"The Once and Future King"

Paper Summary:

This paper explores, section by section, the main themes and characters in Whites' popular representation of the immortal legend of King Arthur. The paper explains how White takes a legend and creates a tale full of love, loyalty, war, peace, and idealism. He gives the reader a tragic tale of the human spirit. The paper continues to discuss that the plot remains central to the theme of "might vs. right" until the very end.

From the Paper:

"The next section entitled The Queen of Air and Darkness tells of Arthur's war to defend his title and secure his throne. His fight to claim his rights leads Arthur to a battle within himself. At one point Arthur declares to his subjects "Why can't you harness might so that it works for right" (254). He believes that in his pursuit to conquer his foes, he could use might to turn the bad things into something good. Merlyn is aware of his naivete but knows that time will bring knowledge or failure. Only time will tell the story. Later in the Ill-Made Knight, he creates a roundtable of his best and most noble knights to fight for the good of the kingdom. He chooses as one of his knights, Sir Lancelot, known as a "knight with a medieval respect for honour" (353)."

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