King Arthur Dimmmesdale Analysis

"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.

There are many similarities between the two poems on King Arthur's death. One main similarity is Gawain tells Arthur in a dream he is going to die. Another major similarity in the two poems is Bedivere puts King Arthur on the barge to be taken to Avilon to be healed.

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.

     An act of chivalry is described as the qualifications or character of the ideal knight. Knights were expected to uphold this code of conduct. In the English literature Le Morte d?Arthur, French for ?The Death of Arthur?, by Sir Thomas Malory, the characters display acts of chivalry from beginning to end. Though the code of chivalry contains many qualities or acts, nevertheless bravery, loyalty, and courtly love are demonstrated more throughout this literature.

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

Dimmesdale considers it fortunate that they will not be leaving for four days, so that he can have some time to reminisce with his past. He also, begins to think abou this present and his future, and how he has change, and will continue to change, from the man he is now, to the man he is going to

His underarms damp and his heart racing, Arthur folded up the note again and placed it on the table. He stared at the parchment as if it held a poisonous viper, ready to strike. If Mithian knew Arthur was still an inexperienced virgin, she’d probably laugh at him. That was an emasculating thought.

In his “Faithful Narrative,” Edwards attempts to justify the “unusual” number of conversions in his community. He begins his narrative about “the Surprising Work of God” by explaining the geography of the town of Northampton in conjunction with a discussion of the general state of mind of its people. He notes, in introduction,

Dimmesdale’s struggle is dark and his penance is horrifying as he tries to unravel his mystery. His cowardness is taking over him and is making him conduct actions that are painful for him. “His inward trouble drove him to practices, more in accordance with the old, corrupted faith of Rome, than with the better light of the church in which he had been born and bred. In Mr. Dimmesdale’s secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge. Oftentimes, this Protestant and Puritan divine had plied it on his own shoulders; laughing bitterly at himself the while, and smiting so much the more

Currently, the future of his congregation members’ lives is very grim: death in eternal flames, powerless to escape, all due to the wrath and whim of God. However, he informs his audience that all across the colonies Christ is accepting all repentant applicants into Heaven. Once they convert, he promises that his pitiful audience will rejoice, sing, and revel in God’s glory, shed of the burden of eternal damnation.

Throughout this chapter Dimmesdale is tempted to do things, and is described as “At every step he was incited to do some strange, wild, wicked thing or another” (Hawthorn, 171). This is also confirmed by Olivia Taylor in her paper in which see is comparing Rev. Dimmsdale to a character from another novel “Like Dimmesdale, she too experiences moments of seeming insanity as she labors”(Taylor, 2). Much like Jesus was tested by satan after fasting for forty days Dimmesdale is tempted time and time again, but dimmesdale is not Jesus, and in his current condition by the end of his journey home Dimmesdale is nothing but a hollow shell of his former self, and he enters his house a broken man. Before We dive deeper in to the chapter let us look at a brief overview written by Robert

Arthur Dimmesdale was the most important figure in the community he lived in, was looked upon by everyone as a role model, and had a very particular set of ideals by which he lived his life. Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the first great American writers and author of The Scarlet Letter, is credited with saying that “families are always rising and falling in America.” He is saying that families have ups and downs all throughout their lives. This quote applies to The Scarlet Letter on a smaller scale in the sense that people are always rising and falling in Puritan Society. For Dimmesdale, it is the rising and falling of the way he feels about himself as a person. The rises and falls are often shaped by outside influences and can be internalized.

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.

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!