The Once and Future King

The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T.H. White. It was first published in 1958, mostly as a composite of earlier works. ISBN 0441627404

The book as a Political Commentary

Underscoring the story of Arthur's life, from his youth and education to the end of his reign, is a well thought out commentary on how mankind should govern itself, written in the context of the Second World War.

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When Arthur first ascends to the throne, the country is ruled by what he calls Fort Main, or the rule through power. The barons and nobles ride around the countryside doing whatever they wish, and generally being unpleasant to the others. Despite the ongoing question of whether or not mankind is naturally evil (and there is a long, well laid out discussion in the last book, of where the evil and strife in the world comes from), the solution to the matter changes as Arthur's understanding evolves.

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His first solution to the rule through power is to crush it with power. This he does, quelling the barons with his own armies. However, this is clearly not a permanent solution, but merely a continuation of the problem.

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His next move is to channel the power into something worthy. He invents Chivalry, and forms the Round Table, making it a goal for his knights to rescue maidens and right wrongs. However, this solution does not last for too long. Once all the wrongs are righted, and England settles into a golden period of peace and lawfulness, the knights get bored, and things at court start to go badly. Pettiness and squabbling arise, and society stagnates. A better solution is needed.

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Arthur's next move is to try to seek the solution from outside the world. He sends his knights on a quest for the Holy Grail — aiming their power towards God instead of towards worldly things. This, however, is a failure, too, because any knight who achieves the quest is perfect, and thus no longer suitable to live in the imperfect world. The other knights who fail are all positively affected by the quest (Launcelot in particular), but it does not take long for them to fall back into their old ways.

Related Topics:
Quest for the Holy Grail - God

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Arthur's final solution as king is to formalise the power: he invents Civil Law. Instead of the power being wielded by the knights, it now belongs to the state. An example of this would be the replacing of trial-by-battle with trial by jury. This solution comes back to bite Arthur when the affair between Guinevere and Launcelot is exposed: his new Law means that he must punish his beloved wife and his best friend, although Launcelot rescues Guinevere and they escape to his castle together.

Related Topics:
Civil Law - Trial-by-battle - Jury - Guinevere and Launcelot

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The book ends with Arthur, a weary old man, waiting for the final battle between Mordred's Thrashers and his knights. He wonders where he has gone wrong, and what the solution actually is.

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This is where The Book of Merlyn slots in: Arthur is taken to Merlyn's cave, where he meets many of his old friends from The Sword in the Stone — animals with whom he has spent time. He then spends some time as an ant, and as a goose, experiencing the structure of their societies. The ant is a fiercely territorial animal, with a rigidly structured life. The goose, on the other hand, is free, without any boundaries or borders, flying where it wants. Arthur spends an idyllic few days as a goose, before he is dragged back to Merlyn's cave. He realises that boundaries, which don't actually exist, but are purely mental constructs in human's minds, are the real cause of the strife in the world, and that mankind should do away with them if he wants to achieve a successful society.

Related Topics:
The Book of Merlyn - The Sword in the Stone

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