Preview

Research Paper On King Arthur

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1238 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Research Paper On King Arthur
The Legend

King Arthur, a fierce leader, knight, and some say great ruler. The debate on

whether King Arthur exits is still raging among scholars today. King Arthur was a British

warrior who led and won the battle of the Saxons as well as numerous other battles. Many

dispute on whether he was a myth, legend, or historical figure. Between Merlin the

magician and the brave knights who he fought alongside of, but specifically his best friend

Lancelot. As well as his wife Queen Guinevere, his sword Excalibur, the city of Camelot,

and the Round Table. Intriguing questions that lead up to the Legend are what was the time

period in which he lived? What are arguments for against him being real? Why is it

significant , and if Arthur
…show more content…
The poem

says, “In Arthur's tyme a table round was whereat sate, as yet a plot of godly ground, sets

forth that rare estate.” Of course, we can not leave out King Arthur's wife Queen Guinevere.

Monmouth portrays Guinevere as Roman lady who was raised by the Duke Cardor of

Cornwall. Later she is known for being in love with Arthur’s best friend and knight Lancelot.

In addition, there is not much evidence that King Arthur was an authentic literature figure in

history. For example, Geoffrey of Monmouth and Welsh monk Nennius was writing about

Arthur over six hundred years after the actual events would of happen. Also, Nennius writes

about Arthur fighting in twelve famous battles. Scholars do not know the exact dates of

when all these battles occur but they do know that all the battles were spread out over

history that logically not one person could possibly be in all those battles. The battles were

at Mouth of River Gleni, the river by the Britons called Douglas, river Bassas, Wood

Celidon, Gurnian Castle, City of Legion, river Trat Treruoit , Mount Breguion, and Hill of

Badon. Furthermore, If King Arthur is a myth then why is the question if he actually
…show more content…
An

early Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen tells says that Arthur was a leader and semi-

mythological warrior and him and his knights having superpowers. Some other evidence of

whether King Arthur was real or not might be Geoffrey of Ashes detailed historical abstract

of what he believes will better tell the story of King Arthur from Geoffrey of Monmouth's point

of view. A question that not a huge number of people ask is; are their King Arthur type

stories in different cultures such as Asia, Spanish, or African cultures When a person truly

thinks about it, the King Arthur tale is not that original or uncommon. For example, in the

Old Testament in Genesis six, all the people in the world were wicked and sinful except for

Noah and his family they were righteous and sought after God. God told Noah that because

of man’s wickedness in the world He was going to flood the earth by making it rain for forty

days and forty nights. Noah’s job was to build an Ark in the next couple years and tell the

people of the coming flood. Only did his family and all the animals go with Noah on the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    It is unclear whether King Arthur actually ever existed. There are many accounts of this so called “King”, but there isn’t any historical evidence that proves this to be fact.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    After King Arthur recruits his knights and traverses through a variety of events, including the black plague and witch trials, they find Camelot. However, after…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    King Arthur on the other hand has an invalid, unsound, and weak argument. His premise is simply stated; I got a sword from a woman in a lake, and that makes me King. Instead of defending his appointment, he refuses to take part in the debate and focuses on his agenda, the castle, and The Holy Grail. Arthur does not have a leg to stand on; neither does the Black Knight but that is a whole other argument.…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    King Arthur is a fictional character based off of an actual king in the fifth century. The tales were originally coined by the author Nennius, although, as years progressed it was discovered to be the craftsmanship of several authors. The several different writers each contributed to many different versions of the same story, much of the key elements remain the same. King Arthur was a Christian figurehead. He was the epitome of grace, modesty, and faith; just a few virtues that are heavily endeared by the Christian faith. In Le Morte d’Arthur, written by Sir Thomas Malory,Arthur says, “I may not so, for I have promised to do the battle to the uttermost by the faith of my body, while me lasteth the life, and therefore I had liefer to die with honour than to live with…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arthurian legends, which began in the Middle Ages, have been written in many different perspectives as times have changed. Guinevere was one of the most prominently known legends, and was written about in several different centuries. Chrétien De Troyes wrote about Guinevere in the Middle Ages throughout Arthurian Romances where she is punished for comitting adultrous treason. She was also written about by Norma Lorre Goodrich in modern times throughout King Arthur which explains Guinevere’s abduction and how this led to her infidelity. Therefore, because of differing time periods both Chrétien De Troyes and Norma Lorre Goodrich’s stories, although they are in regards to the same character, are both…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In some depictions of the British warrior, known as King Arthur, he was a brilliant military strategist. One piece of evidence that points to this is the Saxon invasion of Britain during the 5th to 6th century, as the British forces were led by an unnamed military mind (“King Arthur”). This evidence gives a historical invasion that led to one depiction of an Arthur. The next piece of evidence is that Britain prevailed in the Saxon invasion under the leadership of a warrior that excelled in military strategy. This is interesting information that can be perceived as one of Arthur’s first steps to saving Britain. The final example to note is that it is believed that Arthur’s affiliation is Roman (“King Arthur”). This information is exceptional because there might be religious reasons why Arthur is depicted as this great warrior. With that said, knowing Arthur’s possible affiliation allows a person to connect him with the military mind that led the British forces as that leader was affiliated with the Roman.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Rather than mutually exclusive religious traditions, the tales of Arthur and his court are filled with religious symbolism and traditions of both Christianity and Paganism alike. For the most part, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s account of Arthur in the History of the Kings of Britain presents Arthur as “a kind of superman, towering above his underlings in a world of magic,” while Malory’s account “is not altogether unified… one time he is a king in a fairy land… at another, he is a truly English king with his loyal followers… concerned in bringing England glory with their swords” (Reid 14). In essence, Geoffrey of Monmouth was drawing inspiration for his tale on earlier accounts of Arthur which would have expressed more Celtic Druidic roots, while Sir Thomas Malory’s account was published much later and drew on Christian tradition that was introduced, while adding in fairy tale elements to create a good story. While not mutually exclusive religious accounts, the stories of King Arthur, in a sense, create a tradition that allows Christianity and Druidism to coincide as one, all the while still holding value and meaning to both sides. While many think of the phrase “the Once and Future King” upon hearing the name of Arthur, these accounts testify to Arthur being “the Christian and Pagan…

