The Legacy and Legend of King Arthur and Heroes of Epic Poems: A Comparative Analysis

King Arthur was an ideal person to many people during the medieval time period. He was brave, fair, fearless, supernatural, and honorable. These characteristics made King Arthur a legendary person. Many stories of the King Arthur legend exist today. These stories have many similarities and differences such as in Morte d'Arthur and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In both stories, the author's use the code of chivalry and fantasy, but one author decides to let King Arthur die and the other does not.

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

When discussing epic heroes, some of the more prominent ones that come to mind are Beowulf (from Beowulf), Hektor (from The Iliad), and Achilleus (also from The Iliad). These are all characters from literature who have displayed a multitude of the characteristics embodied in epic heroes. Each one of these literary figures has exhibited necessary traits needed to be considered an epic hero. Whether those traits are some of the common ones such as strength, honor, loyalty, perseverance, and bravery, or some of their own such as pride, intelligence, and morality. Whatever the case, these three have undergone difficulties and shown ties to the values held by their cultures within how they deal with issues. In this essay, I will attempt to

Reading through Beowulf I began to compare it to the last great epic I read, Homer’s Odyssey. While the Odyssey and Beowulf are each examples of both historic and modern ideas of heroism, the acts of Beowulf’s hero seem to fit better within its context.

While Arthur had charismatic qualities and benevolent morals, Beowulf, in a modern society, would be most likeable because he was a more sufficient leader. Every hero desires to be remembered for more than one heroic inclination. To protect mankind from evil, to use his powers to rescue his family and friends from evil circumstances, and to earn immortality through his heroic tendencies are three important propensities. Three of

In this epic poem, Beowulf is portrayed as an ancient hero but he also has traits of a modern day hero. Throughout the book, Beowulfs character is developed deeper so the reader can see his characteristics. These characteristics can be compared to both an ancient and modern day hero. Beowulf is very similar to other ancient heroes, like Achilles, who were present in other epic poems around the same time period. For example, Beowulf is strong, bold, courageous, and skilled like other ancient heroes are.

Since the beginning of time, on every corner of the earth, there have been heroes who possess traits that make them important gifts to the world. The specific qualities that heroes possess influence their own lives and those of the people around them, specifically like the heroes in the epic “Beowulf” and the novel The Once and Future King. Each trait that Arthur and Beowulf possessed impacted major events in their lives, such as defeating Grendel in “Beowulf” or removing Excalibur from the stone in The Once and Future King. In both literary pieces, Arthur and Beowulf embark on quests in order to save their people. For both heroes, the effects of their actions differed, as well as many key happenings throughout their journeys. Both

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.

If someone asked to you to name two kings, the first two would most likely be Beowulf or Arthur. These two heroes' stories have been passed down from generation to generations, being both modernized and even made into movies. Both come from humble beginnings and a fantasy type setting with a twist of history in their time-lines. Though magic and pagan morals seem to be a theme, it is theorized that Christianity maybe the main religion in these tales. So the similarities in these tales are many but also their differences are what show us what these heroes are personal.

During the years that King Arthur ruled over England, his reign is always remembered as a time of peace, a golden age, a great era, and a glorious time. However, this all comes to a halt, when two of Arthur’s most noble knights bring an affair into the open, causing his round table and kingdom to fall and bringing Arthur to his death. Written by Sir Thomas Malory in the latter half of the 15th century, books 20 and 21 of Morte D’Arthur (Death of Arthur) describe how over time, the tragic hero, King Arthur slowly loses control over his kingdom due to his ignorance, leading to a few errors in judgement that inevitably lead him to his own demise and to the passing of the great era that was the reign of the legendary King Arthur. King Arthur is a tragic hero due to his ignorance, overly trusting manner, and the careless mistakes that he makes during his time as king.

The Arthurian Legend is seen to be extremely influential in benefitting the English people during the Romantic Era. Even if King Arthur is a fictional character of myth and legend in England, his childhood, countless glories and achievements as the king of Camelot, and the final down fall of his strong empire validated his importance to English literature. Proof of King Arthur’s existence would possibly solidify the impact he had on the English culture (Arthurian Legends Vol. 1).

A society consists of people who share communal values, living with one another in harmony. You can comprehend much about what a society reveres by analyzing the manner in which its members behave. After scrutinizing the renowned myth, King Arthur and its character’s comportment one can arrive upon the following conclusion: the early British society immensely valued status, honour, and valour. In addition, the British also profoundly regarded one’s position in society: status, because the British society was organized in a hierarchy.

Arthur had many valuable characteristics. He was kind and cared for his followers. When at battle with Lancelot many of his followers died. He then searched for the wounded and the dead, which shows that he truly cared about them. In “Le Morte D’ Arthur”, “Arthur wept with dismay to see his beloved followers fallen” (234). King Arthur was also a very brave man. When he fought Mordred, he drove the spear through Mordred’s body

The characteristics of an epic hero range from unfathomable strength and courage to simply being a good person. A typical epic hero has super strength, courage, devotion, loyalty, a strong sense of justice, a primary weakness, a love of glory, and they are usually champions of freedom. There have been innumerable changes in the characteristics of an epic hero over time; however, there are a few key traits that will forever stay the same. Beowulf is a prime example of an archetypal epic hero—past and present—because he exudes qualities such as loyalty and honor, courage, and adroitness to risk his life for others and the “greater good” of society.