Analysis on King Arthur Literature and Film
My time with Arthurian Film and Literature has been a rollercoaster of emotions. I’ve experienced great joy with some films and literature, such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Marie de France’s Lanval, and I’ve experienced intense lows with King Arthur (2004) and Chrétien de Troye’s Perceval.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, performances by Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, and Michael Palin, Python (Monty) Pictures, 1975.
With my first analysis of the film King Arthur (2004) and the text The History of the Kings of Britain, I decided to focus on the Christian hypocrisy present throughout both the text and the film. Christian imagery is a serious topic in Arthurian literature and has always been a driving factor and motivator for Arthur and his knights. Take the quest for the holy grail, which is Arthur and his knight’s most prevalent and beloved tale. The film and text differ considerably in depicting Arthur’s relationship with Christianity, and it is fascinating to see how the surrounding culture of the time encouraged the changes. In the film, Arthur is fighting on behalf of Rome and Christianity, although there is an evident tension between his knights, who want to go back to their old religion and stop fighting Rome’s Christian wars. In Geoffrey’s text, however, Arthur is unabashedly fighting on behalf of Christianity, and no ulterior motives keep Arthur and his knights captive.
With my second analysis, I decided to focus on 1995’s First Knight and Chrétien’s The Knight of the Cart. Through this I analyzed Guinevere’s role in both stories, and her motives for why she did the things she did. Arthurian literature is not a great place for feminism because if there are women present, they are not given much agency or presence, or they are treated as a trophy to be won. It is interesting because, in the film, Guinevere intentionally seeks Arthur out for marriage because of all he can provide for her and her people. Arthur has a vast army, wealth, and power that Guinevere lacks as Queen. She is placed in a situation in which she must choose her people and her duties over her own heart and does so with grace. This has not historically been the case, as kings usually search for potential suitors for themselves or their children in order to produce heirs and secure political ties. With this change, First Knight gives Guinevere much more agency and power than she has ever been given before. In the text, she is simply the driving plot point where Lancelot is dragged from place to place.
“The knight hesitated at the door, and thought: ‘God, what can I do? I am engaged in no
de Troyes, Chrétien. “Chapter VI: Lancelot.” Lancelot – The Legend of King Arthur, www.heroofcamelot.com/legend/lancelot. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
less an affair than the quest of Queen Guinevere. I ought not to have the heart of a hare,
when for her sake I have engaged in such a quest. If cowardice puts its heart in me, and if
I follow its dictates, I shall never attain what I seek'” (The Knight of the Cart).
My third analysis focused on Sir Lanval (2011) and The Lais of Marie de France. In this, I focused specifically on the Christian Bible’s tale of Adam and Eve and the original sin. The film has specific scenes depicting Guinevere as the snake with apples surrounding her as she tries to seduce Lanval, and the text parallels these themes with a substantial change. In the original tale of Adam and Eve, they eat the apple and damn humanity to sin forever, while the text and film seem to explore a gender-bent idea in which they deny the sin in the first place. Unlike in the Bible, Lanval rejects Guinevere’s advances and feels shame for potentially participating in sin. As stated previously, Arthurian literature rarely gives women agency in the tales, but with Marie writing the tale, she can provide more power to the women that power most of these tales. It was also wonderful to see the changes in understanding the Christian Bible through a female voice since that has been absent for most of written history.
Finally, in my last analysis, I wrote about 1981’s Excalibur and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. I remained with the ideas of patriarchal power within knighthood, specifically with Lancelot’s relationship with Queen Guinevere. Unlike Arthur and the other knights, Lancelot is secure in his masculinity because of his ability to fight. With this power, Lancelot does not need to rely on his status as a knight to win Guinevere’s attention. Lancelot plays an intriguing role in Arthurian literature, as he simultaneously upholds patriarchal and monarchal structures, yet his betrayal of Arthur’s trust eventually leads to Camelot’s downfall.
“Will you defy the Pope, Arthur? Rome? God himself?” (King Arthur, 2004).
King Arthur (2004) directed by Antoine Fuqua