    • 2631 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Marie de Frances "Lanval"

    • 1097 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In order to develop an understanding of why Lanval failed the challenge of keeping his love secret, we must first develop an understanding of Lanval’s physical and emotional isolation. In the beginning of the lais, Lanval is absent of two things - women and land. He is described as a noble foreigner who resides far from his homeland, living by what appears to be the only profession he knows, being a knight (Ireland, 1977. p. 132). King Arthur rewards the service of all his other knights but inexplicably passes over giving Lanval neither women, land nor money. King Arthur’s behaviour is undoubtedly unfair inexplicable, given Lanval moved from a foreign land and has no ancestral rights to any land in the area so is left with nothing. According to Ireland in the ‘Narrative Unity of the Lanval of Marie de France’ such omissions by royalty are not uncommon in medieval literature (Ireland, 1977. p.…

    • 1097 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    4. There is still a great debate as to whether Arthur existed or is just a myth.…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    King Arthur is normally portrayed as a leader who is not easily manipulated but this is not the case in Sir Launfal. A trait of a good king that Arthur usually possesses is that he is not easily influenced. Unfortunately, this is not so with the Arthur in this tale. He is easily turned against Launfal by Queen Guinevere when she accuses Launfal of coming on to her. Even though Arthur knows how loyal Launfal is to him, he still flies into a rage. This is evidenced by "King Artour was well worth, / And by god he swor his oth / That Launfal shuld be sclawe." (Sir Launfal 721-23.) Guinevere is able to persuade Arthur with her womanly charms to kill one his most trusted knights. This is not an act that would be expected from the noble and loyal King Arthur without first investigating to get to the truth of the matter.…

    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever thought that it was possible that King Arthur was ever reincarnated? Lots of people may have thought about this but I know that more people haven’t really thought about this. I know that I have found the reincarnation in a modern politician. This politicians name is Ben Carson. Ben Carson has a lot in common with King Arthur. Some of the reasons why they are alike is that when Ben Carson was a little kid he was raised by his mother and with his older brother, Curtis. When King Arthur was born he got taken-in by Sir Ector and was raised with an older brother, Kay. Both King Arthur and Ben Carson had childhoods that were not that great, but when they were a little older something happened and turned their lives completely around. Another reason why they are alike is that both Arthur and Ben want to help and change the world.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Was King Arthur Real?

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages

    One of the most debatable topics of the Arthurian legends is if the great King Arthur actually existed. It is hard to say whether he did or not because there is substantial evidence given for each side. On many accounts historians have found evidence that could support the opinion that he in fact was a real person. The problem is that there’s always a maybe factor in each piece of evidence that is found, meaning that none of it can really be confirmed. One very common opinion is that Arthur was a fictional character based off of multiple heroes and warriors of his time. Multiple people have recorded stories on all of these different heroes, and over time the legends eventually turned into one legend that everyone considered to be King Arthur. King Arthur could have existed because multiple historical sites have evidence of him being there, and King Arthur couldn’t have existed because he is recorded to have existed in multiple time periods, and also he is considered to be a fake character made up of multiple legends.…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sir Gawain, according to legend, was Arthur’s most loyal knight, though he is not always the central hero of his stories. He strove to do what was right and would follow the law implicitly. He was the epitome of morality, decency, and civility. No other knight has appeared in more tales than he. Even Sir Lancelot, the greatest, purest, and most trusted of the knights of all his knights, has not graced the pages of as numerous a tale. Another of the heroes of Arthur’s time, along with his brave knights, was his teacher and dear friend, Merlin—depicted in most tales as a wizard, but often referred to as the court magician or even a philosopher. He is credited with producing the concept of The Round Table as well as the ring at Stonehenge. But let’s not forget the true hero, the king himself, Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther and Igraine. He and his knights fought courageously against beasts, rescued fair maidens, and searched for the Holy Grail. They were known for their chivalry, morality, and devotion.…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arthurian Legend - Essay

    • 1388 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The legend presents Arthur as a leader in ancient times who defeats the Saxons and other enemies. He thereby unites the people of Britain in peace and harmony. Eventually his kingdom weakens from within—in part because of the illicit love between Arthur’s queen, Guinevere, and the knight Lancelot—and Arthur himself is struck down by his own illegitimate son, Mordred. Many stories then say that Arthur is taken to the island of Avalon for his wounds to be healed. The legend tells that he will return in the hour of Britain's greatest need.…

    • 1388 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arthurian

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The creation of the King Arthur was created to enlighten readers on the morals of life. Many of incidents that occur in the Arthurian legends constantly entail life lessons that are meant to impact readers. The Arthurian tales is a series that tells the story of good verse evil. With each story, tells the tale of a hero who fights for the good of the people while the evil characters attempt destroy and conquer the world of the Arthurian ages.…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics