The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley Essay -- essays research

The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley, is not only an example of a Medieval Romance, but also tells the story of the women who stood behind King Arthur during his infamous reign in the Middle Ages. The term â€Å"Medieval Romance† does not necessarily mean that the piece using it contains any sort of romance. There are three criteria that must be meet to form a Medieval Romance. (1) The plot must divide into sharply separate episodes that often do not seem joined in any obvious casual fashion. (2) The plots generally take the form of tests that they must pass to attain form goal. (3) The protagonist fails tests, which often involve acts of moral and spiritual perception, until such a point that they finally follow advice. This book is not a typical Medieval Romance, but it contains all the important aspects of one. This novel explains the reasoning and decisions that Arthur made from the perspective of the women involved. The Mists of Avalon is a twist on the Arthurian tales as told by the four women instrumental to the story: Gwynhefar, Arthur’s wife; Igraine, his mother; Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, High Priestess of Avalon; and Morgaine, his sister, lover, and heiress to Avalon. The story is told by each as they saw it happen. In this novel, the legend of King Arthur is for the first time told through the lives, the visions, and the perceptions of the women central to it. By telling the story through a woman’s perspective The Mists of Avalon provides a feminine insight into the depths of Arthurian legend previously dominated by men.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The struggle between Christianity and the religion of Avalon is one of the central parts of the story. Arthur, whose mother was Igraine, sister to Viviane, grows up to be High King of Britain after his father, Uther Pendragon, dies. In this era there were two religions that the people studied. One was under the Christians vows. They believed that their was only one god, theirs. They believed that all other gods were false and sinful. In the Christian beliefs, the women were believed to be the ultimate sinners. Under this belief they were always made to feel subservient to their men. The other religion was under the Goddess, who the people in the mystical world of Avalon believed were responsible for man and all of its creations. It is stated of... ...y wished for a baby and had no ill will towards Avalon. The same goes for Morgaine, there was no malice in her actions, and we see this since her actions are told from her own perspective, not of a man’s. Arthur betrayed Avalon and this was the result. In the male perspective of Arthurian legend we see only actions of the women. In this tale told by women we see their thoughts behind their actions. These thoughts were not know from the male’s perspective, but with the woman’s insight into these matters we see that more clearly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a world where men largely dominate Arthurian legend, The Mists of Avalon gives us a profound feminine insight. The Arthurian world of Avalon and Camelot with all its passions and adventures is revealed as its heroines might have experienced it: Queen Gwynhefar, Igraine, Viviane, and Arthur’s sister, Morgaine. This is a story of profound conflict between Christianity and the old religion of Avalon. It was a story of Arthur’s betrayal of Avalon. It was the first time that an Arthurian legend was told by the viewpoint of the females involved in the story. The insights that these women provided to the story are truly profound.