Preview

The three major themes in the movie Excalibur are Magic,Power, and Fate

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
620 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The three major themes in the movie Excalibur are Magic,Power, and Fate
The entire story of Excalibur is based on three things which intertwine with each other. Those three things are magic, power and fate. Excalibur would not exist with out the magic of the all-powerful Merlin; the town of Camelot would never been created with out the power and strength of Arthur and his men ; and furthermore with out fate Arthur would have never have pulled the sword from the stone. With out these three things to be the center themes, there would be no story of Excalibur.

In the movie, "Excalibur" a lot of magical incidents took place, mostly done by Merlin. If not for Merlin, Arthur wouldn't had ever been alive. Merlin is the one that conjoured up "the dragons breath" which allowed Uther to change his own identity in order to have sex with Tintagil's wife , and thus Arthur was born. Excalibur, Uther's sword, was created solely by some sort of magical forces. Merlin uses his magic through out the entire movie. Merlin would never use his magic against his own king, only for the purpose of helping him. Even when Merlin was tricked and then frozen, he was still able to use his magic to become a dream and help Arthur win his battle against Mordred. Just to prove Merlin's intelligence, he used his own mind to trick Morgana into using all of her magic and created the fog which later was used to defeat her own son.

The main source or power in "Excalibur" was indeed Excalibur itself. The king wasn't very strong without this special sword which aided him much throughout his rein. With first being King Uther's and then stuck in a stone upon his death for only his blood to take out, then it became Arthur's. With out Excalibur there was no real power or sense of togetherness within the land. When Uther first received the sword the kingdom was under control. When he was killed and he stuck the sword in the stone, there wasn't a king for many years and there was also no control or central power in the land. When Arthur pulled the sword from the stone and became
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Knights of the Round Table and Western Society
    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Knights of the Round Table and Western Society

    It is unclear whether King Arthur actually ever existed. There are many accounts of this so called “King”, but there isn’t any historical evidence that proves this to be fact.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Camelot Research Paper
    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Camelot Research Paper

    It was believed that launcelot’s sword was molded by the stars and represented the hopes and dreams of people(Shamekia Thomas 1) Launcelot eventually used his sword to kill Sir Gawain’s brother and the sword was cursed. When Launcelot first arrived in camelot he was known as the white knight, he had spent a lot of time proving he was a great knight. He fell in love with the queen not long after meeting her. Only when he befriended one of Arthur’s enemies and convinced him to surrender did he give him a seat at the round table. Galehaut later convinces Guinevere to return Launcelot’s love and that lead to the fall of Arthur and…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Novel by Mark Twain: Themes from Chapter 1 to 8
    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Novel by Mark Twain: Themes from Chapter 1 to 8

    In Chapter 5, the role of social stratification and power struggle are shown. Social stratification is shown in the quote "Merlin, in his malice, had woven a spell about this dungeon, and there bides not the man in theses kingdoms that would be desperate enough to essay to cross it lines with you!" (Twain PG 22). This shows how Merlin is feared by many. A power struggle is also shown by the quote "He was frightened even to marrow, and was minded to give order for your instant enlargement, and that you be clothed in fine raiment and lodged as befitted one so great;…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Monty Python And The Holy Grail Comparison
    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Monty Python And The Holy Grail Comparison

    In the book, King Arthur is like a Godly figure. He is portrayed as the best king in the world, who everyone knows and respects. In the book he and the Knights of the Round Table in the book are considered the best of the best. For example, we can see that when King Arthur pulls out the sword from the stone that no one could to get, everyone views King Arthur as a God. However, in contrast, the movie shows that King Arthur does not get as much respect as he should have. For example, when King Arthur passes by Dennis the peasant, the peasant talks to him in a very rude manner. When King Arthur orders him to be quiet, the peasant doesn’t listen; he just keeps on saying bad things about him. Also, the knights in this movie show us that they are not very bright. For example, when they try to go in the French castle they use the “Trojan Horse” plan by building a wooden rabbit. However, they forget to hide some of the knights in the wooden rabbit first before they send it into the castle. According to Malory, all of the knights should be brave, but in this movie we can see that Sir Robin, one of the Knights of the Round Table, is a coward because he runs away from a…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    (Monsters Lesson 08 Arthurian Legends)
    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages

    (Monsters Lesson 08 Arthurian Legends)

    Merlin made appear a sword sticked on an iron anvil over a rock, with a legend that said: "This is Excalibur sword. The man capable to take it from this anvil, will be King of England"…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    In What Ways Did The Arthurian Legend Differ From Known Facts?
    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In What Ways Did The Arthurian Legend Differ From Known Facts?

