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Why is Arthur once and future king?
He has Excalibur thrown back into the lake, and boards a boat for the magical Isle of Avalon. Here, he hopes to be cured of his wounds so that he might return to lead his people again. For this reason, Arthur is called "the once and future king."
What happens in The Once and Future King?
Plot. The story starts in the final years of the rule of King Uther Pendragon. The first part, "The Sword in the Stone", chronicles Arthur's upbringing by his foster father Sir Ector, his rivalry and friendship with his foster brother Kay, and his initial training by Merlyn, a wizard who lives through time backwards.
How did King Arthur die?
Before going away for battle, Arthur left Mordred (his nephew) temporarily in charge of Camelot. But power-thirsty Mordred soon wanted the kingdom for himself, which resulted in a swordfight between Mordred and Arthur that ended in the deaths of both of them.
Who was King Arthur in love with?
GuinevereGuinevere, wife of Arthur, legendary king of Britain, best known in Arthurian romance through the love that his knight Sir Lancelot bore for her.
How did The Once and Future King end?
In a sudden flash-forward, we learn that Arthur dies (or is taken off to the magical island of Avilion, to return again), Mordred dies, and Lancelot and Guenever take up the religious life.
Who killed lot in The Once and Future King?
ArthurIn short order Arthur defeats Lot and sends him back to Orkney with his tail between his legs. Queen Morgause wants to kiss up to the new ruler, so she packs up her four wild sons and heads Arthur-ward.
Who becomes king after Arthur dies?
In the 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth included Constantine in his pseudohistorical chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae, adding details to Gildas' account and making Constantine the successor to King Arthur as King of Britain. Under Geoffrey's influence, Constantine appeared as Arthur's heir in later chronicles.
What age did King Arthur die?
It is unknown exactly how old King Arthur was when he died. Most estimations place him between 35 and 50, while some are closer to 75.
How did Merlin die?
drownedLate on the day of his conversion Merlin was chased by a group of shepherds and as a result fell off a cliff into a river, where he was impaled on a stake securing a fisherman's net and drowned.
Who married Merlin?
Merlin spends a part of his life as a madman in the woods and marries a woman named Guendoloena (a character inspired by the male Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio). He eventually retires to observing stars from his esplumoir, a house with seventy windows in the remote woods of Rhydderch.
Why did King Arthur sleep with his sister?
Here's Malory, describing the moment that Margawse arrives in King Arthur's court: For she [Margawse] was a passing fair lady, wherefor the king [Arthur] cast great love unto her, and desired to lie by her. So they were agreed, and he begat upon her Mordred, and she was his sister, on the mother side, Igraine.
How many wives did Arthur Pendragon have?
Though one of the Welsh Triads (Triad 56) speaks of Arthur's three great queens (all named Gwenhwyfar), later romance generally gives him only one wife named Guinevere.
What is the central conflict in The Once and Future King?
major conflict Arthur struggles to transform feudal England into a civilized country in which strength does not overwhelm justice.
What age should read The Once and Future King?
ConclusionFun Score:5Values Score:4Written for Age:adult
Was King Arthur a girl or boy?
All that is known, with even the least degree of certainty, is that a man named Arthur, or Arturus, led a band of heroic warriors who spearheaded the resistance of Britons against the invading Saxons, Jutes, and others from the north of Europe, sometime in the fifth and sixth centuries AD.
Who is Wart in The Once and Future King?
Questing BeastKing ArthurSir EctorPellinorMorgauseLancelotThe Once and Future King/Characters
Why is Arthur so special?
Arthur is exceptional because he believes in these ideas and is able to enact them when he becomes king. Arthur develops a sense of world-weariness and wisdom in the novel’s later books, but this development is gradual and his basic nature is not drastically altered. Benevolent optimism keeps Arthur from acknowledging Lancelot ...
Who is the protagonist in The Once and Future King?
King Arthur is the protagonist of The Once and Future King and the novel’s narrative and emotional center. The novel follows Arthur’s life from beginning to end, and the major events in his life shape the story.
What does benevolent optimism do to Arthur?
Benevolent optimism keeps Arthur from acknowledging Lancelot and Guenever’s love affair early in the novel ; later, the same benevolence causes him to persuade them to keep their behavior secret.
