King Arthur Archetypes In Literature

An archetype in literature is a repetitive narrative design of reoccurring character patterns of action or themes which are identifiable in a wide vary of works in literature. They often cause an emotional reaction with the audience making the main character seem more dynamic. Archetypes also help the reader recognize certain character types and better understand the characters rule in the story. In a sense an archetype can be considered the perfect image of something or what it is typically defined as. The tempress, the villain, and the hero are three character archetypes utilized throughout the tales of Arthur commonly found in literature. Guinevere, queen of Camelot and Arthur's wife, is known for her beauty throughout the kingdom. “Truly
King Arthur was born into unusual circumstances. He is the son of Uther Pendragon, King of the Britons. Merlin used magic to help Uther have a child with another man's wife, but Uther dies shortly after Arthur's birth and Merlin gives Arthur to a peasant who raises him as his own son. As a result Arthur grew up ignorant of his royal background. Upon King Uther’s death, Merlin places the sword Excalibur in stone containing a spell that only the rightful king could remove. “I was never your, father, though till to-day I did not know who your father really was. You are the son of Uther Pendragon, and you were brought to me when you were born by Merlin himself” (Drawing). Arthur's innocence helps him grow as a king because he was able to create his kingdom without disruption from the greed or corruption of
Similar to other modern stories the main character is forced to leave his/her family to fulfill bigger and better things. Like other heroes this was stressful transition because of the uncertain future. Excalibur is unique to King arthur, he was the only one capable of freeing it from the stone making him the rightful king of Arthur. Many modern heros have a special weapon that only he/she can wield. The hero often has a confrontation with the villain. Arthur fought Mordred in his final battle because Sir Modred threatened to destroy all King Arthur had worked for. All of the stories end with Arthur’s glorious death in battle, which is the only thing a hero can ask