poetry may be the death of me

While reading The Lady of Shalott, I found it difficult to understand what was happening in the story and why the lady always stood at her mirror. After going over some of the helpful tips to read poetry in class I'm having an easier time reading our next poem, Tennyson, Idylls of the King. I do not understand why Lancelot is always in every story and why he is made to be so appealing to every maiden. I do not think that Lancelot should be looked at as a noble knight after he has had an affair with Guinevere for fourteen years.  In the story of the Holy Grail, I think it was right for Galahad to have succeeded in his quest because Lancelot has not been noble and is not worthy of the grail because of his affair. I think most of the stories should portray Lancelot has he was seen in the story of the Holy Grail. He is not worthy of anything because of his disrespect not only to himself, but also the king.

I also found it interesting that in The Fair Maid of Astolat that Launcelot wanted his identity shielded from king Arthur in battle. If he wants to be known for being a powerful knight, why would he conceal his identity. I think it was funny how as soon as Elaine saw Launcelot  she was head over heels in love with him. It was wrong of Launcelot to except the token from Elaine because he was just using her to conceal his identity. I was surprised that the story had Launcelot being struck in battle and severely hurt because in all the other Arthurian stories we have read, he has been a fearless, powerful knight that no one can compare to. I definitely think that Lancelot's true colors have come out in these last few stories.

1 out of 5

Random Thoughts on The Lady of Shalott

I am not the biggest fan of reading poetry in order to analyze it and understand it's meaning. That being said, I find poetry to be really beautiful. This exactly how I felt the first time I read  The Lady of Shalott and after it was read aloud in class I found it even more beautiful and I understood it much better as well. I think it is interesting how different the Mallory selection was from Tennyson's poem. I will freely admit that before I read both the poem and the story from Mallory I assumed they were the exact same story and that the Lady of Shalott's name was in fact Elaine when in reality we do not know if that is her name. I think of the two plots I really do prefer the Lady of Astolat because it actually gives her some contact with Lancelot and she spends time with him and cares for him. I also like how there is a mention of Arthur existing in Mallory's tale. I feel like The Lady of Shalott was more Arthurian though, it had more magic and I almost feel like in Arhturian legend it is better if the maiden does not know the man she falls in love with so the Lady of Shalott simply wanting to be with Lancelot was very much in accordance to Arthurian legend. I'm really looking forward to rereading The Lady of Shalott again and reading The Passing of Arthur.

this is one of five

Metaphor Overload

To me, this poem spoke as a huge metaphor for the lives of women during the Victorian times (perhaps as well as women in Arthurian times).  I’ve mentally chewed up the elements of this poem that I interpreted as symbolic and listed my brain vomit below.

1)  Camelot:  Camelot is very much romanticized in this poem as a this beautiful, desirable place that’s spoken of as some sort of destination-that the goal is to eventually get there.  I think Camelot was a metaphor for women attainting the “ideal” in life, which was always so romanticized (especially in the beginning when the poet is describing her surroundings in the field, which is very close to Camelot...but not quite apart of Camelot).  Something I think really is important to zero in on here is the fact that her tower is always so close to Camelot, right down the field or river from there and we see this is almost every stanza.

“By the island in the river           

Flowing down to Camelot”

“There she sees the highway near            

Winding down to Camelot”

One last thing, I think the fact that when she sees Lancelot in the mirror, he’s making his way to Camelot…seeing him as her chance to attain that “ideal.”

2)  The Weaving  (the web):  I think the weaving in this poem symbolizes the work/trade/things (for lack of a better word)  that women in Victorian times felt obligated to do or felt that was expected of them.  She kept weaving, never leaving or stop weaving because she believed that she “couldn’t”… the curse (that she didn’t know exactly what it was) made her believe that something bad would happen.  I think many Victorian women must have felt this way about house keeping/trade work/house work/etc that the felt they were obligated to do…and that something bad would happen if they stopped.

3)  The “Curse”:  I think the curse was a metaphor for the pressure in Victorian society (and in Arthurian society maybe) on women to obey the pressure from men and maybe even themselves (remember how the lady of Shalott said she heard a voice?).  Maybe the voice the Lady of Shalott heard was her subconscious telling her not to stop weaving and stay where she is.

4) The Mirror:  I think the fact that she looks at the mirror to see out her window, rather than getting up and looking out the window, represents her view of reality…how she experiences her life in that tower.  She experiences her life there through the reflection of life, not life itself.  The reflection (the mirror) is representing the distorted view of where and how she’s living and that she’s viewing her life as that distorted view.  I think this is the metaphor of how some women from any time period live and see their life.

