True Love and a Villain worth hating (or is it...)

Finally! The story we have all been waiting for! At least, this seems to be the story for which I have been waiting. Despite all the magic, love and friendship that abounds in every King Arthur tale, it always felt as thought something was missing. I think what has been bothering me about previous works is two-fold.

Firstly, the fact that much of the love we see in the legends is wrong somehow. Sometimes it is a king impersonating and then killing his vassal to get  the vassal's wife. Or the time King Arthur was attracted to (some say in love with) his sister, which led to disastrous incest. Even Guinevere and Lancelot, who love Arthur, are not honorable at all when they break all kinds of vows and rules to have their love affair. Some of that "wrong" love is preserved in Avalon High, in Lance and Jenny's relationship, and the whole shadowy matter of  Will's (a.k.a Arthur's) father having killed his friend to marry his wife. But, this time, it seems like the main love story does not have that element of "wrongness." If Ellie and Will's relationship progresses the way it has been, and the two end up together, it will be for all the right reasons. Ellie falls for Will because he sticks up for the underdog, because he is kind, and funny. Plus, after she falls for him, she does nothing to steal him away from his girlfriend. She does not pine ridiculously, she does not starve herself to death, she makes the decision to be the girl that makes him laugh-despite the facts that it hurts to see him with his girlfriend and that her friend told her about "guys not falling in love with girls that make them laugh" (Cabot 88).

The other thing that always seemed a little strange to me about the King Arthur stories of the past was the simplicity of the villains. For the majority of the stories, villains were bad because they were inherently evil. Giants and dwarfs were always villainous, because of course if one fails to be of average size, they are evil. And evil knights like Meleagant have no reason for being bad. I like that this story moves away from making the villains so simple. It appears that Marco, (an incarnation of  Mordred, perhaps) is to be the villain of this story. If Marco is the villain, I will have no trouble accepting his role. Marco has every reason to be a villain. He grew up with nothing, he just lost his father and had to uproot his life soon after to live with a perfect stepbrother and strict Stepfather. Then he finds out that his perfect stepbrother is really his half-brother (a fact hidden from him by his only remaining parent) and that his Stepfather may have had his Father killed in order to marry his mother.

Poor Marco, he has no Timon and Pumbaa to keep him from the Dark Side.

 If half of all that happened to me, I would most definitely be a villain. Not to mention the fact that a villain whose actions may be justified makes things a little more complex for the reader. Do we hate the villain as the enemy of the hero? Or do we sympathize?

See you in our next incarnation,

Lady Bertilak

All quotations taken from Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Pictures:
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King Arthur is a High School Jock!

How do you like King Arthur as a high school quarterback? I do. This new characterization of Arthur as A. William Wagner is another opportunity for our great king to demonstrate strong moral qualities—what we called chivalry back in medieval times.  For instance, look at the way Will stood up for the class geek outside of Mr. Morton’s class. I could have cheered. Even though we who have known Arthur for a number of centuries have become used to his acts of honor, it is refreshing to see him take command of a situation in modern times. Seeing Arthur as a high school quarterback is almost as if he is born again to delight us again.

This time our great king has a woman as devoted to him as he is to his brother, his father, his team mates, and his school mates. Ellie has good taste. She knows instinctively that Will is a good man, and I am not surprised that she falls for him. What an interesting twist to this old familiar story that Elaine (Ellie) has not chosen Lancelot (Lance) to whom to give her love. Perhaps this new version of Lancelot is not as dreamy as the older version. I wish I could say that Will has good taste in women, but I cannot. What is it about Guinevere (Jen) that even after fifteen hundred years, he still falls for her only to be hurt by her?

However, I must say that I am intrigued by Will’s attraction to Ellie. Is he, after all these centuries, finally able to appreciate moral goodness to match his own in a woman? If Ellie is able to stay close to Will and to protect him from the forces of evil that seem to be around him, maybe there will be a better outcome to our king’s life. The presence of water and all the floating that happens—on an inflatable raft or on a sailboat—is a clever connection with Tennyson’s beautiful poem. It is pleasing to imagine that The Lady of Shalott may not only reach Camelot alive, but may also do some good for its inhabitants.   

My heart goes out to Marco. Even though he is a bitter young man and seems determined to hurt Will, I believe that his character could be improved with professional counseling and with a good woman of his own—someone like Ellie. After all, think of what he has endured. He has seen his father die under questionable circumstances and his mother marry the man either directly or indirectly responsible for the loss of his father. 

May the blessings of Camelot be with you all.

Bertilak.

Much comes to Light and it's...Anticlimactic

Lords and Ladies, Knights and Maidens, I have to say… I am a little disappointed. How can the King Arthur we have just heard about be the King we have come to know so well? Yes, he seems a little idiotic, and makes his share of mistakes, but we do not expect him to fall this way. Remember Uther Pendragon? Now that was a King that deserved retribution for his actions. Yet Uther was never punished. Kings are not punished for their actions. That is the rule in the world in which we live. Regardless of the fact that Arthur slept with his sister and fathered a child, and the fact that he killed almost an entire generation of children, Arthur’s original sin was ignorance. How can our King be punished for that, when Kings who committed far worse escape unscathed?

