Mandira Panta
Arthurian Literature
Prof. Beth Martin Birky
Fim Analysis: King Arthur
December 7, 2017
King Arthur: Historically Inaccurate but Intriguing
The film King Arthur (2004), as it proclaims is the “untold true story that inspired the legend”. With Clive Owen and Keira Knightley as the main characters, the trailer looked very promising. Yet, the movie was a great disappointment to many of the Arthurian legends enthusiasts. Jonathan Rosenbaum, an American film critic said “If this is history demystified, give me myth” (Rosenbaum). Many critics had similar negative reviews. Personally, I found the movie intriguing if looked beyond historical accuracy.The production budget for the film was around $120 million and it managed to have a
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The acting of the characters is good but we are missing the chemistry between them. Even if the viewers didn’t know anything about British history, warfare, Christianity, or the Roman empire, the plot makes sense if we try to look beyond historical inaccuracy. The film is rated PG-13 owing to the battle scenes and a “almost” sex scene. For a action buff like me, the bloody and gory battle scenes made perfect sense. The close range combat scenes are realistic and the use of special effects during the battle is spectacular. I really enjoyed the fact that Fuqua curtailed the use of computer effects in the battle scenes. The action dominates the movie by far, and this in some ways creates gaps in the illustrating the depth of characters.In the final battle, we see the Saxon playing their drums and chanting. This was one of my favourite parts in the movie. Clive Owen plays the Roman virtuous leader Artorius Castus. The first thing that struck me was his mop of black hair. Thankfully, he had a British accent! He wonderfully plays the character of Artorius; he is a brilliant soldier, a caring commander and approachable. He is shown, in occasions, looking out for others, even if it is in the expense of his own life. "You,all of you, were free from your first breath!" Arthur tries to reason with the men while overlooking the detail
"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.
The character of King Arthur is unique in literature. Most characters are known through their actions and words as described by the author of a story. Arthur, however, is a conglomerate of characters described by many different authors over a fifteen hundred year span. There is no single depiction of him, and one cannot trace his origin to a single author for the "definitive" description. As such, the character of Arthur is different depending on the era, culture, and the particular writer who is relating his version of the Arthurian legend.
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
There are countless versions of the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Most English versions are based on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, but where did these tales originate, and what different interpretations are there today? This essay seeks to examine the roots and different renditions of the various legends circulating today. The first section deals with the origins of the legend. The second section speculates on who the "real" King Arthur could have been. A comparison of several different versions, and suggestions of why they differ are given in the third section, and the conclusion presents an analysis on the ambiguity of the legend.
King Arthur is an outstanding British leader of the 5th and the 6th centuries, son of Uther Pendragon and the Lady Igraine. Arthur is one of the greatest mythical heroes that the world has ever known. Arthur has had a great influence on other people and many of them looked up to him. The coming of Arthur was prophesied years before he was even born. Arthur was born into a world of chaos and disorder, full of love and tragedy. Nowadays, many of the scholars continue to argue whether or not King Arthur was a real person or just a mythological figure. Based on facts however, many believe that Arthur was not a real person; just a legendary British leader in the 5th and 6th centuries. According to history, there wasn't anyone named King Arthur
Everyone wants to be a hero, a conqueror, champion, and just overall a successful person. Arthurian Legend had strength, nobility and courage as their associated terms. That is exactly what the Legend king Arthur was about. He was shown to be very strong, brave and heroic everything that we wish to become. He had also symbolized the past glories of Britain and the hopes for future successes. “A Celtic King born of deceit and adultery, grew to become one of the most famous rulers of Britain. He was a warrior, a knight and king who killed giants, witches and monsters and led a band of heroes on many daring adventures” (Wood) Arthur was a very important part of British history escpecially literature because he was kind of a religious icon. The
Arthur Leander was a character who appeared briefly in the novel, Station Eleven. He was a middle aged actor who died on stage during his performance in the play King Lear. Arthur was additionally insecure in relationships. He went through three divorces in his lifetime, in which the first two ended due to Arthur cheating on his wife. Furthermore, Arthur was said to be (quote about playing the role of Arthur). Arthur’s character traits in Station Eleven defined who he was as a person.
Arthur decides to give his friend Buster a call to check what he’s doing and Buster recommends him to watch wrestling like him, however; Arthurs mom suggests for Arthur to do something DW would like, like read a book. Instead Arthur grabs the book and chases DW around the house pretending it’s a monster ready to attack her. Arthur’s mom then suggests DW to go draw instead.
Nothing meant more to knights in medieval times than chivalry. Chivalry is defined as a code of conduct or honor that all must live by. This includes tenants of such things as courage, loyalty to the king and strength. Two of the best examples of chivalry in writing would be from “Morte d’Arthur” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. These stories were not only influential in providing entertainment and joy to medieval people but also provide two heroes to model their lives after, King Arthur and Sir Gawain. Both stories contain many examples of chivalry but the best are the invent of Arthur’s Round Table, Gawain's courage in accepting the Green Knight's challenge and Gawain's rejection of the Lady’s advance.
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.
The legend of King Arthur is well known, and has been told an abundance of times. It is based on the heroic Romanized Welsh cavalry general Arturius, who halted the pagan Saxons from invading England in the early sixth century, winning a decisive victory at Mount Badon in 517 AD, a victory that awarded him possession of London (Charles Rammelkamn 1). The stories have changed and evolved over the years, with elements being added, removed, or changed. The depiction of King Arthur has also changed, as he went from being a childish, romantic, and helpless king to being a hero. He was a strong, wise, warrior king who led his knights with great valor. Many of the stories are written along with the bias and additions of the author, making them different
In today’s day and age, stories are traded all the time, and many times it can be hard to distinguish fact from fiction. However, when a story, approximately 1500 years old has been told and retold, and modified over and over again, the truth, if there is any, can be quite hard to find! This paper will take a look at both the fact and the fiction surrounding who King Arthur was, what he did, and the historical basis for the king.
When he had asked for a challenge, he didn't actually think he would get one.
If the name of King Arthur is mentioned, I suppose what comes to mind is not so much one person as a whole array of characters and themes, a montage so to speak. Of course we do think first of the King, the magnificent monarch of a glorified or idealized medieval realm. But we think also of his Queen, of the fair and wayward Guinevere, we think of his enchanter, Merlin, who presided over his birth, who set him on the throne, who established him there in the early and traveled days of his reign. There were the knights of the Round Table, vowed to the highest ideals of chivalry, and the greatest of them, Sir Lancelot, who, of course, has a tragic love affair with the Queen. There is another great love story, that of Tristan
King Arthur isn’t a strong leader! Everyone believes that King Arthur had a perfect kingdom and that he was a strong and brave leader and could face any danger and come back alive. In King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green, King Arthur has trouble making crucial decisions in the story and lets his emotions get the best of him during drastic times, during the trial of Guinevere he let Lancelot escape with her even though he knew Lancelot would show up, he let his emotions get the best of him when he heard the rumors of Lancelot and Guinevere being together because he was scared of the truth of them actually being together, he doesn’t listen to the warnings of Merlin when he says that Guinevere would bring the end to his kingdom. King Arthur is a weak Leader!