Idylls Of The King - Arthur As A Christ Figure

In many literary stories, the protagonist is portrayed as a Christ figure. Such is the case in Idylls of the King, written by Lord Alfred Tennyson. The protagonist, Arthur, is portrayed as a Christ figure in three ways: as a king who desires law and order, as a king with questioned paternity, and as a king who was betrayed.

Throughout Arthur's life, he exemplified characteristics that are very similar to Christ, one of these being the desire for law and order. Arthur established order by defeating the barbarians in the country. Through this act, Arthur "... drew in the petty princedoms under him, fought, and in twelve great battles overcame the heathen hordes and made a realm and reigned" (Idylls of the King, "The Coming of Arthur," pg. 19, lines 514-518). After he defeated the barbarians, Arthur established a code of chivalry for his knights to follow. This code includes how to act concerning the church, women, and any weakness. It also includes how to act in order to uphold ones own honor. Finally, as a final act to establish law and order, Arthur began the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur bound these knights "by so straight vows to his own self that when they rose knighted from kneeling, some were pale... some flushed... and others dazed" (Idylls of the King, "The Coming of Arthur," pg. 12, lines 261-265). Jesus also desired law and order in his kingdom. He defeated death when He rose from the dead after being crucified. He established law by reinforcing the Ten Commandments and other laws. These two kings had several similarities in their desire for law and order. Both kings defeated a major threat of evil in their domainp. Once the threat of evil was gone, they united their kingdom. Finally, when there was somewhat a sense of order, they established laws and morals for the people of their kingdoms to follow. This desire for law and order is one obvious characteristic in Arthur that shows him as a Christ figure.

Another way Arthur was portrayed as a Christ figure was the confusion about his paternity. There were three men who were thought to possibly be the father of Arthur. The first was Anton, who raised Arthur throughout his childhood. Arthur could not be the son of Anton, or he would have no possible right to the throne. The second man who could have possibly been Arthur's father was Gorlois. Gorlois was the husband of Arthur's mother, Ygerene, and he was killed in a battle against Uther. Uther then took Ygerne as wife, and was the third possibility for Arthur's father. Uther was the only man who could be Arthur's father if Arthur truly had a right to the throne. Because of the confusion over Arthur's father, the people told Merlin, "Away with him! No king of ours! a son of Gorlois is he, or else the child of Anton, and no King..." (The Idylls of the King, "The Coming of Arthur, pg.11, lines 29-32). While the people argued over Arthur's right to be king, Merlin crowned Arthur anyway. Jesus was also a king whose paternity was questioned. Some thought that Jesus must be the son of Joseph. If Jesus were the son of an earthly man, he had no right to be proclaiming himself the King of the Jews. Another possibility was that since Mary became pregnant before she was married to Joseph, she could have had an affair. Jesus' father would then be some man not mentioned in the Bible. This would still mean that Jesus could not possibly be the Christ. The final and only option for Jesus' father was that his only father was God, and that he really was born of a virgin birth. This would give him the right to the "throne" as King of the Jews. There are several similarities between these two kings with questioned paternity. Both kings were raised by a foster father until it was their time to fulfill their duties as king. Neither king had their real father with them throughout their life. Finally, because their paternity was doubted, there were people who doubted their right to the throne. Arthur and Christ were similar in several ways when it came to their paternity.

Arthur is also similar to Christ in the way that he was betrayed by those closest to him.The person whose betrayal hurt him the most was Guinever. Guinevere told Lancelot that she could not love Arthur because he was "too perfect" and she could not "gaze upon the sun in heaven" (The Idylls