Honor in White's 'The Once and Future King'.

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Johanna Angelakos

ENGL 400

Honor in White’s The Once and Future King

        Each Arthurian story written or told usually tells a similar tale to the next one; yet, different authors’ portrayals of each character seemingly fluctuate between stories.  For example, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is, for the most part, virtuous and true, directing sincere effort toward maintaining his own knightly virtues.  In Le Mortre Darthur, however, he is one of the prime knights responsible for the deterioration of Camelot.  The same knightly virtues are applicable to each story, where glory, success, faith, and honor are instrumental in the making of a worthy knight.  There are, however, many knights in Arthurian legend that contradict these given ideals.  The characters in T.H. White’s The Once and Future King are no exception, as there is much betrayal and treachery that takes place throughout the duration of the four books.  Specifically, White uses two loved and respected characters, King Arthur and Sir Lancelot, in order to portray the concept of honor in Camelot, or lack thereof.        

Arthur, known as Wart when a little boy, thinks that his destiny is to forever serve Kay as his squire, and therefore fears that he will never evolve to knight status.  Merlyn, the magician who travels backward through time, allows Wart to brood and fuss over never reaching that knightly status, though Merlyn knows otherwise.  The reader knows of Arthur’s kind nature as a small boy almost immediately in the story, where he is bullied by Kay, his older brother (not by relation), and yet loves him unconditionally.  Merlyn takes Wart on

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amazing adventures and repeatedly transforms him into various animals in order to educate him of life’s morals, and in retaliation, Kay jealously attempts to beat Wart, until he altogether breaks down and cries that Merlyn always takes Wart on these great adventures, how come he is never invited?  Though Wart is sporting a black eye due to Kay’s jealous outburst, he nevertheless feels genuine sympathy for Kay’s concerns, and therefore tells Merlyn to take Kay with them on their next adventure.  This shows the reader that Wart’s compassion is genuine, and fit not only for a knight, but for a king.  With Merlyn’s help, little Wart is an advocate for peace, and opposes the stereotyped, tyrannical, blood-thirsty mindset.

        When Wart pulls the sword out of the stone, Kay, who has been knighted, falsely claims that he has pulled it out, thereby falsifying his knighthood as well.  When Wart proves that he is the true king, he is initially horrified when his father and brother both kneel before him, all the while tearfully wishing he had never found the sword.  Arthur assumes the role of king with the help of Merlyn, who teaches him that it is best to disagree with the concept of absolute power.  Arthur almost indulges in the comfort of tyrannical bullying that Merlyn warns him not to succumb to, though he manages to defer these thoughts and stay true to his ethics.  

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        Throughout the four books, Arthur is relatively consistent in staying true to his honor.  Rather than focusing on his own tyrannical obsessions, he makes it a point to put the well-being of his kingdom first.  In order to further establish a more democratic type of approach in his ruling, he develops the Round Table in book II.  This is extremely significant, for he denounces his own power, and sits equal among the other knights of the Round Table in order to avoid a power hungry mindset among his knights, and ultimately his kingdom.  This is not

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the ...

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