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.   

"I'm No Superman"

How many times have we found ourselves saying, "I totally wouldn't do that" or "Well, it's different for me because...?" It's easy for us to criticize things when we are on the outside looking in, and then find it quite humbling when we are in a similar situation. Many people have found Morgaine's behavior in The Mists of Avalon less than admirable. What happened to that strong, athletic girl who kicked Lancelot's butt at hiking and won our hearts for it? How come the girl who shamelessly showed off her legs is now yearning to cover them...and all because of a guy? What happened to our heroine? A girl worth admiring should be tough, ruthless, and too confident take any negativity from anybody. Right?

Wrong. Girls have feelings. People having feelings, and Morgaine knows it. Consider the passage at the very beginning of the section,

"Anger was mixed with affection, to neither of which she was allowed to give voice, and it did strange things to her mind. She wondered at herself, because she had been taught to control her emotions as she controlled her words and even her thoughts."

Morgaine knew she was imperfect. She felt anger, she felt conflicted, and in this way it makes me love her more when she has her moments of confidence. Morgaine is a real woman, and in this way I feel that the story is more feminist than if she was written as an untouchable, godly figure. Similar to many girls, including me (especially me...) she is smart, skilled, and special, but resorts to self loathing when the man she likes rejects her for somebody...prettier.

The Ugly Duckling

I don't know about many of you, but my mind immediately went to middle and high school during this part of the story. (Time to recall blocked out memories...yay!) How many of us have been given attention by that special person? How many of us have skipped home from the bus stop because the cutest person in the world looked in our direction, smiled at us, asked to be our partner for a project? And how many of us have ran home crying when that person has chosen someone else over us, especially when we feel that their new sweetheart is better than who we could ever be?

Luckily, not all guys are like this

 There's a complete change in emotions when this happens. One day you feel like you're walking on air, and the next you're noticing every flaw you have...the zit on your nose, your awkward hair, your extra fat, or lack of. Our self image, which should be dependent on ourselves, is dependent on the other person. And while this is wrong, while we look back at our younger selves and laugh, many of us are prone to doing it even today. I'm not calling us Hood College Arthurians needy, whiny people, I'm just saying we are human. And that when Morgaine is filled with sorrow, she is being human too.

It's this human side in characters that I love. It was brought out in Morgaine's flirtiness, her desires, her dreams, and in her shame. It was brought out in a fallen Arthur, asking the million dollar question, "Are people truly good?"  

Shiny!

Hey, all! Sorry I haven't been blogging lately...registration has been looming over me like a sinister Sword Bridge (yay, references!) but I'd never miss a blog post! What I wanted to talk about today was the parallels between The Lady of Shalott and the Passing of Arthur from The Idylls of the King. 
                First of all, Tennyson's writing is beautiful...so melancholy. There was one line that especially caught me eye from The Idylls of the King (around line 125):

"Thou wouldst betray me for the precious hilt;
Either from lust of gold, or like a girl
Valuing the giddy pleasure of the eyes"

In other words, Arthur is displeased with Sir Bedivere, so he's calling names. (I'm not sure if I'd be much better if my head was split.)

 Here is another section describing the appearance of Arthur's beloved sword (around line 51):


"There drew he forth the brand Excalibur,
And o'er him, drawing it, the winter moon,
Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth
And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt:
For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks,
Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work
Of subtlest jewellery. He gazed so long
That both his eyes were dazzled as he stood..."


As you can see, Excalibur is described as being bright like a star, leaving Bedivere in awe as a girl would be from seeing something pleasurable. (You know how us silly girls are...) 
 
Let's look at a girl he may have parallelism with in The Lady of Shalott:

"The gemmy bridle glitter'd free, 

Like to some branch of stars we see 

Hung in the golden Galaxy. 

The bridle bells rang merrily  85           

As he rode down to Camelot: 

And from his blazon'd baldric slung 

A mighty silver bugle hung, 

And as he rode his armour rung,            

Beside remote Shalott.  90  

All in the blue unclouded weather 

Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather, 

The helmet and the helmet-feather 

Burn'd like one burning flame together,            

As he rode down to Camelot.  95

As often thro' the purple night, 

Below the starry clusters bright, 

Some bearded meteor, trailing light,            

Moves over still Shalott.   

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd; 100

On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode; 

From underneath his helmet flow'd" 

 This is how The Lady of Shalott sees Lancelot. She is as much as in awe of Lancelot as Bedivere is in seeing Excalibur. But is it Excalibur himself (yes...I wrote like Tennyson!) that has Bedivere in awe, or is it what the sword is symbolizing:  King Arthur, The Round Table, and Camelot? Most importantly, King Arthur and his rein. In seeing Escalibur shine bright like a diamond (lol), Bedivere is filled with nostalgia of once was as The Lady of Shalott is filled with a similar emotion upon seeing Lancelot. This, of course, introduces the question on whether one can feel nostalgia for something he or she has never experienced?

Unless you just have a really bad memory like this character.

In seeing the beautiful, curly haired Lancelot, The Lady is filled with the sorrow of what could have been: a life of love, passion, and glory, possibly with him. When Bedivere feels sorrow at the idea of the end of the Round Table, it is because these knights have experienced love, passion, and glory together. While Bedivere may realize that throwing Excalibur in the lake will bring on the death of Arthur, The Lady of Shalott realizes that Lancelot may bring upon the death of herself.