5)  Lancelot:  I think  to the lady of Shalott, Lancelot is her opportunity/catalyst to get out of the tower and see the world.  The buildup of her weaving, singing and hearing the voice telling her she’s cursed and her forcing herself to stay in her tower weaving leads to this.  At this point, she looks out the window with her own eyes and gets out of the tower as fast as she fucking could.  Because she thought Lancelot was so gorgeous and shiny, she wanted to GTFO of her situation.  Maybe her subconscious painting Lancelot’s face on her chance to leave so that she’d finally break out.  I think even today (just as in Victorian times) there were women who saw a man as an opportunity for a way out of wherever they were living in- I think that still happens today.

6)  Her Death:  I think her death is a metaphor for the reality that kicks in when you finally reach your “Camelot.”  The fact that by the time when she gets to Camelot, she’s dead.  She can never experience being in Camelot because she was never going to experience “Camelot.” 

The reality that kicks in is that “Camelot” represents your ideal, fantasy created life that many people think they must work to attain…rather than embracing the idea that what you spend your time doing every is your life…and that no one else will be living your life except you.  Also, most of the worries, fears and obligations that we put on ourselves are generally made up in our minds (the voce she heard, the curse…You seeing what I’m saying?).   So by the time some may reach the point where they’ve “made it” by getting the financial/home/romantic/job/etc security that they dreamt up in their head, there’s a feeling of emptiness, hollowness…relating to death (Lady of Shalott’s death) because it’s the realization that there is no actual “Camelot.” 

Wow that ended more emotionally crushing than I predicted.


This is 2 out of 5

"Here comes the King....I mean Queen?"

Okay, so many people in our class have brought up the fact that Arthur is definitely not the amazing character we thought he was. Rarely the lead, usually pretty boring, and never really part of the adventure. Well, I am giving you all an opportunity to meet a version of Arthur who is both kick ass and an integral part of the story. Meet Saber, AKA Altria Pendragon AKA Arthur Pendragon.(she is quite majestic looking, isn't she?)
Now I know what the first two thoughts are going to be in everyone's head. First, "Arthur is a girl...?" and second, "that's anime". The answer both of those thoughts are yes. In this adaptation of the King Arthur tale, Arthur is indeed a girl. No matter your opinions on anime, for the sake of this class please do not dismiss my summary of this show, because it is pretty epic. The show is called Fate: Stay Night, and also there is a prequel, Fate Zero (which is the better of the two). The story gives a unique spin on Arthurian legend, as most anime does when it comes to western lore.

Unfortunately, its pretty important to watch Fate Stay Night before watching Fate Zero, or else you will completely miss amazing references and your whole experience of the show will suffer. Fate Stay Night was based on a visual novel, if you don't know what that is look it up. Needless to say that gives it a bit of a seedy start, but bear with me. After the production of Fate Stay Night created an exceeding amount of revenue, the producers of the show decided to make Fate Zero which is infinitely better the the "fan service" riddled Fate Stay Night.

Fate is all about magic. the basic premise of the shows is that there is a war every sixty years called the Holy Grail Wars. During the war, Magi, or those who practice Magecraft, battle to the death in order to obtain the Holy Grail, which can grant the winning Magus any wish they want. The Grail however does not only grant the Magi a wish, but also their Servant, who the magi Master summons. the Servants are the reincarnations of legendary souls throughout time (alas,this is where Saber comes in) and belong in seven different classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Berserker, Rider, Assassin, and Caster . The Holy Grail is a spiritual artifact, so only astral entities, such as Servants, are capable of touching it; this restriction forces Master and Servant to cooperate with each other against rival pairs, even if a situation entails fighting to the death.

Saber ends up being the Servant to the main characters in the two series. She is the reincarnation of King Arthur, the King of Knights, and the Once and Future King. Throughout the show there are back stories to the characters, and Saber is no exception. We hear the familiar names of Merlin, Kay, and even Lancelot. I won't lie, Fate is a really strange adaptation of the Arthurian Legend, but anyone who doesn't mind anime and is interested in seeing a very different twist on everything we have been reading in class, I suggest Fate.

The Lady of Shalott

This poem was interesting. I am not going to lie, I had a very hard time understanding what this poem was talking about. At first, I thought it was only talking about how Camelot looked and how the lady was floating down the river dead. After sitting in class and hearing it read aloud and discussing it as a group, I have a better understanding of the poem. Now that I know what it is about, I have a little more appreciation for this poem. I find the magic in this poem odd. The oddest part to me was the curse put on her that if she stopped weaving she would die. I want to know why this curse was put on her and who put it on her. And of coarse, Lancelot makes an appearance in the poem, and again, a girl falls in love with him. This is getting to be predictable. I understand Lancelot is an important part of Arthurian legend, but I would like to read more about other knights too. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was a nice change in character. We should have more about him, as well as more about Arthur. You know, the guy whose name is in the class title?

