essay dont read it sucks lol.

just a way to get it to school

Arianna Barry

English 1 A/C

King Arthur

History has given credit to many heroes since the dawn of time. One of the greatest and most credited heroes is King Arthur. King Arthur is believed by the majority of people to be a valid historical figure. Many movies, books and plays have attempted to re create the lives of King Arthur and those that surrounded him throughout his life. Arthur’s legendary 12 battles are given praise in many fictional books throughout much of history. Arthur, however, has not been proved as an existing historical figure. King Arthur was the most influential leader, to have never existed. (taylor)

King Arthur although mentioned throughout history in countless pieces of fiction has very few solid documentations of his actual life. Being a king it is expected that his life would have been recorded at every stage.  However mentions of the great king Arthur are obscure and very rare. In many cases it is easier to find mentions of Merlin, Arthur’s wizard advisor. The one solid piece of evidence indicating that Arthur may have indeed existed as a king is an 8’ by 14’ inscription of his name at Tintgel Castle. This castle in many legends and fables is told to be Arthur’s birthplace. The inscription of the name Artognov, the Latin name for Arthur at this site makes many belive that he in fact was born there.(mason)

During the time that Arthur was supposedly alive there are no straightforward recordings of Arthur’s life and leadership. This is an indicator that Arthur did not exist because he is not recorded in any family tree of royals. King Arthur’s lineage is speculated and based mainly around ledged. Many movies and books today such as The Sword and The Stone insinuate that Arthur was born Arthur Pendragon. His life was then lived as a present until about the age of twelve when upon pulling the sword Excalibur from an enchanted stone; he proved he was the true king of Camelot.(Peet)  The specifics on who Arthur’s mother was; is never even speculated in many instances. While Historia, A book by Geoffrey (no last name supplied) which is the source of much information on the subject, the source of the information is still hard to find. Geoffrey wrote his novel many centuries after Arthurs Time and until his novel there had been no mention of Arthur’s speculated Relation to Uther Pendragon. His inability to back up where he attained his information has made one of the most credited sources of Arthurian history, nothing more than a piece of fiction. (Matthews)

With as much confusion as there is about Arthur’s death it’s no surprise that an equal amount of uncertainty surrounds his death. Many say he died in battle with his mortal enemy, Mordrid. However Arthur’s remains were never found. This is not to say that Arthur did not exist, only that king Arthur did not.(Coghlan) If Arthur did exist it is likely that he was a warrior. A heroic warrior maybe, worth mention in the poems of the century as art or the Celtic word for “The Bear.” However the heroic king Arthur, leader of Camelot, leader of the Knights of the Round Table did not exist anymore than Santa clause or the Easter bunny. Therefore he deserves as much historical credit as those two legendary but none the less non existence characters. King Arthur among many others is nothing but a ledged.

Arthur’s life has been clouded with legends to the point where if there ever was a true king Arthur it would be difficult to figure out what was ledged and what was fact. Arthurian ledged begins as early as the 11^th century. The story titled “dream of Rhonbuwy”associated an ancient Arthur and his knights with giant’s centaurs and Cyclopes.(King Arthur) Books associating Arthur with Celtic lore confuse for a god, giving him and his knight’s superhuman abilities. The theme of magic is continued throughout most of king Arthurs stories mainly in the form of his wizard advisor, Merlin. (Wolfe)Merlin was said to have psychic powers and the ability to protect Arthur from a young age. Merlin is mentioned in many present day renditions of Arthur’s life. Such as “Merlin” a television show dedicated to depicting the relationship between Arthur and Merlin from a young age.

Merlin is oftentimes associated with another ledged of Arthur. The magical sword of Excalibur. Some legends state that Merlin gave Arthur Excalibur himself. Others say that Merlin sent him on a quest to see The Lady of The Lake to get the sword others say that Arthur pulled it from the enchanted stone in hopes of being king. However Excalibur itself has many legends that surround it. Some stories say that it was forged by a dragon; others state that it contains magical powers that kept Arthur from ever losing a battle he engaged in while holding Excalibur. The most farfetched ledged however stated that any sword in the hand of Arthur became Excalibur.(Pyle) These powers are in consistent from story to story however. Another legend that surrounds Arthur is the myth that he will one day be reincarnated to unite the world under a reign of peace and prosperity. The myth states id the reincarnation of mordrid is allowed to corrupt or kill Arthur before he or she reaches the realization of who they truly are then the world will spiral into an era of death and despair. In this legend it states that Arthur’s knights and Merlin will also be reincarnated to help him along the way as he figures out whom he is and to protect him or her from mordrid. Arthur has inspired all these legends and stories throughout the past and the present and will no doubt impact the stories of the future. Arthur’s story has become a bedtime story to be told to children. A romantic drama to be read by teenagers. And a historical anomalies to be pondered by adults. Regardless of if he existed or not Arthur has affected many of our modern day stories and movies. While the king Arthur when Arthur is mentioned may have not existed there is proof that indicates that Arthur may have existed as an Angelo Saxon warrior.(Ross) Arthur would not been a general or a common foot solder but somewhere in between.  Arthur historical twelve battles may have been exadgerated to portray him as a king rather than a valiant warrior. Although some historians argue that Arthurs was a kind king who did not force his subjects to depict him as a god, many also believe that if he was so kind many would have done so without being asked. Arthur the warrior however is less likely to be depicted and followed trough every stage of his life, leaving much more up to interpretation. Where interpretation is allowed, is where fiction and fact become hazy.

 

Arthur’s utopian society of Camelot was based on trust, mercy and equality. According to many of Arthur’s legends Camelot was a city where all were viewed as equal, even Arthur himself. The peasants and the nobles were all equal and had the same rights and opportunities. This, however, is not how classic feudalism worked and this society was bound to fail due to revolts by the upper class demanding more rights than the lower class. The idea of Camelot seems perfect, however not all ideas work out as they were planned. Camelot would not have existed just on morals. Although manners and morals were much more prevalent in medieval society than they are now.(Peet)

The existence of King Arthur has always been debatable. King Arthur has been conceded many things, a legend, a fairytale, a king, a servant, and a warrior. However something King Arthur should not have been considered is a historical figure. Arthur’s life has been clouded by legend; however, it has affected many legends and stories of today. Movies, stories, television shows and books have taken inspiration from the legends of King Arthur, his knights, and his rule of Camelot. Although the stories of triumphant knights, damsels in distress and magic swords make excellent bedtime stories, they are all based on false assumptions. Throughout these stories, Arthur has become, the most influential man to have never existed.

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[melissa]

This a great essay love it kerp up the great work