The Once And Future King - Arthurs Failure Essay

His fatal flaw was his ambition. He reached for unattainable goals even when all the odds were against him, and even when he was given warnings of dire trouble he carried on.

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.

In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.

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

Whether he meant to or not, Arthur was very convincing in his speech, which leads one to believe that he was being pulled in two completely opposite directions. A part of him wanted more than anything to have the weight of this secret sin lifted from his conscience; another part of him, arguably the practical part, knew that he could never let the people know the truth. His facade and image were much too important not only to him, but to the entire community. If he had admitted to everyone what he had done, then he would have been seen, not only as a hypocrite, but a betrayer of everyone's trust. Some people in the community might have even started doubting the religion because, if this man who they considered holy and righteous, could not live a life without sin, then how could they? Clearly, Arthur was asking these questions as well, and the world in which he had lived and had served so faithfully was beginning to close in on him. It was because of this that his health began to fail and his body could, at the end, no longer handle the weight and sadness of his soul. His spirit had been lost long before his body gave out.

Centuries ago a kingdom said to be built upon a foundation of purity, justice, and chivalry emerged from the abyss of war and blood known as the world. The kingdom was ruled over by Arthur Pendragon stories say he was a fair king and what all leaders should strive to be, but what if these stories were wrong. What if the legendary once and future king was a paranoid abusive and cruel man who much preferred looting, murder, and drinking to going on quests, helping those in need, and properly ruling his kingdom. What if Camelot was being ripped apart not by the king's son, but Arthur himself would people still love him. What if Morgana La Fey was trying to use her magic to save the people of Camelot from Arthur. What if Arthur's most trusted adviser

Merlin has successfully brought up King Arthur to become a virtuous man and a worthy king who is exceptionally capable of fulfilling Machiavelli’s guidelines. For example, Machiavelli states in “Concerning Things for Which Men, and Especially Princes, are Blamed” from The Prince that “…a man who wishes to act entirely up to his professions of virtue soon meets with what destroys him among so much that is evil.” Merlin taught Arthur integrity and goodness. King Arthur takes this wisdom to build the

I paused, looking at him carefully. My mind spun with questions. How was it possible that one man’s ambition could destroy an entire kingdom? Tear apart families? Condemn people to hardship? I suppose we should have known. Ever since he was a young man, he had to make things right. Even as a child, he was sometimes foolish in his pursuit of justice. But who could have foreseen that this

When Arthur ventures into Merlyn's ant farm, he discovers a culture that fight blindly without knowing what they are actually fighting for. Arthur observes that, “The horrible armies were on the point of joining battle, to dispute the imaginary boundary between their glass trays when Merlyn came to the rescue” (White 130). Arthur learns in his experience with the Ants that war is his ear is fought for almost completely pointless purposes. The great battles that the Lords boast about are pure massacre; the nobles and lords order the soldiers from a safe area as the soldiers do all the fighting and dying for the “cause”. Merlyn later explains to Arthur that, “There is one fairly good reason for fighting - and that is, if the other man starts it. You see, wars are a great wickedness, perhaps the greatest wickedness of a wicked species. They are so wicked that they must not be allowed. When you can be perfectly certain that the other man started them, then is the time when you might have a sort of duty to stop them” (White ). This bit of wisdom from Merlyn imbues a sense of morals into Arthur that he uses to influence his future wars and

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.

His lack of knowledge led him to his demise, because he possesses self-awareness, leads him to the action of free will which could have protected him from a defined fate.

The early childhood of King Arthur seems to be the foundation of the epic journey of his life. Even though his achievements as a child were brief, they were extremely important to King Arthur’s outlook on life, as well as character. As an optimistic squire, King Arthur had hopes of one day overcoming his social standing. He received his wish when he unknowingly pulled the magical sword out of the stone.

King Arthur's character has many faces. He is shown to be kind, wise and generous on one hand, yet at the same time, he can be seen as a weak king who is stubborn, childish, and unable to make wise decisions for himself or for the good of the court. He is described by Nennius as a powerful warrior, who is able to personally slay 960 men in one charge. Wace shows him possessing leadership qualities as he establishes the Round Table to ensure that justice and peace prevail. In Celtic legends, Arthur is a supernatural hero who battles giants, monsters, and witches. He kills the Demon Cat of Losanne and hunts the boar Twrch Truyth driving him into the sea. (Camelot and Arthurian Legend: Arthur online 4/27/98)

   King Arthur lets his past get the best of his judgement. King Arthur let Launcelot take Guinevere during her trial and did nothing to stop it, he even wanted Lancelot to take her away so that she wouldn’t