I have always been fascinated by King Arthur legends. It started when I was really young reading the Magic Tree House books. In those books Morgan le Fey was the good guy, who enchanted a tree house to travel through time. Then I watched the Sword in the Stone for the first time and loved King Arthur, I mean, he was just a scrawny little kid. But that scrawny little kid pulled the sword from the stone and became king. Then I saw Quest for Camelot. In that a Knight gone rogue kills a girl's father and years later tries to use her and her mother to bring Camelot down, but he fails. Years later I read a book from the library in my home town that depicted Arthur when he was a kid and how his friendship and tutelage under Merlin started. That was the first time I had heard of King Uther having Merlin help him seduce Igraine (who was married to another man) in exchange for giving to Merlin his son (Arthur). Which is kind of messed up. I've also seen Mordred and Morgause depicted in Batman cartoons where Morgause seduces a Knight to betray King Arthur and help put Mordred on the throne. But in the end the Knight sees the error of his ways but as punishment for his betrayal Merlin curses him to be tied to the demon Etrigan.
however my favorite depiction of the King Arthur legends in pop culture would have to be BBC's Merlin. Instead of following Arthur this one follows more about Merlin (as the title suggests). It does change the story from the one that I have heard called the "original" story. In this one Arthur is raised as a prince in a world where magic is outlawed. This makes it very dangerous for Merlin who was born with a natural instinct for magic. Through various circumstances Merlin is made Arthur's servant and helps shape the future king through his friendship and wisdom. Not to mention he saves Arthur's life way too many times. However he has to do it in secret because his magic is outlawed.
I don't know what it is about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round table that fascinates me so. It could be the brave knights, the daring adventures, the love triangles, or the magic and mystery. One thing is for sure, I'm not the only one who has been captivated.
I, too, have always loved the stories of Arthur and Merlin and such. I find it to be very interesting how different stories depict Arthur in various ways. I think my first encounter with Arthur was Disney's The Sword in the Stone. It is interesting to see how "off" it is and how they have tamed it down. In your opinion, what is the most accurate depiction of King Arthur and his stories?
ReplyDeleteIf you were to look back at some of the Medieval texts themselves. We'll be reading a little later in the Semester. Gawaine and the Green Knight (I am really excited for that.) Remember that these stories were originally passed by word of mouth. So as far as the written word goes it's hard to stay accurate. Also King Arthur was not necessarily a real person. I believe there is speculation about him but there isn't really any evidence that he exists. If he did it wouldn't be anywhere near the castles and knights that we think of today.
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