In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,
King Arthur is young, and the kingdom is filled with parties and merriment. The king is known for his polite
and chivalrous behavior. “The handsomest king that ever kept court, All in that
hall were beautiful, young and, of their kind, The happiest under heaven, a
king of powerful mind; A company so proven Would now be hard to find” (Pg. 4
& 5 sb). During this time he was in a good mood. “He was in merry mood,
like mischievous boy” (Pg. 6sb). Then the Green Knight arrived and he asked the
knights to play a game in which he tells them to chop his head off. Nobody
carried out his wishes so he called them yellow-bellied chickens. King Arthur
grabbed the axe to do the job but before he does Gawain saved him. King Arthur
made neutral decisions that meant they are nether bad or good. Sometimes, he
potentially made un-kingly decisions and had to be rescued by his knights.
“Gawain Bows to the king, gives sign: Please my good liege, it’s plain This
little fight is mine” (Pg.14 sm). Thus saving King Arthur from another bad
decision.
In Le Morte d'Arthur, King
Arthur was older, king for a number of years, and had been to war a few times.
He had become more serious and had grown up. Tragically, he
listened to his nephew, Sir Gawain, who
wanted revenge on Sir Launcelot for killing his brothers. “On the advice of Sir
Gawain, started laying waste all before him (Pg. 248 bb).
In his absence, Sir Modred usurped
Arthur’s throne. King Arthur returned and planed to fight his son for his
kingdom. Sir Gawain’s wounds from fighting Sir Laucelot opened up, and he died.
He returned in a vision to King Arthur and told him not to battle his son until
Sir Lancelot could come and help. Unfortunately, one of the knights was
attacked by a snake and drew his sword after a peace signing treaty so a battled
ensued. Only King Arthur, two of his lower knights, and Sir Modred survived.
King Arthur, known for making bad decisions, went after Sir Modred. “My lords,
I care nothing for my life now? And while Sir Modred is at large I must kill
him: there may not be another chance” (Pg. 258 bb). Since all his top knights
weren’t there, no one was there to prevent him from doing the un-kingly thing.
This resulted in his death.
Riley - very good thesis and body (examples with proof from the text). You need to think about your conclusion. Remember your conclusion returns to your thesis statement and restates what you've proved. It also leaves the reader with something further to think about.
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