Crazy Stupid Love

After reading The Fair Maid Of Astolat, I really come to hate reading stories of Lancelot. They are always the same thing; Lancelot meets a woman and she take one look at him and BAM, she loves him to death -literally in some cases. Lancelot reminds me of Ryan Gosling in the movie Crazy Stupid Love, he's a player that needs to get his heart broken.

"girl, I'll break your heart."

On another note I really like that Malory gave Sir Lavayne some ability. It takes a pretty good knight to take on ten knights of the the round table. Also, I just really like his name it's different, which is cool.

Overall when I think of this story I think of A Knight's Tale and how William Thatcher gets wounded when he takes a token from Jocelyn. I do like this story even though it is painful to read about Lancelot's adventures.

All Play and No Praying Makes Lancelot a Bad Dad

Hello! First post after spring break, so we will see how this goes! And as long as we are talking about spring break, let's talk about what spring break implies for people in their late teens and twenties...

Let's face it, this was all of us during our last class before spring break.

 

...or better yet, let's not. While many of us don't think of partying as an example that can be used in school (I'm taking a risk in doing so), it can be used in this King Arthur course. In fact, we discussed it in class. It is called a "carnivalesque" atmosphere: where societal rules don't apply and everyone can be free for a while. While we experience a carnivalesque atmosphere when we are in the moment (spring break being an example), we must later face the consequences of our actions. (Growing up really stinks sometimes, huh?) However, for the people in Arthur's court, this is not usually so. This past reading has been surreal because it is extremely different: there are dire consequences and people do not embrace a sinner (like those who wore the green sash in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.) 

"Gwen babe, they found us out. So...I need some space."

 

Lancelot, who has been seen as one of Arthur's finest knights, has been having an affair with Guinevere for fourteen years now. He was praised in The Knight of the Cart, and it seemed that his sins (however romantic) were excused because of his great abilities. However, in the Quest for the Holy Grail, he is denied the Grail because he is not worthy. He has sinned in his affair with Guinevere, as well as in seeking for wordily glory and failing to thank God for his abilities. Who is worthy of the Grail, however? Galahad, Lancelot's son, and the product of a union he thought was between himself and Guinevere (this would have been adultery...one of the many times he had committed this). 

Sorry Lancelot, but you'll never be this guy to Galahad.

...Or even this guy.

 

This is very different from the glorious Lancelot we see in The Knight of the Cart, who is admired by young boys. This is a man who is unworthy of the Grail because of his sins, and is surpassed by his son, whose virtuous and good, and is nothing like him. There is something very sad in this...almost a foreshadowing of the end of Lancelot and the rest of Arthur's knights, and the age of worthier knights. Whether this happens, I do not know, but this reading is ominous. It implies a darker future of something yet to come. 

Oh and on another note...the lion in the story reminds me of this guy:

ASLAN!!!

 

I wonder if C.S. Lewis knew? Despite popular belief, his stories were based off of more than just Christianity. He was educated in mythology...I wonder if he was into Arthurian legend! ​

Indiana Jones, The Holy Grail Scene

I just have to say that this scene has some of the detailas from the Malory reading...the silver dishes, the old-ish man (which seems to be a templar knight?)  There wasn't an omniscient voice that warned the bad guys away, but you can see that the knight can maybe look like a knight of the round table or a crusader knight.

I find it interesting how films present the quest for the Holy Grail and how hyped up the storyline is.  While there are many variations, the theme of the supernatural power is consistent-the grail always seems to have a power/independence from people.

Anyways...ENJOY THE SCENE!

Holy Grail Thoughts..

Things that were peculiar about the Seagrail Quest reading today

1.     After Lancelot enters the chamber (after the voice said not to) and he collapsed and was “like dead” for 24 days.

In reference to what we were saying earlier today about people relating to Lancelot’s decisions, I think the 24 days he “lain dead” is another loud parallel that people can relate to.  The effects of doing something you know you shouldn’t because you think you know better than otherwise, and then having to deal with some sort of consequence.  Lancelot said that he felt the 24 days was a punishment for his disobedience of what the voice told him to do.   I find it odd for Lancelot accepts it as a punishment, and that he deserved it…I was expecting him to react boldly; inspired by a” WTF just happened” moment, I thought he’d charge off on a horse to justify his name.  But no.

