King Arthur in Le Morte D’Arthur”

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King Arthur in Le Morte D’Arthur” is portrayed as a good king who is loved by his subjects. We see as his knights travel they often are quick to point out on how they get to serve the best king who ever live. The author also keeps referring to king Arthur as noble which makes him appear good. King Arthur gets exceptional loyalty from his knight’s ad are ready to protect their King at all cost. When Arthur attacked Lancelot’s castle, we see him being unwilling to take part in the battle with the King as he is grateful that the King had made him knight. The only way that King Arthur commands all this respect and loyalty is because he was doing things right.

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight King Arthur is portrayed as a young beardless king whose court is at a golden age. He however portrays petulance due to his age in various scenario for example he refuses to eat till he hears a fantastic tale. However, later he changes and takes up the challenge of being a great King. He becomes brave and we see he is the first to take a swing at Green Knight and the author describes him as nature bold. He seems to change in the later works as he ends up being a great king of Camelot with happy subjects and his court also provided civilized refuge for knight errands.

I believe Green Knight is not human but rather a creation of dark magical forces. Initially Bercilack who was the man is transformed to this mythical figure. He was created by Morgan le Fauy who was an adversary to King Arthur and wanted to test his court. Green Knight is also an evil incarte. The Green Knight is described as a monster as he states he would attack anyone that passes through his chapel. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Green Knight is a woman who is sent to seduce Gawain. Green Knight who has green tinted skin and features symbolized supernatural as well as natural in place. Green was a reminder of natural world and also restfulness, fertility and harmony which was ironic as the Green Knight did not stand for any of these thing especially harmony and peace as he demands the beheading of King Arthur.

In Le Morte D’Arthur Sir Lancelot is a hero. Malory describes Lancelot as the King’s favorite even though he is having an affair with the King’s wife. He is one of the most skilled knight’s in Arthur’s court. One instance of his heroic act is when he battles a number of men with help from Lady of the Lake. During his first Adventure in Le Morte he rescues Arthur’s knights that had been trapped in the dungeon of Sir Tarquin. He is also dedicated to Gwenyvere and in one instance he rescues her from Sir Mellyagaunce castle. When Arthur attacks his court he avoids battling him and goes to France with his loyal knights. Later on Lancelot defends his land from attack by King Arthur and he defends his court and which leads him to fight Sir Gawain one on one. Malory still makes it evident that Sir Lancelot loves King Arthur and ids conflicted because he also loves Guinevere.

King Arthur dies in The Battle of Camlann while lighting against Mordred who wanted to take over his kingdom, he was fatally wounded and died. He however manages to kill Mordred. Unlike King Arthur who died in the battle field Sir Lancelot dies in a monastery. When he heard of King Arthur’s death, he returned and offered Guinevere a hand in marriage however she refused. Lancelot joined a monastery and exchanged huis armor for clothes of a monk where he died of old age and grief. King Arthurs death can be compared to Beowulf because they died heroic death. Beowulf died during the battle with a dragon. During the fight with the help of Wiglaf the kill the dragon but like King Arthur, he is fatally wounded. Both died while defending their kingdom and they both killed the threat to their kingdom before dying.

The warrior’s work ethic was high. They were loyal to their king’s and fellow knights’. The most famous aspect of Camelot was the Round Table where the most trusted of the knights and those who have proved that they were worth of it sat on this table. Beowulf also had some trusted warriors to his Aide Wiglaf reminds other warriors that they owe their oath to Beowulf. The other warriors in Beowulf although initially were loyal to Beowulf their loyalty is eventually tested and they do not want to risk their life to help their ruler. The knights on the other hand were willing to fight for their kings to death

King Arthur traveled to France not with the aim of fighting the Romans but to look for Sir Lancelot as Sir Gawain had convince him he was a traitor and he needed to be killed for his atrocities including sleeping with Gwenvyere as well as killing Mordred’s siblings who were Arthur’s Nephews. He had left Moldered in charge while he went for this journey but while in France, Mordred betrays him and seize the throne in Britain. After Arthur learns about this he returns with his army back to Britain ready to reclaim his throne. He meets Mordred with his men in south central England where the fighting begins. The fight begins by an accident of fate as the knight drew his sword and wanted to kill an adder as a standoff negotiation between Mordred and Arthur ensued. With the sword drawn the knights begin fighting as they feel challenged leading to the death of many knights. Mordred is killed and Arthur fatally wounded. Arthur asks one of his knight Bedivere to return his sword Excalibur to Lady of the Lake. Arthur’s soldiers including Morgan take him to the isle of Avalon with the hope that he gets to survive.

