The King's Shadow Character Analysis

In the novel The King’s Shadow, all of the main characters have the obligation to accept their situation and tolerate it with the best of their ability. Many main characters including King Harold, Evyn, and Lady Ealdgyth accept themselves and cope with their struggles. Without having the ability to cope with themselves, these characters could have made bad decisions. For example, if the king of England makes a bad decision because of the inability to cope with the problem at hand, the country will be in jeopardy. That is why all main characters must learn to accept themselves and cope with the struggles of medieval life.

In this novel, one of the main characters, King Harold, copes with the struggles of being a King. He

Evyn copes with many problems, naturally, because he is the Harold’s squire. One of the major problems that Evyn deals with in this book is having to fight. He abominates fighting but is forced to do it because he is the king’s squire. However, during many of the battles, Evyn convinces himself to run away from the bloody screams of war. This happens in the Battle of Hastings, when Evyn passes a message to Lady Ealdgyth. “Oh, how Evyn wanted to flee, to close his eyes and be rid of this day.” This passage shows how Evyn seizes the thought of escaping the battle field. Another instance where Evyn copes with a problem is when he is asked to be Harold’s squire. He has to accept that he is tied by special bonds to Harold and must not be afraid to get injured when helping his master. This decision requires a good sense of rationality which Evyn uses in order to cope with this situation. Finally, Evyn accepts himself by letting fate have its own mark on his actions. In the beginning of the novel, Evyn does not understand why all of these problems find him, but in the end, he does. “It was his privilege to tell the King’s story. He alone could do this, and he would do this for Harold and for Harold’s people. It was his fate.” This shows the self-acceptance which Evyn goes through in order to acknowledge the