King Arthur: First Week Thoughts

While finishing my readings and Influence Map this week, I have come to a realization on how blind I was coming into this class. Mythology and medieval times is one thing, but actually diving in to this “fable” that is King Arthur, I am prepared to embark on a knowledge quest on what this legend was all about, when I thought he was actually real to begin with (even if he is or isn’t).  Of course the media persuaded my mind to thinking that such a legend actually existed.  My first witnessed experience with King Arthur had to have been when watching the Disney movie, The Sword in the Stone, which wasn’t a good first representation of the character but as a child it had me to believe that there was a powerful sword in a rock and whoever could pull it out would be deemed king (Arthur/Wart).  Quest for Camelot was also a child favorite of mine, which had some relevance to the King Arthur tale. After that I guess I had all these run-ins with medieval movies that only the name “King Arthur” stuck with me and gave me the mindset that all these movies were about him and that He was an actual person (especially with the 2004 movie, King Arthur).  Even the movie DragonHeart would make me think of the name King Arthur even though now I realize it has nothing to do with him.  My general understanding at the time was that only these words associated me with the Medieval Times: Camelot, Excalibur, swords, knights, Lancelot, Dragons, and King Arthur. I have definitely improved my understanding of the Medieval Times now, but back in the day I was very close minded when it came to the Renaissance Era.

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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W7poE_oKsY

As we talked about in class on Wednesday with regarding the size of Arthur’s shinbone, I did agree with everyone’s opinion about what that “size” resembled in a much bigger picture.  Obviously, there aren’t many people today that have the same size shinbones as Arthur may have had, but the book stated about Arthur’s skull and face to that of basically a giant.  Understanding what detail the book went into to explain Arthur’s size could literally mean that he was powerful in that his features were inhuman or that of a God.  Relating power to size is a common characteristic that most people give to others who have demonstrated heroics or exceptional honor to many.  A great example would be God himself. He has been depicted in movies to be a huge man, sometimes muscular, bearded and mostly long haired (almost wizard-like).  We give him this label because he was the creator of the universe and created life in its simplest form.  I don’t think people would give a description of someone who created all living things as “oh he looks like my elderly neighbor”.  From this class, I am hoping to gain knowledge about who King Arthur was as a whole and what he did to make people respect him and keep him in legends that have made him sound like an actual historical figure today.

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One week in and already learning

As I read for Monday's class, I realized how little I knew about King Arthur. In the reading I seemed to pick out all the battles that were talked about, normal guy thing to do, right? But what really caught my attention wasn't the fact that he fought and won so many battles, but what he would do before, during, and after these. It seems to me that he is more focused on taking care of his people than personal glory, though there may be a bit of that there too. I think what I'm trying to say here is that I never really noticed Arthur's moral code and selflessness til now. Yeah, I knew he was a noble knight and king and chivalrous and all that, but the amount it looked like he talked to his advisers before making decisions, or made decisions to help the "damsel in distress" (whatever form that may be in), or simply took time to honor those who had fallen in battle.  not to be like "what's in it for me?" or "this will look great with the guys back home!"
Simply put, from this reading I've gained a new perspective on Arthur.

Strong knight that runs into battle and kills 470 men by himself? check.
Sensitive man willing to help others in need without real personal gain? check.
what will be next? I honestly can't wait.

Original Thoughts of Arthur

I'm still working on my influence map, so I haven't included images from the assignment, but the assignment has made me think about who Arthur, what characteristics he has, and who influences him. I wanted to start this blog with listing my original thoughts of King Arthur, and hopefully see how they change over the semester.

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While Arthur is usually referred to as “King Arthur”, I realized that I rarely think of him in this role. My general impressions of Arthur is of a young boy or man coming of age or to power. He is learning who he is and the type of ruler he wants to be. My vision of Arthur is rooted from movies likes Disney's "The Sword and The Stone" where he becomes King at the end, and is wearing a crown and robe that are too big for him that he still needs to grow into, much like I

see him needing to do as King.

