Thematic Analysis for the Queen of Air and Darkness by: Seth Rait

1a. War (p. 236)

b. “You have become the king of a domain… who is the one person that gets hurt.”

c. Merlin is speaking to Arthur

d. Merlin is explaining to Arthur the reasons behind the war in which he is fighting and leading.

e. The author is using Merlin to explain the idiocy of this war. It is being fought over racial

reasons from thousands of years previous by the common man and the nobility is fighting for

fun. They are doing this with complete disregard for the lives of the serfs that are being lost.

The author believes that this is a wrongdoing and is saying so through the wise Merlin.
2a. Qualities of an effective leader (p. 247)

b. “I have got to vanquish them with their own weapons…they force it upon me because they

live by force.”

c. Arthur is speaking to his council of Sir Ector, Kay, and Merlin

d. Arthur is giving a speech on his idea that might isn’t right, and Arthur wants to change how

people are abusing their power.

e. Arthur’s new policy and his willingness to change how his country is run is one of the

reasons he is an effective leader. The people want a change and Arthur wants to give it to

them. Throughout the entire book, the author tries to get through his idea that might isn’t

right. I also believe this to be a comment on the naive hypocrisy of Arthur: he is using force to

rid the world of force.

3a. Justice (p. 215)

b. “The chaste and beautiful Countess of Cornwall … So they went out of the king’s wrath at

the end of the night.”

c. Gawaine is speaking to his siblings

d. Gawaine is recounting the story of how King Uther Pendragon is the father of Arthur and

Igraine is his mother. This is important because it explains the atrocity that was committed by

Arthur that led to his demise: His incestuous relationship with his half-sister Morgause. Even
though this blood link was unbeknownst to Arthur at the time, it is still the major reason of his

downfall.

e. This passage relates to the theme of justice in that Uther pendragon has the right to do

anything because he is king. This shows the absence of justice in the English feudal system.

Kings can do whatever they please and no one can tell them otherwise. Uther Pendragan has

gotten away with rape because he isn’t just Uther Pendragon. He is King Uther Pendragon.

4a. The Existence of Boundaries (p. 226)

b. “I wonder what would happen if I dropped this stone on his head?”

c. Arthur is speaking to Merlin

d. Arthur is debating whether or not to drop a stone on the head of Curselaine, effectively

killing him. Here, his morals are judged and he becomes fully aware of the extent of his power

as king. He realizes that if he were to kill Curselaine, no one could speak ill of his decision

because he is king.

e. In this case, we are shown the boundaries of Arthurs own conscious. He cannot, because of

the aforementioned boundaries, kill an innocent man. This further introduces the readers to T.

H. White’s central theme of his entire novel that might isn’t right. This, I believe, is one of the

most important sections of The Queen of Air and Darkness.

5a. The Importance of Communication (p. 294)

b. “It became obvious that Glatisant intended to besiege the castle until her mate had been

produced…”

c. The narrator is speaking

d. The questing beast has fallen in love with its counterfeit self, not knowing it to be the two

knights, Sir Palomides and Sir Grummore. Sadly, this is a doomed romance which will never

last.

e. Because Sir Palomides and Sir Grummore are dressed as The Questing Beast, they acquire

the real questing beat as an admirer. If they had better communicated to The Questing Beast,

they would not be in this situation. This may be an unorthodox example of the importance of

communication, but it serves its purpose.

Thematic Analysis for The Ill Made Knight by: Seth Rait

1a. The Qualities of an Effective Leader (p. 315)

b. “You remember that Arthur wanted to catch his knights young…”

c. the narrator is speaking

d. A young, teenage Lancelot is in the Armoury remembering the fact that his king (King

Arthur) wants him to join his knights of the round table when he is older.

e. This shows that Arthur is recruiting young and attempting to raise a generation on his idea

of might isn’t right. This technique he is employing is proving effective because the fifteen year

old Lancelot is already aspiring to be a knight under King Arthur. An effective leader will always

think of its future generations and what he can do to use them.

2a. Importance of Communication (p. 327)

b. “But I must go to England as quick as I can.”

c. Lancelot is speaking to his Uncle Dap

d. Merlin Just informed Lancelot of Arthurs Marriage to Guenever, his marriage gift (the round

table), and his knights of the round table. Lancelot is upset that Arthur Hasn’t asked him to join

his knights yet, and so decides to travel to England to Meat Arthur.

e. This shows the importence of communication because if Merlin hadn’t come to Lancelot

and spoken with him. Lancelot wouldn’t have come to England to be at the round table.
Lancelot appeared to have completely forgotten about Arthur and their deal. The fact that it

took merlin to remind Lancelot shows Lancelot’s own absentmindedness.

