Connecting the Dots

Of all the selections we have read thus far, those pertaining to the tales of King Arthur have definitely been the most enjoyable. Over the years, through various forms of media from television to movies, I have been exposed to small segments and variations of these infamous tales. At the time, however, I was either oblivious of their origin or unaware of their meaning. One show referred to the fictitious events of King Arthur's time on several occasions. Their was an episode about the Lady of the Lake and the sword Excalibur. At the time I had never even heard of them, which retracted from my understanding of the episode. In elementary school, we read a story in math class about the knights of the round table, but once again I was uninformed of its meaning. After reading "Sir Gawain and the Lady Ragnell," I connected its plot line to that of "Shrek." Prior to reading the story, I assumed the story line was unique to the movie. As I was reading the story and the plot unfolded, I became intrigued to learn the origin of the infamous tale. Of all the elements, I definitely enjoy learning of the challenges and tests the characters must overcome the most. They create a sense of suspense as I am reading, while teaching a valuable and familiar lesson. My favorite challenge was when sir Gawain had to discover what women wanted more then anything. As it turned out it was the power of sovereignty, which I feel was extremely progressive for the time in which the tale originated. Not only did he orally learn this lesson, but he was also conspicuously taught it when he allowed Lady Ragnell to decide for herself whether she wanted to be hideous by day or night."You have answered well, dearest Gawain, for your answer has broken Gromer's evil spell completely" ("Sir Gawain and the lady Ragnell"). Because he gave her the power to exercise her own will, treating her as an equal, her broke the curse and made her beautiful all the time, rewarding both her and himself. Not only are these feats interesting to see unfold and challenging to figure out, they teach timeless lessons.