Medieval society, Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, The King, David Michod, hero, Robin Hood, Lancelot, male characters, artistocraty, king, leader, royal hero, war, Christianity, Gods, Middle Ages
Medieval society did not have a word about ancient hero models, because heroes belonged only to God. Some knights recognized for their admirable achievements were awarded the title of "Paladin". Nevertheless, the term is restrictive because it cannot qualify Robin Hood, the typical robber of the forest, the brave warrior, of course, but is deprived of the military science of the noble lords to retain the knowledge. The owner of Sherwood has absolutely no wonderful characters (physical strength, ugliness, or beauty) in Greek and Latin mythology. But he still embodies the characteristics of an idealized literary figure.
[...] Pattinson plays this role, and there are other wonderful performances in "The King". Joel Edgerton, as Henry's friend, confidant and protector, John Falstaff, was outstanding (until he was demoted, at least for a while), and he was portrayed as a legend. The drunkard chubby character, except for Edgerton's bangs and bushy beard, he is a life-size villain with a sad understanding of war. "The King" never glorifies war. This is where the movie differs from "Braveheart". Before the legendary Battle of Agincourt, Chalamet gave a speech to the troops. [...]
[...] Too many movies set in this period eventually became action movies with medieval costumes. The wonderful thing about "The King" is that Michôd explained the consequences of the battle with eerie precision and dispelled the myth of the battle. This one started with multiple archery shots, shot with a British longbow (this was their only chance to defeat the huge French army), and then became a mini-apocalyptic in the mud. Henry was soaked by all this: mud, blood, death. However, even in the glory of victory, the way that Chalamet played him hurt Henry the most, that is, succumbing to the knowledge that war itself can be tamed, but will never be defeated. [...]
[...] Sovereigns tried to unite by gathering spiritual and temporal virtues in their sacred person. Medieval heroic figures, real or fictitious but always symbolic, are marked by the seal of the marvelous because, in the Middle Ages, all literary genres are, in various ways, open to this dimension. [...]
[...] This is the psychological story told by "The King": When everything you do is for you, what it feels like to be on the throne is unprecedented. The wayward prince Hal is alienated from his father, and Ben Mendelson plays a hippie tyrant who is addicted to war. The elder Henry wanted Scotland and Wales to give in, but his quest for rule was nearing an end, because he was dying. He summoned Hal to the court and declared that even if the prince was his eldest son, Hal would not inherit the throne. [...]
[...] In addition to his actual existence, there is a second factor that distinguishes Aragorn from others. Just like the immortal and advanced age of medieval kings, Aragorn gets a unique relationship with time. As a member of the Numenor race, his life span was three times that of ordinary people (he died at the age of 210), but the kingship does not seem to be completely unrelated to this phenomenon. He took the first portrait of this character in the common room "dark hair flecked with grey" (page 153). [...]
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