence being found, the Arthurian legend has not lost popularity, and has been presented in various forms of media, but the interpretation of the story has also been changed. The films King Arthur (Director’s Cut) and First Knight are one such example, as the films offer contrasting, but also similar, views on Chivalry, character portrayals and themes of the Arthurian legend.
A hero is a person who takes risks in order to benefit the lives of others. When thinking of the word ‘hero’, most people tend to think of a person with supernatural traits. However, in reality a hero can be a teacher or a doctor. A hero can be as simple as a person who devotes their time to helping others. A hero does not always have to take a risk. A common realistic characteristic that a hero has is their imperfection. A hero is a human, and no human is perfect. The closest idea to the ‘perfect’ hero is Shakespeare's classic tragic hero. In many Shakespearean stories there are characters that have a tragic flaw that leads to their end. This tragic flaw is often seen through the conflict that the character has within themselves. In most
The 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 a 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.
"As Merlin feared, when King Uther died there was big problems over who should be the next king. Merlin used his magic to set a sword in a stone. Written on the sword, in letters of gold, were these words: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England." Of course everybody took their turn at trying to draw the sword, but none could succeed. Arthur, quite by chance, withdrew the sword for another to use in a tournament. Following this he became King".(
People would often followed King Arthur because he was not scared of coming into new conflicts, but even though he did not fear his enemies he also never tried to start unnecessary conflicts. Even though King Arthur was destined to rule the lands he grow up on a poor family with an abusive father until the wizard Merlin took him away from his father, and gave his custody to a noble knight called Hector, with Hector he learned how to be a brave and strong warrior. By the time Arthur became the king he was considered as a world conqueror because of how many lands his empire had, Arthur was not like the other kings unlike the other kings Arthur played a great role on each battle to conquer a new territory, this is because he did not saw himself a king but as a warrior and a leader. King Arthur was one of the bravest warriors of his time because he never fear new