The evolution of the tragic heroic archetype in post-Roman literature can be traced from one of the best-known medieval heroes, King Arthur of Camelot, to fictional creations such as Aragorn, from The Masterpiece of 20th century Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings. The definition of tragic hero is generally accepted as pertaining to characters who are morally good, but who contain a "tragic" flaw that is responsible for their defeat. Taken from the Aristotelian definitions that define good tragedy on a classical Greek scale, these general terms are easily applicable to the Arthurian myths and their modern heirs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The question of whether or not Arthur was a real person in Britain's tempestuous history must be addressed before evaluating the validity of his status as a tragic hero. While it does not affect the presentation of the myths and the points therein that bear on this analysis, it is a controversy that includes the very nature of the myths themselves, simplifying them into exaggerated supernatural versions of real events, or into myths of a legendary pagan god-king. Several points presented in classical Arthurian mythology are debatable in the simplest way: temporal possibilities. The traditional "knight in shining armor", who is held up as a model for both Arthur and his knights of the round table, was not present in the world until what is now known as the Middle Ages. The use of splints, chains, and especially plate armor did not come into common use until the 11th and 12th centuries, and was cumbersome and uncomfortable for knights in the saddle until developments in design and construction allowed for greater dexterity and freedom of movement between the mid-14th and early 15th centuries. centuries. Although assorted forms of chain mail and leather armor had been in use since the Classical Greek period, these forms of armor did not reach Britain until the mid-12th century; Roman legionaries wore splint armor and chain mail, but it was a sign of the Empire and was rejected by the native Britons despite the advantages it offered in combat. Historians have located possible time periods in which Arthur might have lived, based on historical documents from the Middle Ages, as well as the earliest known references to Arthurian mythology. If Arthur lived, it was most likely between the 4th and 6th centuries, as king of a British tribe or group of tribes, half a millennium from the time of the knight in armour. While the possibility of romanticizing medieval scholars provides an impetus that ignores such impossibilities, the gradual conclusion of most historians has been that no such person with a life of such obvious importance in local British history ever existed. that Arthur is in fact a purely mythological figure from which the evolution of an entire myth can be said to begin. Tales of the sword Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake, Morgan Le Fay, Merlin and the Isle of Avalon abound in classic and modern works, reinterpreted, retitled and presented in every fictional format, from television series to bedtime storybooks. But they all unite inextricably around one man. From his mythology, Arthur appears to be the most perfectly chivalrous of knights, capable of winning both the love of the timid Guinevere and any military battle, no matter how difficult. Indeed, Arthur represents everything that was considered good and noble in every gentleman of the era when his myths began to become standard fictional material, through the scholarly interest and writings of Sir Thomas Malory. He was an English nobleman with a slightly reputationstained, but excellent compilation and revision skills, as evidenced by his Le Morte D'Arthur, perhaps the most famous of Arthurian classical works. Finished in the ninth year of King Edward IV (therefore between 4 March 1469 and 1470), Le Morte D'Arthur recounts the events of Arthur's life, from the union of his parents due to Merlin's magical deception, through his claim to the throne of England, and ends with his confrontation with Sir Tristram, who carried a shield detailing the relationship between Guinevere, Arthur's wife, and Lancelot, his most trusted knight. As a literary work, the book is sadly lacking, having been compiled and edited rather roughly by one Caxton, some ten years after Thomas Malory's death. The chronicle remains, however, one of the most complete and chronologically ordered works concerning the life of King Arthur, as well as some of the adventures and misadventures of his knights. Those qualities deemed most exemplary in a truly chivalrous knight of the 15th century are generally known and specifically documented. Piety, chastity, courtesy and generosity are all listed as the main requirements of chivalry, and it is important to note that the first of these plays perhaps the most important role, along with the second. Based on the ideals of perfect Christian morality, the concepts of piety and chastity go hand in hand. Piety refers not only to church attendance, but to the utmost devotion of self and soul to the perpetuation of the Christian cause. Chastity, as defined in the 15th century, was not limited to sexuality, but also concerned personality. It denotes a chastity of thought and action that goes beyond explicit sexual conduct and the invented courtly games of seduction and innocence that force natural human desires into complicated linguistic travails. It is the embodiment of these characteristics in Arthur that seems to make him the