1. What elements of religion and philosophy are in the movie?
The elements of religion in the movie are related to Catholicism and Christianity and everything immoral deed is justified with religion. The bishop Germanus is a person who wants to control everything and everybody and free-thinkers like Pelagius are sentenced to death and are scorned because they defy the psychology of the masses. At the beginning of the film, Arthur has much respect for Roman Catholics and listens to them, but later on he realizes that they just want to be in control and that everything about this religion revolves around dominance and power. The philosophy in the movie is related to the teaching of Pelagius because the taught that people have a free will and that they were born free. Each individual is allowed to make their own decisions about the way they lead their lives. This kind of philosophy puts the individual into the center of attention because they are responsible for the choices they make.
2. Describe the hero? And describe Damsel in Distress and villain guy?
The hero is Arthur, who later on becomes the king and he is a morally righteous persons who seems to be saint-like. People regard him as if he were a God and even his enemies respect him. He is a true hero who encourages others to do their best in life and he leads them towards freedom. Damsel in distress is Guinevere who belongs to the Woads, a British tribe considered to be pagans. She is lady-like and fierce at the same time being ready both to seduce Arthur and to use bow and arrow. Guinevere is very beautiful and she is the female version of Arthur because the two of them share many common personal traits. The villain is Cerdic, the Saxon leader who wants to occupy Britain. He is ruthless and merciless, but he also has great respect for Arthur, although Arthur has no respect for him.
3. When is the hero first interested in Damsel?
The hero is first interested in Damsel when he sees her in the dungeon and releases her. He is not romantically interested in her yet, but his attraction grows as the two of them bond through talking. Guinevere shows interest in Arthur and she convinces him that he belongs in Britain because his mother was British. They develop a romantic relationship during the wartime and he is fascinated by her courage and strength although she is fragile at the same time. Guinevere is the real woman for Arthur and the only one who can match his human side. Even she does not believe in all the stories she had heard about Arthur prior to meeting him. When she sees him in action, she becomes fascinated by him and their love becomes real.
4. Is Guinevere attracted to Author or Lancelot? When do you see that?
Guinevere is attracted to both of them initially and even more so to Lancelot until she figures out that she has much more in common with Arthur. Arthur is the better choice for Guinevere because he is selfless, caring and loving unlike Lancelot who confesses to Guinevere that he would not have saved her or the young boy from the dungeon. This is the exact moment when it becomes clear that Arthur is the only men who is perfect for Guinevere.
5. Does Lancelot show attraction to Guinevere? When?
Lancelot shows attraction to Guinevere during their trip to Britain and to the Roman fort. He looks at her tenderly especially when she bathes with the aid of Alecto’s mother. She notices his affection and she encourages him by saying that the two of them share much in common. However, Lancelot does not feel worthy of such a woman, so he decides to let Arthur have Guinevere because he is sure that the two of them make a better pair. Lancelot believes that it is his destiny to die in the battlefield which happens in the end. He feels guilt for taking so many innocent lives during the battles in for the Roman cause.
6. What would your role be in that time?
My role in that time would be of a protector of justice which is what Arthur and his knights do as well as Guinevere. All of them are just people who seek for freedom of their own land. They cherish their homeland very much because they regard it as their legacy. There is a great sense of belonging related to this feeling and it is best for The British tribes to unite and fight against the invaders who are Roman and Saxon. There is Hadrian’s Wall which protects the Romans from the barbarians as they call tribes like Woads, but this changes with the arrival of the Saxons and the departure of the Romans. I would prefer to be a person who leads the people along with Arthur because these knights possess the most noble qualities which seem to be forgotten and replaced by greed and dishonesty. I would be both physically and mentally equipped for fight because it takes a great knowledge of strategy to be able to perform like Arthur in the battlefield. It is said that he was never defeated and the audience can see that he gets great help from his knights and from the people who respect him.
7. How does King Arthur fill the archetype of the hero?
King Arthur fills the archetype of the hero because people look up to him and regard him as a God. They whisper his name and his opponents are afraid of him although they respect him. Everybody wants him to be the leader because he makes people feel safe. Even if his knights die in battle, they are willing to do so because they know that they would die for a good cause because they trust Arthur. He becomes the king at the end of the film when he marries Guinevere and becomes the leader of the British tribes. All of them reunite because he is the ultimate savior who deserves to live in glory. He also has the sword which is allegedly magical and its name is Excalibur. It belonged to his father and he wins all the battles using it which gives it a mythical element.
8. How does Damsel in distress fill that archetype?
Guinevere fills the archetype as a Damsel in distress because she would have died in the dungeon if Arthur had not saved her. She feels gratitude towards him and she tries to find out if all the stories her father had told her about Arthur are true. When she sees that all of these are true, she shows to Arthur that the two of them are meant to be together and rule Britain. She is a damsel in distress at first, but she later becomes worthy of Arthur’s love and she is the only woman capable of becoming a wife of such a man. Guinevere is the only woman who can understand Arthur because they share the same moral values. She helps him in his most difficult battles and protects his knights even before her hand is recovered from injury. Guinevere is trained to use bow and arrow which makes her good at combat. The two of them are a perfect match and the fact that Arthur finds her in the dungeon makes it seem as if it were due to the fate.
9. How does evil guy fill his archetype?
The evil guy leads the Saxons and his name is Cerdic. He is the person who is able to sacrifice and humiliate anyone including his own son. Cerdic is unscrupulous and his men look up to him the same way he looks up to Arthur. The only way he can hurt Arthur is by killing Lancelot which is what he does. It is obvious that he has to die from Arthur’s hand since he dares to kill his most loyal knight. Cerdic dies an honorable death as well since he lets Arthur fight him and he loses fairly. He fills his evil guy archetype because he is a mighty opponent worthy of the fight. Cerdic is also thrilled when he finally meets Arthur because he does not take pride in killing less capable people.
10. How does Lancelot change during film?
Lancelot can be seen from first scene of the movie when he is chosen to be one of the knights and he is taken away from Sarmatia. He is supposed to be fighting under the Roman rule for 15 years, but he gets accustomed to being a warrior that he chooses to lead this kind of life until he died. He is realistic because he does not see the world in an idealistic way as Arthur, but he is still Arthur’s most reliable knight. At first, Lancelot seem to be selfish because he is reluctant to help Arthur on his final mission, but that is only because he does not see the romanticized version of the world and of Rome which Arthur does. Eventually, Arthur realizes that there is no Rome which he believed he was fighting for and that there will always be battles to fight. Lancelot has a great impact on him and vice versa. His character changes from being selfish to becoming selfless and sacrificing himself on the battlefield by being killed by Cerdic’s son. He dies honorably and he is properly buried in a way which is suitable for a knight.
Works Cited
Fuqua, Antoine, dir. King Arthur . Buena Vista Pictures, 2004. Film.
