Farewell, King Arthur! But not forever

Guys, we are in the home stretch! We are almost finished our course on King Arthur (save the final). We have learned about Arthur as a tall, huge, amazing, studly man, as well as Arthur as the small, scrawny, yet inquisitive boy, Wart. And of course, let's not forget the Arthur in Knight Life, a character I imagine being played by Paul Hogan, Crocodile Dundee style.

Replace the knife with Excalibur and you're good to go. I dunno, it just seems like the whole "outsider dropped into the city" type thing is similar to Crocodile Dundee, a movie that came out just before Knight Life was published.

 Who was my favorite Arthur? Definitely the endearing Wart, willing to learn and reminiscent of anyone's childhood, when everything was fresh and new.Who was yours? Was Arthur even your favorite character?

 Call it strange, but while I found Arthur from Once and Future King perfectly endearing, Morgaine from The Mists of Avalon was a close second when it came to favorite characters! I found myself constantly relating to her. She is strong, and perfectly capable of being powerful on her own, but she has flaws as well. The Mists of Avalon was enjoyable to read in the fact that the women were powerful in their own feminine positions, instead of being is masculine positions.

Image from http://dravite.wordpress.com/tag/morgaine/

I also loved The Lady of Shalott. She is such an enigma, and is symbolic for many emotions that women (and men) have felt in history: temptation, the desire to be noticed, loved, appreciated in one's community.

By John Atkinson...how very funny that the skyline looks Victorian! *hint hint*

Why is Arthur still enjoyable to read about today? What do you think? Is it because everyone needs a hero to look up to: that strong Arthur that looked down at the tallest man anyone would know,the Arthur who killed many men with a whack of his sword, the military leader, the fair diplomat, the friend? Is it because people need to know that seemingly untouchable figures have their own crutches: the nervous Arthur who always consults Merlin, Arthur, a man whose in denial that his best friend is sleeping with his wife? Arthur, the uncle and father (need I say more), who brings his own downfall by having a bastard son. Arthur is a character with many sides...he's been painted as a god in old writings, but his crutches, physical and mental, have been brought out in later texts. Perhaps we can pity him, love him, learn from his wisdom and his mistakes. Perhaps we can ponder on the question he asks upon his death, "Are people truly good?" Arthur is special because he makes people yearn for an age that never existed, an age of knights in shining armor, spells, strength, and insurmountable glory.