Is King Arthur a simple character?
Despite Arthur’s extraordinary importance to the novel, however, he is a fairly simple character. As a child, Arthur (then called the Wart) is honest, trusting, modest, and good-hearted, and he preserves these qualities when he becomes king. King Arthur shapes his government with an important new philosophy that makes him a great king, ...
Does Arthur ride the momentum of his ideas?
It is as though Arthur can only ride the momentum of his earlier ideas without forming any new ones. As Camelot stagnates and the quest for the Holy Grail takes its toll on the Knights of the Round Table, the Orkney faction is able to gain more power, until Camelot is too corrupt to survive.
Who wrote the once and future king?
Arthur Comes Alive In 'The Once And Future King' Writer Lev Grossman was raised on a strict diet of literary classics — until he discovered T.H. White's masterful retelling of the King Arthur tale. In The Once and Future King, what was once as stiff and two-dimensional as a medieval tapestry becomes rich and real and devastatingly sad.
Is the sword in the stone a historical fiction?
The Sword in the Stone set the standard by which I judge all historical fiction. It is also the most perfect story of a childhood ever committed to paper, and it is only the first part of The Once and Future King.
Who is Arthur's father?
The king of England during Arthur’s childhood. Uther Pendragon is actually Arthur’s father. Once Pendragon dies, the next king is determined by a trial, which Arthur wins. Thus, Arthur is eventually placed on the throne after his death.
What does King Arthur believe?
Arthur believes in justice and in doing what is right, but his faith in good sometimes makes him blind to the intrigue around him. Read an in-depth analysis of King Arthur.
What is Sir Bruce known for?
An evil knight known for his sneak attacks and ambushes. Sir Bruce always manages to avoid capture and is a recurring example of the old injustices that Arthur is trying to fight.
Who was the first knight Arthur met?
King Pellinore. The first knight Arthur meets. An amiable bumbler whose lifelong quest is to hunt the Questing Beast, Pellinore becomes an accomplished knight after his marriage. Even after Pellinore is killed, his legacy of kindness lives on in his children.
Who is the cruelest of Morgause's sons?
One of Morgause’s sons. Agravaine seems to have the most problems with his mother’s promiscuity. As a child, Agravaine is the cruelest of Morgause’s sons, and he remains deceitful and cowardly throughout the novel. He is Mordred’s closest ally.
Who is Mordred's half sister?
Mordred. The son of Arthur and his half-sister, Morgause. Cold, calculating, and vicious, Mordred is raised by Morgause to hate Arthur. He thrives on slander and insinuation, which he prefers to open confrontation.
Who is Merlyn in The Round Table?
Merlyn. A magician who has already lived the future, so he knows what is going to happen next. Merlyn is Arthur’s tutor and friend. Arthur’s creation of the Round Table and a more civilized England is largely due to Merlyn’s influence. Although Merlyn is powerful, he is also kind and a little absentminded.
When was the book The Once and Future King published?
The Once and Future King is a work by T. H. White based upon the 1485 book Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. It was first published in 1958. It collects and revises shorter novels published from 1938 to 1940, with much new material.
What did the boys do in The Once and Future King?
The revisions reflect White's preoccupation with political questions in The Once and Future King, and generally give the first part of the work a more adult flavour.
What is the book of Merlyn about?
It chronicles Arthur's final lessons from Merlyn before his death, although some parts of it were incorporated into the final editions of the previous books, mostly The Sword in the Stone, after White became aware that the compiled text of The Once and Future King would not include his final volume. The Book of Merlyn was the volume that first contained the adventures with the ants and the geese. However, it still has independent value as the only text in which all Arthur's animals are brought together, and the final parts of his life are related.
What does Merlyn teach Arthur?
Each of the transformations is meant to teach Wart a lesson, which will prepare him for his future life.
What is the third part of The Ill-Made Knight about?
The third part, The Ill-Made Knight, shifts focus from King Arthur to the story of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere's forbidden love, the means they adopt to hide their affair from the King (although he already knows of it from Merlyn), and its effect on Elaine, Lancelot's sometime lover and the mother of his son Galahad .
What is the name of the book that details Arthur's youth?
The Sword in the Stone (1938), detailing the youth of Arthur. The Queen of Air and Darkness (1939), published separately in somewhat different form as The Witch in the Wood. The Ill-Made Knight (1940), dealing mainly with the character of Lancelot.
