Journal entries analyzing themes in The Once and Future King

¶ … Future King

Book II: "The Queen of Air and Darkness,"

Character Flaws

Morgause raises four boys. She is not a good mother, and she does not give her boys a sense of right and wrong. She often ignores them for days at a time and beats them when they displease her. She acts as if they were pets rather than human beings, to be loved or not at her convenience. But despite this common maltreatment, the boys turn out very differently. Gawaine is the oldest of the boys and in many ways the most normal. He becomes a knight in Arthur's court, fighting for him loyally. The way in which he is affected by his upbringing is his rages. When provoked Gawaine goes into a berserk rage in which he does things he would normally never do. The next child, Agravaine, is probably the least well-adjusted of the four. He tends to be sadistic and self-centered. The children were told the tale of the King of Ireland by St. Toirdealbhach; the tale where the king gets a head wound and cannot be excited, but then he dies while trying to defend his savior. Agravaine does not see any point in putting one's self in danger to protect anyone else. He says "It was silly, it did no good," because he does not understand the principal behind the story. When big flaw they all have is to despise. They all agree that they must hate Arthur, because their mother has told them that he is a Pendragon, and they love their grandmother Igraine, and, especially, their mother Morgause.

This, they say, is the reason "we of Cornwall and Orkney must be against the Kings of England ever more" (Chapter 1, pg. 223)

Artur at his young age is always eager tom war.

"Unless you can make the world wag better than it does at present, King, your reign will be an endless series of petty battles..." (Chapter 4, pg. 241)

The boys acted off impulse without thinking when it came to trying to please their mother.

"We could take the kitchenmaid. We could make her to come." (Chapter 7-page 193)

Selfish Ambitions

The kings and knights are very selfish. Merilyn explains this to Arthur by trying to tell him that there are a lot of people who are dying in battle. He does not want Arthur to turn out like dad, to change the fact that kings and knights do whatever they want, while the peasants who are forced to fight for them are murdered. Arthur agrees that it is wrong, and that he will never have been such a thing as a single particle of sorrow on the gay, sweet surface of the dew-glittering world." (Chapter 2, pg. 230)

King Lot has a very selfish ambition because she wants to hunt down Arthur. For example, while on a quest with Arthur, Kay inquires Merlyn who Queen Morgause is, and why her husband, King Lot, is trying to fight Arthur. Merlyn then goes on to tell them that Lot fights Arthur because Arthur's ancestors have been conquering Lot's ancestors for thousands of years, and because since Uther raped Morgause's mother, Morgause hates Arthur as Uther's son. Merlyn doesn't believe that any of these are good reasons for a war.

Queen Guenever is considered the third figure in the love triangle that dominates the novel's second half. She is beautiful, but she is also jealous, selfish, petty, and shallow all of the combination that makes her a little self-ambitious. For example, The Queen began plucking at the neck of her dress, as if it were too tight for her.

"You are standing up for her," she said. "You are in love with her, and deceiving me. I

thought so all along." (p 208)

Queen Guenever sons are very ambitious to please her.

And then, when we have caught the unicorn which is wanted, we will bring it home in triumph and give it to our mother! We will serve at supper every night!" (Chapter 7-page 193)

Secrets/Cover-ups - Effects on Characters

Guenever handles their cover-up badly between her and Lancelot, and at one point she is really excited to be reunited with Lancelot even in front of Arthur. Other thing she tries to cover up is growing old. As Guenever ages, she tries desperately to stay young and beautiful, as her pathetic attempts to cover her flaws with too much makeup demonstrate.

Morgause in has become very pleased that the three awkward knights have landed sonce they have no idea that England is at war with Orkney. She the decides to take advantage of their ignorance and makes the effort to make them fall in love with her. She does this by attempts to have an unsuccessful unicorn hunt with the knights.

Her sons have their own secret as well; they consult St. Toirdelbach and then endeavor to catch a live unicorn to present to their mother. They almost prosper but Agravaine has the unicorn killed and then in a fit of rage (the boy's secret was pretending the virgin who enticed the unicorn was their mother and Agravaine reviled the unicorn for putting it hands on their "mother").

But it seems, in tragedy, that innocence is not enough." (Chapter 14, pg. 323)

Dreams/Goals/Desires

As mentioned earlier, Morgause goal and desires was to try and destruct Artur her half btother.Gawaine, Gaheris, Gareth, and Agravaine, who long for their mother Morgause to love them, set out to find ways to win her love. Their goals and desire to get their mother to love them pushed them overboard, especially when they used their virgin maid. The boys make their plans, and Agravaine seems the most interested in making people do what he wants. He suggests that they drive the unicorn home with sticks, then ads, "We could hit Meg too." (Chapter 7, pg. 265)

Now, in their love, which was stronger, there were the seeds of hatred and fear and confusion growing at the same time..." (Chapter 15, pg. 403)

Relationships -- conflicts, effects, maturation, development, etc.

The Queens boys decided that they can at least bring the unicorn's head to their mother, so, miserably, they hack it off. But when they finally get it to the castle, Morgause is too busy with Sir Gummier to even notice them. This was conflict among them because they believe their mother has abandoned them.

"What was our mother at doing," asked Gawaine, as they made their way toward St. Toirdealbhach's cell one morning, "with the knights on the mountain?" (Chapter 7 page190)

"She has forgotten us," said Agravaine bitterly. "She has not so. You are not to speak in that way of our mother." (Chapter 7-page 193)

Then there is conflict among the brothers concerning getting back at their mother.

"I do not care if he does kill me. What I say is true." (Chapter 8-page 213)

Chivalry

Arthur summons Kay and Sir Ector Merlyn and talks about his ideas on chivalry. He says that he has suddenly realized that Merlyn, even though he doesn't agree with fighting, is helping Arthur win the war against Lot and the other aggressors so that he can then stop war from being the solution to everything.