"She has a lovely face."

Well that was philosophical. I feel like Cicero. Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

 

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! ​

Girls, Girls, Girls!

Me again! My post today is going to be about something a little different, and that is the role beauty plays in Arthurian tales. This may seem bizarre, and although beauty does not play a main role in the legends, the subject has been nagging at me for quite some time. (Although good looks are mentioned in both knights and maidens, I will be talking about feminine beauty, because it is the beauty I am most familiar with.) Guinevere, of course, is said to be the most beautiful in Arthur's kingdom. There are many portrayals of Guinevere, based on artist's ideas of beauty. I'll include some here:

William Morris's painting of Guinevere

Painting by Judith A. Smith

The list goes on. As a result, her beauty captures the heart's of Lancelot and King Arthur, and as a result, their free will. Even the women in The Saga of the Mantle seem to nearly have an enchanting power over the men, and are described as: "beautiful women and beautiful maidens, and there had never been better garments in the world than those with which they were adorned. For this reason every man looked at them, and every man was captivated..." (page 215 in my book, but don't even bother...you all have different editions. Anyhow, something about these words send a shiver down my spine. It is just so...

creepy. Can these men be for real? I picture these men drooling over a group of women as if they were behind glass at a zoo.

It does not end here, folks. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,  stanza 18, lines 940-970, two women are described (I will paraphrase):

(The first woman): "She was the fairest in all her figure, flesh and face...even more gorgeous than Guinevere..."

(enter the second woman): "With another lady leading her...who was far more aged...I must tell you that these two were totally unalike, for if the younger one had spirit, the senior one was seared. A pink complexion suffused the one, while rough, wrinkled cheeks rolled down upon the other. The younger...her breast and bright throat were laid all bare...the senior...By God! Her body was squat and thick."

By God is right! Despite the elderly woman having high honor in society, she has lost all power over Gawain, as opposed to the woman who is exposing her breast.

Do I even have to...go into how sexist that is?

After reading this, I got to thinking about our beauty standards today, and my conclusion is that despite how things may seem, we are much more accepting of different types of people. I will include pictures of women and maidens alike who have been deemed beautiful in today's society.

From boyishly thin to plus size, from age 16 to age 60...from black to white skin, to crazy pink hair...from hair long and curly to pixie-like short, society's idea of beauty is becoming more diverse. As diverse as the people who live in it. Not everyone can be Queen Guinevere, and it that notion in mind, it seems that the features that make a woman unique are what make her beautiful today.

What do you think? Has society truly changed, or is it as shallow about beauty as the society in Arthur's days appear to be? Who would you put on today's beauty list? Are any of them similar to the way you appear Guinevere? I don't think there is a wrong answer! 

You Can Call Me Al

Ever seen something that you find so humorous, but then you rethink what makes it funny and realize how sad it truly is? The first thing that comes to mind for me is the demon spawn show, Jersey Shore. I once watched fifteen minutes of that show (my other option was watching paint dry), and chuckled inwardly at the stupidity of everybody on that show. However, I soon became disturbed at the fact that people who are so influential in the world are also so ignorant.  
 

Why is this popular? At all.

The Saga of the Mantle was also like this for me. The true corruptness of the characters are what makes it humorous, and at the same this humor is an indicator of the cultural anxieties of the time. The fact that "well respected" people in Arthur's kingdom are full of disloyalty and adultery makes me wonder how much better other kingdoms are (and according to the mysterious visitor who brings the mantle, not by much). It also makes me question the successful-ness of courtly love.

Is Guinevere's affair with Lancelot a reflection of marital problems with Arthur, or is she just greedy with her love? I'm not sure yet.

Let's look at one couple, however, the one who ended up getting the mantle: Karadin and [insert name here]. Did anyone notice how Karadin treats his beloved...can we call her Betty? (A high five for anyone who gets that Paul Simon reference.) When she is asked to put on the mantle he says, "...I love you so profoundly that I don't want to lose your love- not for all the gold in the world, even though I were to be aware of any misdeed of yours." See, unlike the other couples, this mantle is merely a material object, less important than their love. His beloved answers, "...If my beloved does not take it amiss, then I will put on the mantle." The mantle ends up fitting her, and it is safe to say that neither one of them have been cheating on the other. Their love (a two-way street) reminds me of Odysseus and Penelope from The Odyssey. 
 

Odusseus and Penelope by Francesco Primaticco

Odysseus is gone for twenty years on a voyage, and Penelope stays faithful to him, after he is thought of as dead, after suitors enter her home and demand she marry one, after she is bullied time and time again. Odysseus returns, disguised as an old man, and beats Penelope's suitors in an arrow-shooting contest that only he could win. Returning to his normal form, Odysseus remains happily for the rest of his life with Penelope. It is stories like The Odyssey and The Saga of the Mantle that emphasize the importance of loyalty to the one you are betrothed to, and the troubles it can save you from. 

This makes me think...is courtly love good or bad? It gave Lancelot the strength of ten men, but humiliation to the women loved by such men.

Have a good day, fellow Arthurians! And if you never got my reference, this title will be 100% awkward.