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Because I associate Arthur as someone who is young and becoming King, I consider him to be inexperienced and in need of guidance, and what character better fills this role then Merlin. In my mind, Merlin plays the role of a puppet master who usually is an old man, but has been portrayed as a young person. He pushes, manipulates, and counsels Arthur in his decisions, which Arthur sometimes listens to without conflict and other times challenges. Merlin plays a vital role in Arthur’s life because he develops and guides Arthur to become a king with the influence of magic. I have a difficult time thinking of Arthur without Merlin. On the BBC show Merlin, Merlin and Arthur are described as “ two-sides of the same coin”, which is a perfect interpretation of their relationship.

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From my exposure with King Arthur, he seems to always be on a journey to become King. The stories usually end with him being crowned and becoming King Arthur, but until then Arthur needs to prove himself worthy of being King. An image that sticks out to me, that shows Arthur is the real King, is the Sword in the Stone where he needs to pull the sword out of the stone in order to prove that he is the actual King. That story of Arthur is a good representation for me. He constantly needs to prove to himself and people that he is worthy enough to be King.

The last idea that I associate with King Arthur is his Knights of the Round Table. The concepts of Knights make me think of bravery, duty, and honor. I picture men going into battle fighting for a worthy cause. I think of Arthur's Knights as fighting for just causes, and dedicating their lives to quests. The video link is from "Monty Python and The Holy Grail" when Arthur and his Knights come across the French and ask about the Grail. While this is one of my favorite parts of the movie, it represents the quest that Arthur and his Knights supposedly went on in search of the Holy Grail.


                                       

                                           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yjNbcKkNY

These are not all the ideas I have about Arthur, but highlight the major contributors to who Arthur his. All of these ideas shape a concept of a young man learning how to be King, so I think it will be interesting to see a perspective of Arthur as older and already crowned and in a position of power.

King Arthur, Monty Python, and Merlin

Okay...just me, posting on a blog here. I think I will write about my influence map, and how it relates to my ideas on King Arthur. My influence map is posted below (unless my computer skills aren't with me today).

As you can see, there are movie references on my map. This is because my ideas on King Arthur have been based mostly on movies I have seen. Juvenile? Maybe, but who could forget...

"'Tis but a scratch!" (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

I'm sure your image of King Arthur may be a noble knight who looks something like Fabio, but mine is Graham Chapman from Monty Python chopping off the limbs of the stubborn Black Knight. As for the way I envision Arthur's other foes, well, I'll let you see for yourself...

 In fact, I thought King Arthur was an actual, real-life historical figure up until I was in middle school.

Wait...he wasn't real...was he?

As you can see, my knowledge of King Arthur is limited... 

"Get on with it!!"

The next movie I added to my influence map is The Sword in the Stone. I probably watched this movie about fifty times with my grandparents as a kid. The imagery was so appealing to me, and I couldn't get over how adorable Merlin was with his annoying bird-friend.

Aren't they cute?

Merlin has always been the most fascinating character to me in the King Arthur legends. It's because of him that I have no idea why anyone believes that the legends are true. I can believe in a noble king, but I find a wizard hard to buy. How could this have actually happened? Then again, I believe things in the Bible that may seem far fetched to some. Either way, I'm fascinated by Merlin. Who was he? What did he do? What was his relationship to Arthur? I seem to care more about Merlin than Arthur himself (which is why Merlin is in the center of my influence map).

(I wonder if this "witch" from Monty Python was a reference to Merlin at all)

I also added images of chivalry and courtly love on my influence map. There is a modern image of chivalry because I think the virtues that King Arthur had are valued in society today. It seems that women are put in powerful positions in these legends. Courtly love seems to give a woman a respectable position, instead of the damsel in distress. Although, it is hard for me to believe that two people can be in such a close relationship without any tension...Anyhow, that's all I have to say for now. I leave you with the song of The Knights of the Round Table. Farewell!