Independent Reading 2

In this book there are many battles. They are described as being extremely brutal and bloody, but the knights, even after witnessing it, still wish to join the battle. This displays their courage, as well as showcasing the difference in their societal views as compared to modern day.

Arthur has a dark dream, which seems to indicate that there are dark days ahead. In this book, he's not the only one who has significant dreams. This seems to be a central theme to this book, having somewhat prophetic dreams. This leads into another potential theme, which is prophecy and foreordained events. Some of these characters have their deaths seemingly already decided, which raises the question of whether or not everything that happens has already been decided or not.

Arthur unwittingly sleeps with his half-sister, conceiving a child with her, who will be Sir Mordred. By doing this, he unwittingly sows the seeds of his own destruction. He has committed a sin, so God is displeased with him. It's God's will that he will be punished for his sins. He sows the seeds for his destruction by fathering Mordred, for he will one day destroy Arthur, his knights, and his kingdom.

This story has an almost fairytale like quality to it. It has magic and prophecy, but it could actually just be an exaggerated tale of actual events. Rather like Beowulf, who could easily have just been a regular warrior, King Arthur could have actually existed. This story is also realistic in the sense that a lot of these knights, Arthur included, have affairs. Now, is it necessarily true that he slept with his half-sister and conceived a child who later destroys him? It's far more likely that, if this story has a basis in fact, that it was just someone who wanted power and so he decided to attack.

There is a certain irony in the fact that though Arthur sinned and God will punish him for that, he actually conceived the means for his own punishment. This is also another example of how religion is such a central part to their lives. An atheist would say that they died and there's no divine punishment behind it, but someone who's religious would say that it's God's roundabout way of punishing him. Merlin tells Arthur that he will die an honorable death, which might be because though he sinned, it was unintentional and he did so unknowingly.

Though everyone is so seemingly devout, plenty of them have committed sins. For example, King Lot's wife, Arthur's half-sister, committs adultery when she sleeps with Arthur. Also, the fact that they kill so many people in battle, though they never say so, is actually a sin. This brings us back to the rampant hypocrisy apparent in their society. To quote Voltaire, "It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."