Where does the book Arthur take place?
Most of the book takes place in "Gramarye", the name that White gives to Britain, and chronicles the youth and education of King Arthur, his rule as a king, and the romance between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere. Arthur is supposed to have lived in the 5th and 6th centuries, but the book is set around the 14th century.
What is Arthur's name?
Even without knowing Latin, but knowing quite a few English root words (I would hope), you will recognize Arthur's name ( Arthurus) as well as the word Rex (King), ... a variation of the word Rex which is Rexque (again, King), as well as the word futurus (which sounds a lot like our word future).
What does the epitaph say about King Arthur?
Further, when the words of the epitaph claim Arthur to be Rexque futurus, that means that the myth of King Arthur continues: specifically the myth that King Arthur will some day rule again and, therefore, is not really dead (and/or will rise like Christ). In this regard, Arthur is said to be England's savior, ... someday. It also hints at the great chivalric code revolving around King Arthur: always a king who held honor dear.
What precedes this burial and epitaph?
What precedes this burial and epitaph is the Mordred vs. King Arthur battle where Mordred was sla in and Arthur was wounded, never to recover. At this point, Arthur asks for the famous sword, Excalibur, to be thrown back into the lake. His request is finally granted, and it is caught by a hand (the Lady of the Lake?) and sucked under the water. It is only then that King Arthur dies and his body is put on a boat and sailed down the river to Avalon.
What are the Archetypes in The Once and Future King?
Arthur is the archetypal innocent at the beginning of the story who goes through a transformation during his archetypal journey story into the hero by the end.
Who raised Arthur in the Wart?
In the final years of King Uther Pendragon ’s reign Arthur, known as the Wart, is raised by his foster father Sir Ecto r and trained by the wizard Merlyn, who knows Arthur’s destiny to be King.
Overview
Summary
Most of the book takes place in "Gramarye", the name that White gives to Britain, and chronicles the youth and education of King Arthur, his rule as a king, and the romance between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere. Arthur is supposed to have lived in the 5th and 6th centuries, but the book is set around the 14th century. Arthur is portrayed as an Anglo-Norman rather than a Briton; White refers to the actual monarchs of that period as "mythical". The book ends immediately before Art…
Plot
The story starts in the final years of the rule of King Uther Pendragon. The first part, "The Sword in the Stone", chronicles Arthur's upbringing by his foster father Sir Ector, his rivalry and friendship with his foster brother Kay, and his initial training by Merlyn, a wizard who lives through time backwards. Merlyn, knowing the boy's destiny, teaches Arthur (known as "Wart") what it means to be a good king by turning him into various kinds of animals: fish, hawk, ant, goose, and badger. E…
Characterization in the work
White reinterprets the traditional Arthurian characters, often giving them motivations or traits more complex than or even contradictory to those in earlier versions of the legend. For example:
• Arthur grows from a fallible but inquisitive and enthusiastic youth ("the Wart") to an individualised and psychologically complex man.
• Lancelot is no longer the handsome knight typical in the romances, but is instead portrayed as the ugliest of Arthur's knights. He is also intensely introsp…
Reception
Floyd C. Gale praised The Sword in the Stone as "blithely comic and entirely delightful", stating that it was "in utter contrast to the mounting tragedy" of the other three volumes of the series. Fantasy historian Lin Carter called it "the single finest fantasy novel written in our time, or for that matter, ever written." Constance Grady of Vox also praised the novel, stating: "White was writing for a post–World War II audience, but his book has a vigor and clarity that makes it an urgent and imp…
Film, television, and theatrical adaptations
Although Walt Disney initially purchased the film rights to The Ill-Made Knight in 1944, he eventually produced an adaptation of The Sword in the Stone (released in 1963). This movie reflects more the sense of humour of Disney's team of animators than White's. The movie adds a more comical side to the original story, including song and dance, as in most Disney films.
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's 1960 musical Camelot (which was made into a movie in 19…
External links
• The Once and Future King at Faded Page (Canada)
• The Book of Merlyn title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• "The Once and Future King" Study Guide at Wikibooks
• "NLS/BPH: Minibibliographies, The Once and Future King" by T. H. White