Comparing Malory And Mary Stewart

755 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: King arthur literary analysis

The Legends of Arthur are considered the most treasured pieces of collected literature. Many writers have been fascinated by the mythical Knight and his adventurous tales. Of those authors are two of the most recognized– Sir Thomas Malory and Mary Stewart. Though the dates of which they lived were separate (Malory -1400's; Stewart -1900's), their love and interest of the Legend must have been equally great. If you look, though, and read the two stories, one might find a way to compare and contrast the two. Both authors use a unique point of view that are surprisingly different from on another. Malory's view is presented to me as a distant relationship between the narrator and the story: ...the commoners arose with a tumultuous cry and demanded that Arthur should be made king. The nobles, knowing in their hearts that the commoners were right, all knelt before Arthur and begged forgiveness of having delayed his success for so long. Arthur …show more content…

What Malory lacked in scenic setting details, he made up for it with action and characterization: Sometime later Merlin appeared before the king. "Sire," he said, "you know that you must provide for the upbringing of your child?.... ....Your child is destined for glory, and I want him brought to me for his baptism. I shall then give him into the care of foster parents who can be trusted not to reveal his identity before the proper time. Sir Ector would be suitable: he is extremely loyal, owns good estates, and his wife has just borne him a child. She could give her child into the care of another woman, and herself look after yours." (332)
This is a great example of Malory uses indirect characterization to show that Merlin was wise, and keen foresight, and was loyal to the king. Not only that, but characterization can also help explain the plot and the reader can predict what Merlin will do next, based on their judgement on Merlin's character from the last

Show More
Related

  • Chivalric Identity of Medieval Knighthood

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Malory’s Ideal of Fellowship”, Archibald writes about the bond between the Arthurian knights. She specifically focuses on the changes Thomas Malory made from his sources to bring attention to the strong connection between the knights and the importiance of that connection.

    Read More

  • Code of Chivalry

    538 Words  | 2 Pages

    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’...

    Read More

  • The Feudal System In Lanval By Mari De France

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    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. Lanval’s distress stems from King Arthur which reflects the ineffective political system. Kings stabilize society as they dominate much of the politics and decisions made, yet kings frequently “forget” about the lower classes. Mari de France references this as two separate kings fail to reward Lanval. Lanval received “nothing from [his father]” (Mari de France 31) nor did Lanval receive “ample patronage” (Marie de France 13) from King Arthur. Those unfortunately in the third estate lack any political influence. Therefore, commoners have little control over the quality of their life. King Arthur, as any king should, must ensure the prosperity of his subjects especially the most loyal. Kings cannot deviate from this as the feudal system will not support this. France and Joseph Gies refer to this in their book Life in a Medieval Castle. France and Joseph Gies discuss the daily lives of the king and the subjects. The

    Read More

  • Did King Arthur Truly Exist?

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur and Monty Python and the Holy Grail

    2206 Words  | 5 Pages

    Malory, Thomas. King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales by Sir Thomas Malory, ed. Eugene Vinaver (London: Oxford UP, 1975) 124-25.

    Read More

  • Arthur's Unrealism: Monty Python, Gawain and the Green Knight, and the Destruction of

    4237 Words  | 9 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Arthur Versus Beowulf: A Heroic Comparison

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Growth and Maturation in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Iwein

    2348 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Human or Husk: Female Agency in The Knight's Tale and The Miller's Tale

    1702 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are filled with many entertaining tales from a variety of characters of different social classes and background. The first two tales told, by the knight and the miller, articulate very different perspectives of medieval life. Primarily, The tales of both the knight and the miller bring strikingly different views on the idea of female agency, and as we will discover, Chaucer himself leaves hints that he supports the more involved, independent Alison, over the paper-thin character of Emily.

    Read More

  • Good And Evil In The Death Of King Arthur By Peter Ackroyd

    1476 Words  | 3 Pages

    Coghlan also mentions Malory as “the standard ‘history’ of Arthur” (Coghlan, 1995). As there are various texts that tell Arthur’s origin and his legend, this essay will focus on one of the more prominent texts, The Death of King Arthur by Peter Ackroyd. In the typical tale, good will triumph over evil, however, in Arthurian tales, the line between good and evil often becomes blurred. In modern times, we hear of King Arthur as brave and selfless.

    Read More

  • Comparing Defoe's Moll Flanders and Aphra Behn's Oroonoko

    3562 Words  | 8 Pages

    Although both authors claim their stories are true, and thereby that their characters are realistic, there seems to be a gap between the authors' claims and the "reality" of the characterization. This question is closely connected to the fact that both novels belong to the earliest English novels. There was no fixed tradition that the authors worked in; instead the novel was in the process of being established. The question arises whether the two works lack a certain roundness in their narrators.

    Read More

  • Lanval and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Social Class Distinction in Sir Gawain and the Green knight

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Knight's Tale And The Millers Tale

    489 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Knight’s Tale and The Miller’s Tale are both told by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. Although the two stories are set in the same time period and have a similar theme, they each have a distinctive tone. The Knight tells a romantic story that reflects his higher social class during the era in which he lives. The Miller tells a story in which lust, not love, is the guiding motive for the characters. The Miller is in fact drunk when he tells his story, so the Miller’s Tale contains lots of dirty jokes and complicated tricks. The Miller’s tale mirrors the Knight’s tale in a lot of ways. Both of the stories contain a love triangle.

    Read More

  • The Canterbury Tales And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    1644 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous author, are both sophisticated fourteenth-century examples of medieval romance. Medieval romances captured the heart of their audiences as narratives and stories that featured a protagonist, often a knight, and dealt with religious allegories, chivalry, courtly love, and heroic epics. The concept of the knight emerged from the remnants of the Anglo-saxon literature and ideals and influence of the Christian religion and church. There is a distinct difference between the famous pagan heroic like Beowulf and the romantic medieval tales like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight of the Canterbury Tale. The Anglo-Saxon hero Beowulf exemplified qualities expected of warriors who could attain kingship by their heroism and battle deeds. They possessed the qualities of valor, military prowess, generosity, and honor. The hero fights for the survival of their tribe and nation, and it is in battle that the mettle of the epic hero is ultimately tested. The romantic conventions , influenced by Christianity and French ideals, created a new chivalric knight who sets out on a trial or adventure. They possessed similar qualities to their epic hero counterparts – valor, loyalty, honor, and skill in battle – but differed in knowing temperance, courtesy towards women, and courtly skills. The hero is no longer fighting for his people but for his ideals. By the 14th century, The Tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales have began to criticize the notion of chivalry which had become old and obsolete in their society; the idealization of chivalry practiced by knights could longer withstand the complexities and indeterminateness of situa...

    Read More

More about Comparing Malory And Mary Stewart

Open Document