Week 11: Reading Diary- King Arthur

My thoughts on the stories of King Arthur and his Round-table of Knights...

The Drawing of the Sword:

This is probably the most recognizable story about King Arthur. Pulling the sword out of the stone is one of the defining moments of his myth. It also carries a lot of religious implications. It almost as if he was divinely chosen to be the king of England.

The Questing Beast:

This is not a story that I'm familiar with, though I enjoyed it. I do think it interesting that the author uses the phrase, "by and by." It always seems like writers just skip over so much when they use a phrase like that. Oh well haha.

The Sword Excalibur:

Excalibur is an absolutely crucial part of Arthur's character. Every ancient hero has to have some mythical weapon or ability that sets them above all other men. Hercules had his god-like strenght and Arthur has Excalibur.

The Round Table:

There is not much discussion of King Arthur without a reference to his Round Table. A King, or any leader, is only as good as those that follow him, so Arthur's retinue of Knights is what really makes him a king. It is his heroic deeds and virtue that compel men to submit to him, not that he pulled a sword out of a stone.

The Passing of Merlin:

It seems that in these old stories, women are always causing problems. I'm sure this is a reflection of the thoughts of the time period in which these stories were written. This is really tragic for Arthur. Losing a trusted adviser, especially one as wise as Merlin, is never good.

Morgan Le Fay:

Women are causing problems again haha. Morgan Le Fay is one of my least favorite characters in the Arthurian myth. She isn't brave or strong. She is just deceitful and clever. It is too bad that a hero like Arthur is eventually undone by a women like her. It would be better if her were beaten fair and square in combat.

The Quest of the Holy Grail:

I wonder if Arthur's knight's quest for the Holy Grail had more significance in its time period, when belief in that sort of mythical, religious object was more common? Either way, the Holy Grail still makes for a good story, even in today's time. Indiana Jones, for example.

The King's Pilgrimage:

Dreams are powerful devices in storytelling, so it makes sense that the dream depicted in this segment would be really powerful, and actually end up taking the dreamer's life. I'm glad that Arthur went alone. I think that we learn the most about ourselves in the quiet sanctity of our own minds.

The Coming of the Holy Grail:

I like what Lancelot said. I think it is better to die pursuing something worthwhile, than to die in safety and comfort. So, it makes sense to me that all of Arthur's knights would want to pursue the Grail, because it is definitely worth pursuing.