King Arthur Hero's Journey Essay

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King Arthur is one of the best kings that has ruled over Britain, throughout all of history. Arthur ruled with honor, loyalty, and chivalry, which made him a great king. Many lessons that he learned on his journeys helped him to become the person that he is. Arthur’s journey becoming king can be seen in the novel The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White, and is very similar to Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. The first stage of the Hero’s Journey is the Ordinary World. In the Ordinary World, the hero has a normal life where the character is either not satisfied with his or her life or has a vivid contrast to the journey that the hero is going to take. This is similar to how the main character in the novel The Sword in the Stone by T.H.White …show more content…

Arthur’s life is not very different from day to day and he does not have an exciting life. This part of Arthur’s life is easily seen as the Ordinary World of the Hero’s Journey, where Arthur’s life is nothing out of the ordinary. After the Ordinary World, the hero is given the The Call to Adventure which is when there is a calling to change the character's daily life to adventure on a new path. This stage is parallel to the novel The Sword in the Stone when Arthur is given an order, by Sir Ector, in T.H.White, Sir Ector,”...to start a quest for a new tutor as soon as he had time to do so…” (White 11). Arthur is given the task to find a new tutor and this marks the beginning of Arthur’s lessons. The lessons provided Sir Ector to expose Arthur to the different governments that he could lead by, once he becomes king. If Arthur chooses to take on the adventure, Arthur will gain the knowledge that he could use when he becomes king. In many cases a hero does not go straight to the call to adventure. The hero is either reluctant to the call or does not prioritize it, which is the