perfect fodder for the hero mill. , and yet, although he was presented as a noble and great king, one must take into account both his origins and several accounts of his actions during life which contradict the chivalry with which he is endowed according to the popular tale. Most accounts agree that Arthur was the son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine, who was the wife of the Duke of Cornwall, a mortal enemy of Uther, who claimed kingship of all England. Merlin's sorcery allowed Uther to sleep with Igraine in the guise of her husband for a single night, during which Arthur was conceived; three hours before his conception, the Duke of Cornwall died on the battlefield, and Merlin later concluded that his death prior to the sexual act responsible for Arthur's life meant that he could be considered a legitimate son of the then deceased Uther Pendragone . Whether or not Arthur was legally Uther's legitimate son, it is quite obvious from the story that his origins are far from pure, and the culture of the time viewed lawlessness as the fault of the child, rather than the parents. Later in his life, having been crowned king and having survived his first war, in which he demonstrated admirable effectiveness of strategy and feats of arms, (as befits a legendary hero) it is revealed that Arthur fathered Mordred, a son of the his half-sister. , Morgan LeFey. Mythology differs regarding the woman, whether she was actually the evil queen who was Arthur's downfall, or another woman who was his half-sister, but it is an accepted part of mythology that Arthur's son was conceived with the his half-sister. It is this action that constitutes Arthur's "tragic flaw", although he is unaware of his relationship with the woman at the time of the act. It is later, with the sword of Mordred, that he is killed or sent to the mystical island ofAvalon awaits Britain's moment of greatest need, when he will be summoned from the Otherworld and sent back to protect the land. It is the fact of his death (or disappearance) at the hands of Mordred that matters most to the analysis: the tragic flaw must be responsible for the hero's destruction, and Mordred is most directly responsible for Arthur's death.destruction. Although he considers lust to be his tragic flaw, it is Morgan Le Fey, through Mordred, who plans the battle that defeats the great king, and the same conclusion is reached. Arthur is therefore surely defined as a tragic hero: mythological, containing those virtues that support moral goodness, and possessed by a tragic flaw of which he is unaware, which causes his ultimate destruction. There remains, however, the question of how a single myth can inspire the evolution of an entire archetype that permeates modern Western literature. The answer can be found in the simplicity of the myths themselves, however complex the ideas they present may be upon analysis. At their most honest and open, they are stories of adventure and romance, based on courtly ideals between valiant men vying for the favor of a beautiful woman. Of course there are tales of defeat and sorrow interwoven among the more heroically traditional ones, but Arthur's stories are a more complete saga than Homer's, though without the flowing grace of epic poetry. A saga requires defeat and pain to make victory and joy more poignant and meaningful, because it gives characters a depth of life that is missing from shorter myths that don't encompass a hero's entire life. The latest evolution of the Arthurian myth appears in the 20th century, well beyond the age of the knight errant, but at the dawn of a new form of narrative writing that expands into a mythical and mystical world that depends completely on the creative abilities of the author: fantasy writing. . In the same way that Jules Verne pioneered science fiction in an era before it became a popular writing style in the literary community, JRR Tolkien pioneered fantasy writing. A British-born author, it is no surprise that he turned to British mythology for inspiration, and as noted by his critics, Tolkien's linguistic feats and astonishing detail in planning the world of Middle-earth are due in part to the rich cultural heritage . and the traditional history of his homeland. As one of the most important British myths, Arthur holds an obvious appeal to any fantasy-inclined Western author, but it is the character of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings that most directly addresses both the figure of King Arthur and the heroic archetype he engendered. The evidence that applies to Arthur is not so difficult to apply to his fantastical doppelganger. Aragorn is a fictional character, and therefore obviously "mythical" in the most basic sense of the word. Her virtue manifests itself in multiple ways through selfless abandon in the face of danger, extreme devotion to an ultimately unforgiving pursuit, and devotion to a love that is challenged by socially and culturally structured boundaries. It is the idea of ​​the tragic flaw that seems most difficult to attribute to Aragorn, and it is in this area that the discrepancy between Arthur the tragic hero and Aragorn the tragic hero is seen most clearly. Arthur's flaw destroys him physically, resulting in his death and, after his death, the destruction of the values ​​for which he had fought. At the end of The Lord of the Rings, however, we see in the Appendices that Aragorn not only won the battle against the evil Sauron and helped Frodo complete his mission to destroy an artifact of great evil. He claimed a vacant kingdom from.