Even if one accepts, with great difficulty, the downfall of King Arthur, the mode of his end is so pitiful. With all the adventures we have seen for the Knights of the Round Table, the thing that harms him and Camelot should be something worthy of fables and bards. We expect a magical beast, a horde of knights, a magic spell. Instead of all that, the catalyst for the banishing of Sir Lancelot and the near burning at the stake of Queen Guinevere is a spiteful young man. Mordred. Despite the fact that Mordred shares King Arthur’s blood, he has had no special training, or done anything of note other than stab a man in the back, and cry like a child when he is accused of running away from a fight.

Yet this is the creature that manipulates King Arthur to harming himself and Camelot by bringing to light Guinevere's affair and eventually robbing Arthur and Camelot of Lancelot. The problem seems to be Arthur’s inability to abandon his rules and his responsibility to uphold the rules fairly. Mordred does not operate on such a code of honor.

We remember from Gawain’s run in with me and the green girdle that self preservation is the one valid reason for abandoning the rules of honor. Yet, King Arthur does not do this. Perhaps it is not Mordred’s manipulations that shaped the ending of this story, but Arthur’s own inability to bend and use practicality. In a way, that may be even sadder than being brought down by your own son.

Another disappointing turn of events was that of Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot. They seem to have become very meek in their old age. The pair seems to accept all the misfortunes that befall them, and even with a WARNING, do nothing to protect themselves. Is it that the reign of King Arthur has made Camelot so peaceful that the people of court have lost the ability to engage in twisty court politics?  Or is it that the passions of these star-crossed lovers has cooled in their old age? Do Lancelot and Guinevere seem so accepting of their misfortunes because they have gained some wisdom or retained their thoughtlessness and lack of foresight?  They are both still alive however, so their story must not be finished. Maybe we shall get more answers.

King Arthur: Of the Most Compassion

      Greetings gentleman and ladies of the Roundtable,


      I wanted to tell a story about Arthur at the end of his life.  As the end of his life drew closer, my dear friend Arthur became fascinated with answering questions that still face humanity today.  As I recall, Arthur was alone in his pavilion on the battlefield of Kent, looking tired, old and week.  However, he was not preparing for his battle with Mordred, as some of you might have assumed.  No, he was pondering eternal questions about why we humans wage wars.  Why is he concerned about this, do you ask?  He is doing this for us, for all of humanity. 







  


Arthur does not believe that humans are born evil.  Rather, he believes that people are generally kind-hearted.  Arthur believes that people can live successfully through reason- that we can figure out our troubles and find solutions to problems without fighting.  As we know, sir Arthur is a lover of humanity, and of all things living.  I feel that we have forgotten about this side of Arthur.  Arthur does not dishonor anyone he loves.  He loves Guinevere and I, but he seems as if he is in denial of the love Guinevere and I have for each other.  It also seems as if he cannot see Mordred's hatred towards yours truly.  Arthur's justice might seem strange to us, but that is because he is of pure heart and free of partiality. 





  


It seems strange how even at his old age, our king still posses that same innocence he had when he was an infant.  I have always admired this side of Arthur but have also wondered why this is the case.  One thing that cannot be questioned is Arthur's belief and faith in his nights. (I of course know this first hand)  However, he also believes that this belief somehow makes him week.  I disagree; I believe it is what makes Arthur a great and strong individual and leader.  If you take any of what I have said to heart, consider this: I will always stand by his side and shall not let him be taken advantage of.


   


  


Our king has become very wise and a great teacher- Merlin, I know, would be very proud of him.  he has figured out that the reasons for war are complex, more  complex in fact than he imagined.  he shares these findings with us so that we can pick up where he's left off, so that we may find a "cure" of all wars.  He tells us of his suspicions about why war is fought- suspicion, fear, possession, greed, resentment and ancestral wrongs.  We must follow Arthur's lead and use are strength for right, not might.  we must do what is necessary to bring peace and balance to the world


Farewell,


Lancelot    




       

King Arthur: Humanist

Near the end of his life, our great King Arthur seeks answers to questions that still haunt humanity. He is alone in his pavilion on the battlefield at Kent, exhausted, old, and weak. Is he resting for his battle with Mordred, his son? No, he is wrestling with the eternal questions about why human beings have wars. Why would he waste time trying to figure out what is still unsolvable? He does it for us, for humanity.