3a. The Existance of Boundaries (p. 339)

b. “Lancelot tried to have a word…”

c. The narrator is speaking

d. The narrator is explaining how Lancelot tries his best to be honorable and chivalrous.

e. Lancelot is a man with honor, trust, and chivalry. He has boundaries. He will not break the

trust Arthur has in him and run away with Guenever. This boundary proves to be beneficial. If

Lancelot did run off with Guenever, Arthur would lose his trust in Lancelot and most likely

punish him. To me, this seems like foreshadowing. I think White is trying to hint that Lancelot’s

boundary of honor, trust, and chivalry, would eventualy break down.

4a. Justice (p. 358)

b. “…I am going to kill you, like drowning a kitten.”

c. the fat knight is speaking to Lancelot

d. Lancelot was just tricked into taking off his armor to rescue a falcon in a tree. A fat knight

then attempts to kill Lancelot and fails. Lancelot spares the fat knights life.
e. it is unjust to fight a knight without armor in the feudal system of Europe. The fat knight is

taking advantage of his much stronger opponent through trickery. The fact that Lancelot

pleads to put his armor back on, in my opinion, is him attempting to be just. He knows he can

beat the fat knight without wearing any armor. He is, after all, the greatest knight in the world.

5a. Qualities of an effective leader (p. 425)

b. “No wonder that they saw a king when they looked on Arthur.”

c. The narrator is speaking

d. England is a civilized place now, and it is all attributed to King Arthur

e. King Arther has made his dream come true! England is civilized and might is no longer

equivalent to right. People of different classes converse in the streets, there is no more rape

and murder, England is a better place. All of this is a testament to the effectiveness of King

Arthurs rein. Arthurs perseverance throughout his twenty one years as king, his morals of

might isn’t right, and his willingness to learn from his previous lessons with Merlin.
Thematic Analysis for The Candle in the Wind by: Seth Rait

1a. War (p. 520)

b. “I could shout that my mother was his sister, and that he tried to drown me because of

that.”

c. Mordred is speaking to Agravaine.

d. Mordred and Agravaine are thinking of ways to go to war with Arthurs England.

e. the two half-brothers are trying to start a war to end King Arthur. This just shows the

evilness of the Mordred and Agrevaine. They want to bring down King Arthur any way possible

even if it means killing thousands of innocent people who have no say in the fighting. The surfs

are the people who pay the most for wars. They pay in the death and injury of their fathers,

brothers, and husbands because petty differences between two groups cannot be solved.

2a. Justice (p. 561)

b. “Lancelot, I have come to warn you.”

c. Gareth is speaking to Lancelot

d. Gareth is warning Lancelot about the upcoming plan to bring to light his affair with

Guenever.

e. Gareth does what is right here because of his loyalty to Lancelot. Gareth does not do this

for King Arther, but none the less, he is doing the just thing by warning Lancelot. Gareth knows
that if Arthur is forced to hear about the affair, he will have to take action with the new laws he

is writing, and will punish both Lancelot and Guenever.

3a. Justice (p. 575)

b. “They will burn her…”

c. Mordred is speaking to Gaheris

d. Guenever has been sentenced to be burned at the stake, and it is being discussed by

Mordred and Gaheris.

e. Although he does not want to (nor do I want him to), Arthur must sentence Guenever to

death for the atrocities she committed with Lancelot. Even though it is somewhat cruel, King

Arthur is establishing his new laws in his kingdom. He must do this to keep out of war and

mutany.

4a. War (p. 590)

b. “traitor night come out to fight”

c. this is being chanted towards Lancelot

d. Lancelot is in his castle while it is being besieged.

e. Lancelot and Arthur are at war because of the sopposed killings of Gareth and Gaheris, and

his running off with Guenever. This is a terrible reason for a war. Thousands of people are

being killed because Lancelot won’t stand trial and face his wrongdoing.

5a. Qualities of an Effective Leader (p. 637)

b. “ I am giving you the candle now, won’t you let it out?”

“It will burn.”

c. King Arthur is conversing with his page.

d. Arthur is making sure that his vision will live on forever through word of mouth.

e. Amidst all the war and chaos, Arthur makes sure to try and keep his vision alive after he

dies. A good leader will be remembered if he can rule his land even from the dead. This is why

Arthur was a great king, beloved by so many.