Awful Kings, a Useless Knight, and a Man in Denial Perhaps it is a favorite pastime of Medieval poets to consistently use King Arthur to illustrate inadequate kingship. This common theme can be seen in Marie de France’s “Lanval” to an unidentified poet’s “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” As literature reflects reality, surely there would be no shortage of bad kings to write about, but rather than infuriating a group of people or having an enraged king after the poet, it is easier to critique kingship under the guise of King Arthur. At the same time, several pieces of literature from this period portray the honorable chivalric characteristics a true king, knight, or member of the royal court should demonstrate: loyalty, humility, generosity, patience, and oath. One can be rightfully…show more content… The king’s reaction further proves his impatience and hot-headed nature, being unable to remain calm with a minor disruption. King Arthur cannot be the perfection that is expected of him if the smallest things can set him off. Another version of a flawed King Arthur exists in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” During the Christmas celebration in King Arthur’s court, the poet describes King Arthur by saying, “He was so lively in his youth, and a little boyish. He hankered after an active life, and cared very little. “To spend time either lying or sitting, his young blood and restless mind stirred him so much” (85-89). This description of King Arthur indicates his youthfulness and childishness. It is not wrong for a king to have a youthful air about him, but it becomes an issue when he is childish and unserious, a behavior which King Arthur later demonstrates in the story when the Green Knight visits his court with a challenge to trade blows to the neck with the king. As the Green Knight mocks the king’s court, King Arthur does not take kindly to the Green Knight’s
