A recurring theme
in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d' Arthur is the use of
imaginative
descriptions of characters and settings.
Imagination is what the reader of the
story must use to
form his or her own mental images of a situation, and the better the
storyteller is,
the clearer the mental image. His descriptions, ranging from horrific to
chivalrous,
always manage to draw the reader into the story and make him or
her an active
participant, usually knowing a bit more than the characters about their own
fates. Malory employs many literary techniques, but
perhaps his most prominent is his
use of
imagination.
When the exerpt begins, King Arthur is having a
nightmare involving falling into
a pit of
serpents. Malory describes the scene in
Arthur's head as if the reader were there
with him. What separates the reader from the character
is the fact that the reader knows
it's only a
dream, and Arthur doesn't. This is an interesting way of keeping the reader a
safe distance
from the goings on of the story. Malory
uses this method again, when
Arthur and his
army are about to negotiate with Mordred and his. One of the King's
soldiers notices
a snake about to bite him, and he draws his sword to slay it. All that
Mordred's men see
is the blade being drawn, and a battle immediately ensues. Once
again, the reader
is told more than the characters. The
only thing keeping the reader a
part of the story
is the vivid descriptions given of the nightmarish world of Arthur's
dream, and the
smoking, bloody battlefield of a war that wasn't meant to happen.
Malory also makes use of drama in his portrayal
of the double-death scene, again
with Arthur and
Mordred. When he describes Mordred's
sword being driven into
Arthur's chest,
and Arthur's spear running Mordred through, the reader almost cringes at
the thought. However, it is not enough that they are both
killed by each other's hand,
Arthur doesn't
die immediately. He is carried by his
most faithful knights back to a
chapel, where he
died more honorably. The reader is
bearing with him all the way, glad
to be rid of the
villain Mordred, but at the same time pitying him, for he was Arthur's
son. This makes the story even more involving, and
forces the reader to imagine Arthur
lying on the dirty floor, blood streaming from a
thousand wounds, dying for the honor of
his fallen
comrades. The reader is crushed by the
death of a character they have come to
root for and
respect, thereby making the story hold all the more meaning for them.
A good writer will be able to bring the reader
into the story and make them a part
of it. In a way, Sir Thomas Malory uses the reader's
own imagination to tell the story,
which is the most
effective method of all.
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