Arthur does not believe in original sin. Therefore, he does not believe that humans are born evil. Instead, he believes that people are basically good. You see, Arthur believes that people can live successfully by reason—that we can figure out what troubles us and find solutions without fighting. Arthur is a lover of humanity, of all living things. Have we not always known this about Arthur? Did we not notice his ingenuousness when he was Merlin’s pupil? Our king is in denial about his best friend and his wife—he cannot conceive in dishonor or hatred in anyone he loves. And he loves both Lancelot and Guinevere. It also seems as if he cannot see Mordred’s obsessive hatred for Lancelot. King Arthur's justice may seem odd to us, but that is because it is pure, free of partiality.

I am incredulous that even as an old man, King Arthur is almost as innocent as he was as a youth. Why do you think I have dedicated myself to testing the worthiness of his knights? I do it for my king—to be part of something greater than I, something that will benefit humanity. King Arthur believes in his knights to the core of his being, making him vulnerable. And I will not stand by and let such a good man be taken advantage of if I can do anything about it.

Our king has become a great teacher in his own right—Merlin would be so proud of his pupil. King Arthur has already figured out that the reasons for war are complex. But he shares them with us so that we can take up where he leaves off, so that we will hopefully find a “cure” for wars. He tells us some of the possibilities for war—suspicion, fear, possessiveness, greed, resentment, and ancestral wrongs. It is up to each of us to take up our symbolic Excalibur and use our might for right.

When King Arthur tells Thomas to remember what he says, he is talking all of us. King Arthur is handing us his candle in the wind, and we must not let it go out.  

Yours in peace,

Bertilak   

On Unrequited Love

I can certainly relate to loving someone you cannot be with.  My beautiful Iseult is married to another and I have to be satisfied with secret trysts.  So The Fair Maid of Astolat really resonated with me.

Ain't it the truth...Image From

The Fair Maid of Astolat was ill-used by Lancelot.  He knew what she would expect from him once he accepted her token and he should have been more up front with her regarding his reasons for taking it.  Better yet, he shouldn't have taken it in the first place.  He may be the best of all the living knights but this is quite dishonorable.  All she wanted was for Lancelot to love her.

It's heartbreaking really...

She would have been an excellent choice for marriage too.  She was beautiful and kind.  She nursed him back to health when he was wounded in battle.  Really she reminds me of my lady Iseult, though Iseult is surely more beautiful, more kind and a much better healer.  Surely Lancelot should have been happy to have her.  Instead he remains hung up on our queen.  It is sad that he couldn't wake up and see what was standing in front of him.  Perhaps he could have been happy with her if he'd given it a chance.

Tristan

In Which Sir Gawain ships Launcelot and Astolat

            Poor Lancelot may have lost his one chance at true love, and by his folly caused the fall of an innocent maiden.

            Be not mistaken by my words, fellow gentry. Lancelot du Lac is the finest warrior I know, and among the noblest of knights. True, at my Lord Arthur’s behest I have abstained from any tournament from him, but this is merely to spare the kingdom of the weary spectacle of us crossing lances. From the many quests and feasts we have enjoyed together, I can attest that his courage and charisma knows no end. But in the times we spent together, as if we had been brothers from birth, I have also ascertained the qualities which he still lacks, namely the control over his fleshy passions.

            The Queen Lady Guinevere, as I’ve always known, is the mistress of Sir Lancelot, but I have remained suspicious if this love is true. With all due respect to her majesty, the Queen has a very childish temperament, and often appears to merely coax this sire along with her malevolent charms until she obtains what she desires. Therefore, I hoped and continue to hope that Lancelot would befall into the passions of a maiden who could truly love him unconditionally.

            And indeed such a maiden appeared.

            Now of course, I am not dismissing the great stress that Lancelot’s body was forced to endure, having accidentally received a blow from Sir Bors almost to the doorstep of death itself. However, I know that the Knight of the Cart is as sturdy as a rock, and although the wound was deep it only served to render him immobile for several weeks at the Castle Astolat. After all the smiting the rest of the knights have received over the years, even myself at the hands of Sir Galahad, it is only fitting that Lancelot should have to endure a similar wound at some point.

Lancelot is the original Captain Hammer

            Nevertheless, ever concerned for fellow knight, I began searching for Lancelot after the beginning of his disappearance. After many days I arrived at the Castle of Sir Barnard of Astolat. It was here, so I ascertained, that Lancelot recovered from his wounds by the aid of Lady Elaine. But what struck me as most peculiar was the implied intimacy between this knight and Lady Astolat. Clearly she loved Lancelot with all her heart, and even offered him the red token to wear at the tournament. And what did Lancelot do? He accepted the token! I say, there have been many, many ladies to offer immense gifts to this knight, but never in all my years have I known him to accept one.

            I even attempted to dissuade the advances of Guinevere by reporting what I found, but alas she would not hear any word of it. Inevitably, Lancelot would break Elaine’s heart by forsaking her at Astolat and returning to Camelot, leaving her to take her own life as tragically as Lucretia. I only hope this death does not cause any lasting erratic effects on Lancelot’s behavior.