2.     The demonic horse that rode for four days journey in an hour, the lion and the serpent.

When I was first reading  that Percivale decided, almost randomly it seemed, to help the lion fight the serpent I felt confused.  WHY?  The only reasoning that followed was that the lion was “the more natural beast of the two” and then Percivale thanks god for the fellowship that he has with the lion.  There is, of course, the religious symbolism that I can see that might explain the issue’s he’s having with temptation:  serpent representing evil things and the devil and the lion representing god and being good. 

I get that, but letting that though sit in my mind for a few seconds…then what does the dream that he has while sleeping with lion mean (with the young and old lady that visit him in his dream)?  The young lady sat on the serpent and the old lady sat on the lion and it was the young lady on the serpent that warns him…am I the only one who thought that was weird?  Why was it the young lady sitting on the serpent (representing evilness) who warned him, and not the old lady on the lion?   I feel like it’d make more sense if the lady on the lion warned him…am I missing something?

Anyways, I actually really enjoyed this reading, probably the best reading for me so far in this class.  The way Malory wrote the Sangreal Quest is very alluring…I felt that he (Malory) was telling hard facts of what happened; yet it felt like a story. 


This is 1 out of 5

Together til the end

So this reading of the Holy Grail was....wow. So many crazy things going on. One thing I really felt I could relate to this story was the round table. All of the knights went out on this quest together, knowing they were probably going to die, and that just displays honor to me. We're always discussing characteristics of a knight and that has to be one of the most important traits. The round table plays a part in this to me because it symbolizes that all of them are equal. The shape of the table gives everyone fair game and no favoring of one knight because of a certain spot. This being that they're all equal, had them all out on this quest together.

What Knights Carry: Symbols, Talisman, and Tattoos

Gawain's Shield- front 

Somewhere in a students’ academic career, like Dr. Reichard’s Phil 200 ”Courage and Violence,” he or she might encounter Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried.  I have frequently been reminded of essays of O’Brien’s essays and stories as I read about tales of valor and of violence in Arthurian legend.  Soldiers, ancient or modern, bear particular truths greater than their actual stories. Humans often carry “good-luck” artifacts like: religious symbols and articles or relics, the cliché rabbit’s foot, a treasured love letter, a beloved’s trinket or item of clothing.  Sir Gawain gives us several symbols.  

The shield Gawain carries into battle has a pentangle on the outward facing side and the image of the Virgin Mary on the interior facing side.  While fighting, Gawain could draw strength and courage from the Blessed Virgin’s image.  The pentangle is a symbol with pagan and Christian meanings.  It is often associated with the five joys of Mary, the five knightly virtues, and the five wounds of Christ.  For protection, Gawain wears the sash into battle with the Green Knight.  Later the fellow “Knights of the Round Table” adopt the green sash too.  Looking at the box of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies in my cupboard, I am reminded of a gang of young girls that proudly wear a green sash. According to one of my classmates girls “can be knights too.”

"Thin Mint"--yumm!

Sir Galahad

Malory’s Galahad carries a shield with significant symbolism too.  Malory tells us that Galahad’s shield is white with a red cross. The shield descends from his ancestor Joseph of Arimathea. Legend tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was the soldier that removed Jesus from the cross. It is blood pouring from Joseph’s nose that forms the red cross of Galahad’s shield (Le Morte d'Arthur).

What do people wear as they face modern challenges? What symbols do they weave into the quests and campaigns of their lives? Are we so different or more sophisticated than our forbearers?  Our lives are filled with symbols and images. Look at the ubiquitous tattoos!  Gawain’s religious symbolism pales by today’s religious tattoos.   Arthur wore an aegis of the Virgin Mary across his shoulders. What might Gawain’s or Arthur’s Mary look like today?  Many tattoo artists have inked the Virgin Mary.  

Tattoos and body scarification have been around for thousands of years.  Several times, on assorted tattoo websites, I have read that knights during the Crusades would have the Jerusalem cross/Crusader’s cross tattooed on a hand or forearm to identify them for Christian burial. I’m not sure if it is factual but branding and tattoos have been used for ages for identification purposes--think animal identification, American slavery, and Nazi concentration camps. Mrs. Malcome, my fourth grade elementary school teacher, had a concentration camp tattoo.  Full of quiet strength and courage, Mrs. Malcome was my childhood hero.  

"Pastrix" Rev. Nadia Boltz-Weber
Pastor of ELCA mission church
House of All Sinners and Saints

From gang members to Protestant ministers, tattoos are everywhere.  Rev. Nadia Boltz-Weber is one of those tattooed pastors.  What symbols or tattoos do you carry?