Running head: KING ARTHUR 1

King Arthur

Name

Institutional Affiliation
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King Arthur

Introduction

The King Arthur story is an ancient mythological tale that portrayed several activities in

the Kingdom of Camelot under Arthur's leadership, the son of Uther Pendragon. According to

Mark (2019), at the age of fifteen, Arthur was already crowned King of Camelot. Notably, he

quickly formed the round table to defeat the common enemies of his kingdom. Additionally, the

royal knights were the round table members—such strategy wore his victory over the Saxon

invasion. However, King Arthur’s rule was shaped by bad experiences that involved betrayal

from his most trusted servants, such as Lancelot and his wife, Guinevere. Therefore, this betrayal

contributed to the downfall of King Arthur after Mordred wounded him. In an endeavor to

explain King Arthur’s story, this paper discusses the change of the characters in the myth,

analysis of oneself and how so

Change of the Characters in the Myth

King Arthur featured many interesting characters in this mythological story, where they

portrayed different traits and personalities. Most central was Arthur, who played a king of

Camelot kingdom that he inherited from his father (Mark, 2019). Arthur was a simple young

understanding king baby sited by Merlin, the mighty magician at the time. Additionally, he

trusted Lancelot as a skillful swordsman who showed loyalty to Arthur until his affection for

Guinevere Arthur's wife. Guinevere became unfaithful to Arthur; as such, she committed

adultery when she slept with Lancelot, one of Arthur's greatest knights.
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On the other hand, Gawain's nephew to Arthur, devoted his life to protecting the

kingdom. Notably, Gawain, surrounded with all the betrayal and unimaginable circumstances in

the kingdom, was faced with a challenge of remaining obedient to Arthur and, at the same time,

responding to his disturbing conscience. Mark (2019) asserts that Arthur, like any other ruler,

was bound to fall when Mordred the druid born plotted to crown himself as king after entrusting

him with the responsibility of leading the kingdom. Nonetheless, when Arthur returned from his

military campaign, he battled Mordred. Arthur killed Mordred, but he was substantially wounded

during the battle, which led to his eventual death.

Analysis of Oneself

Although Gawain’s conscience conflicted with his loyalty and obedience to Arthur, one

would wish to be him since he stayed focused on achieving the duties of protecting the king.

According to Radulescu (2012), the desire for love, power, and fame corrupted other characters'

minds and souls like Lancelot, Guinevere, and Mordred, who, in the end, betrayed Arthur.

Similarly, one might not want to be Arthur even if he was the king because he got furious after

finding out about the adultery committed by Guinevere and Lancelot. Regardless of what

conspired in the kingdom, Gawain remained a devoted knight, reliable, trustworthy, and upheld

Camelot's values.

All the dubious activities that conspired in the kingdom did not implicate Gawain as a

traitor like how Mordred tried to kill Arthur in a battle after returning from the military

campaign. According to Radulescu (2012), Gawain as Arthur's nephew was willing to lay down

his life to protect him from the enemies. However, although Gawain pledged his service to

Arthur, the experiences he underwent through transformed him partially. He concentrated on

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building his innermost self to protect his public image and vowed never to jeopardize Arthur's

relationship. Furthermore, Gawain struggled to uphold his integrity, which eventually helped him

to overcome his fears. Therefore, Gawain remained conscious of the evils in the kingdom; as

such, he played by the court's ideals and confessed his sin whenever he felt.

How so

The acceptance of one's faults and sins is difficult that most people would not do, but

living up just like Gawain means confessing a person's evil doings. Besides, one should not be a

static character and possess a lighthearted. Howard (1996) claimed that Gawain tried to live as a

perfect knight of Camelot, but as a human being, he did not fulfill his obligation since the

impending death at the green knight awaited him. The ability to humble oneself can portray them

as a noble, truthful, courteous, and reliable person, thus living Gawain's character. The principles

and codes a person sets to guide their daily life define Gawain's character, which one could adopt

and practice.

In as much as Gawain would lay down his life for Arthur, he loved his life too just like

anyone else. Gawain tried his best to be the perfect knight, but his human nature let him down

though he stood out among the knight of the round table (Howard, 1996). Additionally, Gawain

was in a position to accept his flaws, which humbled him further and could not divert the fact

that he may not enjoy the high standards of living again. All these circumstances forced Gawain

to take on the girdles and stayed truthful until he overcame the fear of death, which happens to

people in real life. Consequently, living an inconsistent life characterized Gawain's life as he

failed to keep the chivalric code that would happen to anyone due to human nature.
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Final Thoughts

All in all, King Arthur's mythological tale featured several characters who were all

humble, honest, brave, and devoted to serving in the best interest of the kingdom. However,

several events and different experiences with unique benefits reshaped their personality. Betrayal

characterized the knights' life within the kingdom when the King's wife Guinevere fell in love

with Arthur's best knight Lancelot. Such affection sowed the seed that resulted in an endless war

until when Mordred plotted to declare himself the King after being entrusted by King Arthur.

The in-depth understanding of this myth prompted the analysis of the change of characters in the

myth, analysis of oneself, and how so. Therefore, these personalities' desires were corrupted with

their ambitions except Gawain, who was faithful to the King all the time.

References
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Howard, P. (1996, November 6). A Character Analysis of Sir Gawain as Presented In Sir

Gawain and The Green Knight. Retrieved August 25, 2020, from

https://csis.pace.edu/grendel/proj2b/gawain.html

Mark, J. J. (2019, April 25). Lancelot. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from

https://www.ancient.eu/Lancelot/

Radulescu, R. (2012, July 9). Cambridge companion to the Arthurian legend (review), JEGP,

Journal of English and Germanic philology. Retrieved from

https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/university-of-illinois-press/cambridge-companion-to-the-

arthurian-legend-review-iccJ1Px8X6