Reading Notes: King Arthur, Part B

(Statue of Excalibur, Kingston Maurward: Wikimedia Commons)

I like how the knight knows he’s not the best but basically says “Screw it” and puts the shield on anyways.

I wonder why the mysterious knight had to hurt him in order to get the shield from him. He proved his point, but I feel like he could have done it a different way.

I feel bad for Lancelot. I don’t know much about him, but he seems like a good guy. I like how he realizes the errors of his ways though.

I am not a fan of the part with Sir Percivale. There isn’t really anything exciting and I found myself bored the whole time. I won’t be retelling this part of the story.

It’s interesting how Lancelot keeps getting reminded how he is pretty much not fit to seek holy things. Once again, I feel bad for him, but he needs to start changing his ways.

 I like the mysterious aspect that this story includes with the random voices, visions, and other weird occurrences. I could try to incorporate this into my own retelling.

Sir Bors is a nice contrast to the other knights because he is cleansed of his sins and is trying to change his ways. I feel like he will definitely make it to the end.

I think it’s weird how Galahad doesn’t ask any questions, but blindly follows this random woman. I would like these guys to be a little harder to persuade. It seems like he heard her say the word adventure and he didn’t care what else came after it.

I like how some of the knights get reunited. It is nice to see them with so much joy when seeing each other for the first time in a while.

It’s sad how the voice tells Galahad and Lancelot that they will never see each other again. This is probably especially hard for Lancelot since Galahad is his son.

Although I like the dramatic and intense ending, I didn’t really like part B as a whole. Part A was a lot better in my opinion so I will probably choose to retell something from that section. 

Bibliography: King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).

Reading Notes: King Arthur, Part A

(King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table: Wikimedia Commons)

I like the idea of having basically a competition to see who can be the King. I could have fun with this simple concept and modernize it.

The fact that Arthur nonchalantly takes the sword out of the stone is great. He didn’t even know the implications of what he was doing. It also shows Arthur’s character when he doesn’t like how his father and brother kneeled before him. He seems like a humble person.

The scene where Merlin tells Arthur his future is really interesting. He says it so confidently that you don’t doubt him. Now I am wondering how it will happen since Arthur knows his fate and might try to change.

I didn’t know how much Merlin helped Arthur. I’m familiar with this story, but I thought Merlin was just a wizard and he’s basically acting like Arthur’s guardian angel.

I really like the part where Merlin tells Arthur he has to ask the Lady of the Lake nicely for the sword. It’s seriously like Merlin is his dad who is looking out for Arthur.

I like the origin story of how Arthur got the Round Table. I didn’t know the background of the Round Table before this. I also like the part where he makes Tor a knight. Tor wanting to be a knight reminds me of the movie A Knight’s Tale which I could retell.

I feel really bad for Merlin because he loves this woman, but she uses him and makes fun of him. It’s strange to me how he doesn’t have the willpower to say no to her though. It’s messed up how Vivien uses the magic that Merlin taught her to bury him.

I think Morgan le Fay goes overreacts by trying to kill Arthur. I understand that he killed the man she loved, but it’s still her brother and he was protecting their kingdom. I like how the Lady of the Lake saves him from the enchanted mantle.

I wish it would have been explained how the squire actually got stabbed. Was it a dream or did those events actually happen in reality?

I’m curious as to why Arthur couldn’t just stop the knights from leaving. I would think that he has more power over them then to just let them leave and neglect their duties. 

Bibliography: King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).