His death was significant as he was still able to kill Mordred. Lancelot was also able to return back and although not as a Knight he was the one who eventually buried Gwenvyere. It was Gawain’s pride and need for revenge that had put King Arthur in this position. If they had not embarked on a journey to look for Lancelot, he would not have left his thrown to Mordred giving him leeway to overthrow him. His death portrays the effect that need for revenge has. The irony is that when the King died, he also kills his son Mordred that was next in line. This created a vacuum and the kingdom he was trying to protect was now left in the hands of not so noble rulers as he was.

Malory just like many authors during his period view women as feeble creatures in a society that was largely patriarchal. The women are left out in the adventures of the knights of the round table. Clearly the roles were defined and while men were knights or worked, women were in charge of the house. Money women encountered in the text were mostly in a domestic setting. Women in Le Morte D’Arthur were seen as possessions and the men especially knights thought they had a right to gain a woman just like their shields or horses.

In Le Morte D’Arthur Malory features women in two groups either good or bad. Those who are good have strong Christian virtues such as chastity, loyalty, piety and being beautiful. Most of these women are ladies in distress who present to their knights by proving their worst. Most save the knights and this is seen as a passive role as they only save noble knights and their roles is important for chivalric romance. Lady Igraine and Maid of Astolat are two ladies who can be put to this category. Malory sees these characters as what embodies a real woman and he heaps praises on them and sympathizes with them. The second category of women is those who are mischievous and wicked often betraying the knights and using their seduction prowess to bring down the knights.

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight has misogynistic characteristics when it comes to the view on women. The female characters including Guinevere, the Lady and Morgan le Fay are not individual characters but rather portray the social contrast of what a woman is needed to be. Guinevere who is Arthur’s wife plays a passive role and is just seen as a token to Arthur. Morgan le Fay has been brought out as the conniving and manipulative woman. Guinevere on the other hand is portrayed as a powerless lady and is just an object of courtly love. Guinevere has an affair with Sir Lancelot and the author singles her out as the incarnation of unfaithfulness. When their affair was revealed, Guinevere was supposed to be burn and this was not the same case for Lancelot who was in jail. Both of these texts portray women as objects and women are only seen as good if they are respectful and possess certain virtues including purity.

There are personal conflicts as well as kingdom conflicts that exist in Camelot. The main conflict exists between King Arthur and Sir Lancelot because Lancelot is in love with the Guinevere the King’s wife. There was also conflict between Mordred and Arthur. Mordred could not wait for his Father King Arthur to die before he could take up the leadership role and thus overthrew him while in France. In trying to take over the throne, a fight ensued between the two that led to the demise of both. Although Camelot is an orderly society there are moral conflict that arises in the text. Mordred and Arthur are not trusting of each other wholly and they instruct their soldiers to fight to death in case a knight of opposing side drew out their sword. The sexual promiscuity that existed also in the kingdom resulted in the mistrust and enmity among Lancelot and the King and Sir Gawain too who feels vengeful and finds it worthy to kill King Arthur.

The weapon is Excalibur and was special because it was a magic blade made by Avalonia elf smith. It also had scabbard which would protect King Arthur if he wore it. Excalibur was believed to hold ultimate powers that could only be wielded by a true master. King Arthur and his men utilized weaponry much more as compared to Beowulf who mostly went to the battle unarmed. Beowulf however, had a sword that was called Hrunting which was a blade with ill-boding patterns and had been tampered in blood. It is this sword that in the end he decapitates Grendel’s corpse and also uses it to Kill Grendel’s mother.

When King Arthur was dying, he requested Sir Bedivere to throw the Excalibur to the lake of but his greed is seen as he goes and hides it as he does not believe the sword should be thrown because of its value and beauty. When he returns, King Arthur asks him what he saw and he says he only saw waves thus king Arthur asks him to go back. He goes and comes back and lies again but the third tome however he full fill’s the dying wish of his King. An arm of the Lady of the lake reaches up and retrieves the sword.

In the reworking of Sir Thomas Malory Le Morte d Arthur despite the death of Arthur on the hands of his son Mordred the book Le Morte d’Arthur does not end with it. The story ends whereby they were ready for another fight. The end of the tale is significant as it clarified the types of knights that were to participate in the last war and how leaders should not be reluctant to pursue civil war that causes destruction. The war according to Malory occurred at the round table whereby he argues that war is only ignite when the evil knights engage in war for clear public reasons. The Great War was in order of chivalry where by the leaders undertake it to defend their king.

Heorot in Beowulf and Camelot in Sir Gawain where both halls and main places of community and celebrations. They both welcomed visitors although had two different structures designs and were used for different functions. Camelot was often in the midst of Christmas with light sport activities by the knights as Heorot served as a seat of rule. In Le Morte d’Arthur Arthur gathers hic chief nights and enemies at Camelot to established the round table fellowship and swearing around to Pentecostal oath after his marriage to Guinevere and inheritance of the round table