King Arthur

Every story that you have ever read has been written before and will be written again. Books like the Harry Potter series can find their roots in stories such as The Iliad, The Pardoner’s Tale from the Canterbury Tales and Shakespeare’s Macbeth. There is nothing wrong with any of these stories, their brilliant and evoke deep human thought and emotion, as they were meant too. Harry Potter or any other book you have read or will read is not copyright. The great stories of our time are great because they’ve been told so many times, but from so many different perspectives that they’ve transcended the tediousness of stories such as Twilight or Gossip Girl.

One story that seems to be constantly retold and remade is the legend of King Arthur. Almost everyone and their cousin have rewritten their own version of the adventures of this British king. The first writings of King Arthur are found in Old Welsh texts Y Gododdin, from the sixth century. The stories continue from that point on, Arthur and his knights in the constant never ending battle between good and evil. All the stories and retelling do always seem to have the same basic characters Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Gwenivere and the knights of the roundtable such as Gawain, Percival and Galahad. The myths surrounding these heroes have morphed into one eternal epic that defies logic and imagination. The multiple versions are significant to the continuation of the legend because the different perspectives and reinterpretations of historical facts help sustain the legend’s mortality.

The movies and television shows that have been revamped to reach more audiences of varying ages. The Hollywood dabbles in Arthurian lore provide generation after generation with insight to a more ancient and chivalrous time, but the movies continue to change actors, directors and plot line. The directors reinvent the story and provide viewers with a new moral lesson to learn and the actors/actresses add to the emotional distraught that being a character such as King Arthur must face.

The art over times seems to emphasize the pain and the love of the lore; the lust of Gwen and Lancelot and the triumphs of Arthur and his knights.

The most of the history behind Arthur is shrouded in mystery, but the lore begins with Arthur being born to King Uther and Igraine through magic from Merlin. Arthur is the future king and in some cases raised as such, but in others his identity is kept secret. He's true nature is found when he receives the sword Excalibur, an magical blade that makes Arthur practically invicible to all manner of creature that he and his knights face. Arthur's queen Gwenivere falls in love with one of Arthur's knights Lancelot and they carry on their romance for years until Arthur finds out and the tryst comes to light during the final of many battles with his half-sister Morgan le Fay and their child Mordred. Camelot falls and Arthur is mortally wounded Merlin and the remaining living knights take the sword to the Lady of the Lake. The dying Arthur is taken to the Island of Avalon where he is said to be waiting for the time to rise up again and retake his throne as the true once and future king.

The primary source of any story cannot really be challenged by its successors. The first is always remembered for being the base of its sequels and remakes. You can compare and find similarities, but it can never truly outshine the original.