    The myth is situated in the 6th century, in Sub-Roman Britain, when the romans left the territory and the Saxons invade Great Britain. There is no historical data to contrast whether King Arthur existed or not, but the legend says he existed in the advanced Middle Ages but that is impossible because if he did existed it would have to have been a lot earlier. It was the authors of the medieval age, minstrels and troubadours that founded the myth attractive and transferred it to their time. Due to the decline that England suffered following the abandonment of Roman Empire and the entry of the Saxon orders, any historical data that allows us to think that King Arthur existed disappeared, but what happens is that the authors of the Middle Age idealized the character.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Merlin's Maturity In The Crystal Cave
    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Merlin's Maturity In The Crystal Cave

    As a young boy, Merlin lived with his mother in his grandfather's palace in Maridunum. Merlin's life in his grandfather's palace was harsh in such a way that he was not like the other young boys surrounding him. He was extremely intelligent and at the time, maybe too smart for his own good. However, his grandfather and other figures of authority in the palace would critique him because he was not a "normal" child. He was not the type to become a soldier to defend his…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    King Arthur Research Paper
    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    King Arthur Research Paper

    Arthur was born into really nothing in essence, for example his father and mother were both not around. King Arthur was later adopted by Sir Ector and taken to his castle. During his time at the…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Hero's Journey In Beowulf And King Arthur
    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A Hero's Journey In Beowulf And King Arthur

    He excelled in his search for the Holy Grail, the grail that was believed to have been the very same one the son of the Christian god drank from himself. He rid his land of treachery with his sword of magical properties, Excalibur. Excalibur is fabled to have been lodged in stone for hundreds of years, though many had tried to pull it from the stone hold, only Arthur was able to do, which earned him his throne in Camelot. Upon his throne, Arthur created the roundtable for the purpose of all his knights and advisors to be equally heard and seen during cabinet…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    King Arthur Research Paper
    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages

    King Arthur Research Paper

    In some depictions of the British warrior, known as King Arthur, he was a brilliant military strategist. One piece of evidence that points to this is the Saxon invasion of Britain during the 5th to 6th century, as the British forces were led by an unnamed military mind (“King Arthur”). This evidence gives a historical invasion that led to one depiction of an Arthur. The next piece of evidence is that Britain prevailed in the Saxon invasion under the leadership of a warrior that excelled in military strategy. This is interesting information that can be perceived as one of Arthur’s first steps to saving Britain. The final example to note is that it is believed that Arthur’s affiliation is Roman (“King Arthur”). This information is exceptional because there might be religious reasons why Arthur is depicted as this great warrior. With that said, knowing Arthur’s possible affiliation allows a person to connect him with the military mind that led the British forces as that leader was affiliated with the Roman.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Julius Caesar: The Roman Empire
    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Julius Caesar: The Roman Empire

    His book was also the first to spread tales of Arthur and his knights across Europe and to present Arthur as the king of a great empire, the pinnacle of civilization. However numerous books or scripts from that period of time rarely mentioned the exsistence of any king called Arthur as many ancient texts regarded him as simply a myth. Nevertheless, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote that Arthur had been carried off to Avalon after the Battle of Badon to be cured of his wounds. Geoffrey of Monmouth also pointed out that he was a Roman-affliated soldier who courageously staved off the Saxons in the 5th Century similar to what happened during the Battle of…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Excalibur Theme Song
    • 205 Words
    • 1 Page

    Excalibur Theme Song

    While many sports team have used O'Fortuna, which was made famous in popular culture by the 1996 movie Excalibur, as a battle song, the masterful theme song for Excalibur often gets over looked.…

    • 205 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    King Arthur: A True Hero
    • 228 Words
    • 1 Page

    King Arthur: A True Hero

    The legend of King Arthur can be traced as far back as the fourth and fifth centuries. But the earliest tales of Arthur were almost nothing like they are today. There were no wandering minstrels, or ladies–in–waiting, or knights in shining armor taking on bold quests to defend their ladies. Instead, there were tales of giants, and magic cups, and invaders from a foreign land. In some ancient versions of the legend, Arthur is a hero whose deeds are comparable to those of Hercules. In more modern versions, he is merely a king whose knights are the real heroes of the story. The earliest tales of Arthur were spread largely by word of mouth, and very few written accounts survive. Of the ones that do, we do not have the original documents, only copies…

    • 228 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Theme Of Power In Macbeth
    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Theme Of Power In Macbeth

    Macbeth, a dark and gruesome tragic play written by William Shakespeare primarily discusses the concept of greed for more authority. Emasculation and the Great Chain of Being are some core components of this play that are discussed through gothic poetry. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the main characters in the play. Through Macbeth’s catalyst, his wife, he found the strength to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth was his agent in many of the scenes in the play. Their compatible pairing lead to many “successes”, but also to their own deaths. Shakespeare brilliantly uses garment metaphors throughout the play as well as the innocent flower and crafty serpent motif to express Macbeth’s mindset and tragedy.…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Was King Arthur A Good Leader
    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Was King Arthur A Good Leader

    King Arthur was able to bring out the best of himself through his heroic contributions. From the beginning he was meant to be a leader. Arthur pulled the magical sword, Excalibur, from the stone for a second time and Sir Ector stated in The Tale of King Arthur, “ there is only one man living who can draw the sword from the stone, and he is the true-born…

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics