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The relationship of Kay and Arthur is one of brothers. They were brought up together doing similar things and going on different adventures together. Arthur always looked up to Kay because he knew that Kay would one day be knighted and Arthur would have to be his page, but this didn’t change the love that Arthur had for Kay. The relationship between Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Gareth is still a brotherly relationship, but it is a much harsher environment. Gwaine, the oldest, has a temper with which he keeps his brothers in line. The three younger brothers follow Gawaine out of fear, although Agravaine doesn’t quite agree with what he says.
@angelicacasteneda
Book 1, Arthur is just a boy and is still oblivious to the world around him. He has not been exposed to the “seventh sense” that they talk about. The seventh sense is the knowledge of the world. In Book 2, Arthur is now older and has become King. He is maturer now and understands more of the things that he didn’t as a boy. He also has more knowledge of the world around him. I believe that T.H White changes the tones throughout the book to show us the maturity level of Arthur in each stage of his life.@amelia152016
Ever since they were kids, the Orkney brothers had tension. I think that the tension they had as kids will only grow stronger as they age. Gawaine and Agravaine are more violent and let their temper get the best of them, while Gareth and Gaheris are more slow to anger and understanding. I think their future will be complicated partly because of their different personalities, but also because of the decisions they make. As far as Kay and Arthur, I don’t think that they will drift apart. So far, Arthur and Kay have only grown closer since Arthur has become King. I think their relationship will continue to grow stronger.This is the question to tag onto my last post. Do you think Arthur and Kay’s relationship will change while Arthur is king or do you thnk it will remain to be a model for the Orknkey brothers?
@hallegi
Arthur grew up knowing that Kay was going to be king and he grew up accepting and being joyful at the destiny as a page that he believed that he would have. I think Merlin kept this belief going to teach Arthur humility, which is an important trait to have when ruling a kingdom.@peytonpointer
I think he does because he can see usable traits from each lesson in the animal kingdom. Each of those adventures taught him something that he can use during his reign as king@dchin I think that the author named the Orkney brothers with all similar names, except for Agravaine, to show the similarities between them. I think he named Agravine differently because he wanted to show that this brother was not like the others. He stands out as the cruelest of them all, being the “bully of the family” (White 214).
@taylornicholas13 I think that King Arthur and his cousins always felt like outsiders and they just want to be accepted by others just like anyone else. An example of this could be found in Book II when the Orkney brothers decided to kill a unicorn to impress their mother. I think that it will affect their lives because they will always try their hardest to be accepted.
From the very beginning of this book Kay and Arthur are seen to have a brotherly relationship with each other as seen with the other four brothers; Gawaine, Gaheris, Agravaine, and Gareth. Like all brothers, these four are very different and unique in their own ways. For example, the book describes Gawaine as the oldest and most loyal out of all the brothers; while Agravaine is the most violent out of the four brothers. Gareth is the youngest and has a kind heart as portrayed when the four were deciding on catching or killing a unicorn. As for Kay and Arthur, they have a great time together while they were young, but eventually Kay matures and is knighted; while Arthur is to be Kay’s squire. Even though Arthur is going to be Kay’s squire, Arthur still looks up to Kay like a little brother would do to his older brother. T.H White organized Book II to jump back and forth between England and Orkney show how similar Kay and Arthur’s relationship was to the relationship between Gawaine, Garheris, Agravaine, and Gareth; which proves that love for siblings is one of the greatest loves there is. In the end the kingdoms unite because of King Arthur and Queen Morgause’s son, Mordred. The four brothers are cousins of Arthur, but want revenge against Arthur’s household because of what Arthur’s father did to their grandparents. Do you think that this problem will cause a new war for Arthur?
@amelia152016 I believe that the Orkney brothers will always stick by each other. They will always be there for one another; because no matter what happens between them, they are all family and family sticks together. As for Kay and Arthur, they will always be close because they grew up together and are as close as siblings as they can be.
@taylornicholas13 It is normal for children to crave attention. Due to lack of praise from their parents or other family members, they strive to stand out from others so they can get noticed by their parents. For example, the four brothers killed a unicorn to get affection from their mother and Arthur and Kay try and please Sir Ector.
Kay and Arthur were raised by Sir Ector, while the Orkney brothers (Agravaine, Gawaine, Gaheris, and Gareth) were raised by their mother, Morgause. Kay and Arthur do have their fair share of fights, being that Kay is Sir Ector’s biological son whilst Arthur is adopted. Kay had felt superior to Arthur in the beginning of Book 1, always bossing him around and whatnot, all because Arthur was not Sir Ector’s real son. But, when Merlyn comes to be their tutor, Kay becomes jealous towards Arthur because Merlyn does not let him experience the things he lets Arthur experience. As a result of his jealousy, Kay and Arthur fight until both are left with some minor injuries. Although they do have their moments of anger and frustration, they also have a special bond between them. And although Arthur is not truly blood related, they are still brothers. The Orkney brothers also share a bond, even stronger than Arthur and Kay because of their mutual love for their mother, Morgause. Though their love is the same, they are all different. For example, the Orkney brothers tried to capture a unicorn, but Agravaine, despite his brothers’ protests, slaughters the unicorn. White shows us the major and minor differences between these two sets of siblings. Do you think that Arthur and Kay have a stronger bond than the Orkney brothers?
@hallegj I feel that Merlyn didn’t know how to tell Kay that Arthur was going to be king instead of him, especially since Kay always felt some sort of superiority over Arthur being that he was the biological son of Sir Ector.
@davidanthony01 I feel that, being that the two hadn’t known of their relation, should not be punished. How can they be punished for something they didn’t even know about? I’m sure that Arthur was unhappy, and possibly disgusted with himself for giving in.
Kay and Arthur share a brotherly relationship similar to Agravaine, Gawaine, Gaheris, and Gareth. As in all sibling relationships, there is bound to be disagreements. For example, Agravaine, Gawaine, Gaheris, and Gareth decide, “when we have caught the unicorn which is wanted, we will bring it home in triumph and give it to our mother” (White 254). The boys capture a unicorn to bring home to their mother, but in a fit of rage, Agravaine kills the unicorn, going against his brothers’ wishes of keeping it alive. In the relationship of Kay and Arthur, Kay says to Arthur, “Merlyn does everything for you, but he never does anything for me” (White 87). Kay is jealous of Arthur because Merlyn shows more favor towards Arthur, resulting in the two fighting. Both sets of brothers, though getting along more often than not, came across disagreements in their relationships. However, Kay and Arthur differ greatly from Agravaine, Gawaine, Gaheris, and Gareth in their upbringing. Despite Kay and Arthur having no blood relation, Sir Ector lovingly raised the pair as brothers, making sure to nurture the strong bond between them. Agravaine, Gawaine, Gaheris, and Gareth, on the other hand, were raised by Queen Morguase, a neglectful mother, more focused on witchcraft than her children. T. H. White organized Book II to switch back and forth between England and Orkney to show the similarities and differences between the two relationships. The two kingdoms come together at the end of Book II when Queen Morgause seduces King Arthur, resulting in a child of incest, Mordred. Does T. H. White underplay sibling rivalry in order to subtly foreshadow events stemming from the tension?
@kl1214 The Orkney brothers have had numerous disagreements throughout the novel leading me to believe that Kay and Arthur display a stronger bond.
@davidanthony01 I think Arthur may have been unhappy that no one mentioned Morgause as being his half-sister, but he was more unsettled at the unrest caused by their son, Mordred.
The relationships between Kay and Arthur, as well as Agravaine, Gawaine, Gaheris, and Gareth are disclosed to be similar and different in many instances throughout the novel. Kay and Arthur are revealed to contain a strong bond with each other, and despite their rivalries, still display love for one another. For example, Kay becomes jealous of Arthur because of the adventures he is given by Merlyn, so the two begin in a physical fight resulting in a black eye and bloody nose. However, regardless of this incident, Arthur still requests from Merlyn an adventure given to his brother. Similarly, the Orkney brothers have many quarrels among themselves, however they display much more violence than Kay and Arthur. When Gawaine becomes furious with Agravaine, the feud leads up to Agravaine’s pulling of a knife and Gawaine then almost killing him. Despite their violent tendencies, these brothers still have a bond with each other. For instance, in the beginning of Book II, the boys whisper to each other stories about their grandmother. Both of these sets of brothers have strong connections to each other. However, while Kay and Arthur have more of a jovial rivalry, the Orkney brothers contain a more violent and resentful conflict with each other. Both sets of boys grow up with very dissimilar parental figures in their lives. Kay and Arthur’s father is loving towards them and cares for their education and well being. In Chapter 1 of Book I, he even states his decision to find a new tutor for his boys. Conversely, the Orkney boys’ mother is revealed to be incredibly negligent towards them. Her lack of investment in her sons’ lives negatively affects their conception of care and tenderness, which may be the explanation for their violent natures. The character of both of these parental figures appear to greatly influence the morals and personalities of their children. In addition, the presence of magic is influential in both of these sets of brothers’ lives. However, while Kay and Arthur’s experiences with magic teach them beneficial life lessons, the Orkney brothers live under the influence of dark magic, in which their mother practices. Using his magic, Merlyn gives Arthur lessons on government that later benefits his role as king. On the contrary, Morgause uses dark magic to do evil, which later becomes the initiation for the downfall of King Arthur’s reign. Morgause’s use of magic to seduce men is well noticed by her sons, and taints their view magic as a use of deceit rather than beneficial. In both of these sets of brothers, magic plays a major role in affecting their everyday lives. T.H. White constantly switches between England and Orkney in Book II so the reader can see the comparison between the two families. He also does this in order to foreshadow that the two families would later be linked by Mordred, the son of Arthur and his half-sister, Morgause. While Arthur is unaware of Morgause being his half-sister, she uses magic to make him sleep with her, thus conceiving a son. Mordred is the link between the two families. Arthur is constantly faced with the battle between might and right. How did his perspective on this topic effect some of his major decisions in the novel? Was this one of the reasons for his downfall?
@angelicacastaneda The tone of the novel changes drastically from Book I to Book II. However, this change is crucial for the foundation of Book II. In the first book, White uses a lighthearted tone to introduce the reader to the personality of the characters and familiarity of the setting so that one can receive an understanding of the character’s emotions and decisions in the dreariness of Book II.
@Peytonpointer In order for Arthur to become king, Merlyn must allow Kay to believe he will become king in order for the events to play out accordingly. For instance, if Kay had not made Arthur retrieve his sword, Arthur may not have come across the sword in the stone in the first place. Also, if Kay had previously known that Arthur would become king, his jealousy may have kept Arthur from learning crucial things he would need to know in the future.
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