History Essay Example

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Film the Middle Age
The Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a comedy produced in 1975 in Britain. The writers and performers of the movie included the Monty Python, who were a group of comedians. The directors of the movie included Jones and Gilliam. At the time of production, which was in the Middle Ages, the societies were experiencing periods of different themes like chivalry. I like the main message of the film, which was hidden in its parody. That is; the film was a representation of the Holy Grail as well as the King Arthur’s legendary. It was produced in such a way that mimicked and reflected various characters of King Arthur. As such, the movie was an avenue of defining irreverence in the middle ages and the cast did so by excellently juxtaposing Arthur’s legend through various unending streams of anachronistic and non-sequiturs set pieces.

Audience

The audience of the film is likely to be intrigued by the scenes of this film. The movie has scenes, which mimic the legendary of King Arthur. As such, scenes like those involving the French Knights give the audience the capacity to relate the administration and leadership during the medieval ages to the current situations. The movie captures the attention of the audience using comedy and the aspect of parody.

The Hagiography of Steel: The Hero’s Weapon and Its Place in Pop Culture

This reading provides that different forms of weapons, the individuals who wielded these weapons, fascinate the mainstream contemporary television and films and all the complexities of mythologies that tend to proliferate around these weapons (Pugh and Weisl 28). The author of this reading suggests that weapons and the hagiography of steel are deemed as ancient but have to serve as certain overarching functions that transcend particularized exegesis (Driver and Ray 15). As such, the article is suggestive of the aspect that narrative structures of films or texts contain concentrated symbolic functionalities. As such, the content of this article is mainly on the symbolic elements encompassed in narrative texts or films.

King Arthur and Robin Hood’s Adventures in Medievalism

In this reading, one of the individuals is a king whereas the other is an outlaw. Nevertheless, both men are illustrations of the allures of mythical versions of the masculinity in the medieval ages. King Arthur is a ruler of the Golden Age in Britain where disparate factions have come together to protect their land. On the other hand, Robin Hood is a resist of the tyrannical authority of a corrupt and the unjust monarchy; hence, creating an elemental pastoral fellowship that fights on behalf of the oppressed commoners (Pugh and Weisl 232). The article suggests that Robin Hood and King Arthur stand as preeminent figures in the celebration of the achievements of legends, yet their overlapping and contrasting heroism brands testify the looseness of medieval heroic traditions and their modern incarnations. As such, the article suggests that while these individuals are celebrated as paragons of the mythic heroism, they embody inherent instabilities of the lionized masculinities. As such, they expose the lurking solecism implicit in the viewing of medieval masculinities as triumphant trans-historically (Driver and Ray 25).

Connections

The film and the readings have a distinct connection that originates from the point of representation. The film is a representation of the masculinity and the extent of the authority that accompanied it in the medieval ages. This aspect is illustrated in the first reading concerning the Hagiography of Steel. This reading introduces the concept of symbolism in the medical ages. That is; the weapons used during that period were a symbol of power and authority for legends such as King Arthur. On the other hand, the third reading now draws a comparison between the types of heroism by different individuals in the medieval ages.

Works Cited

Driver, Martha W, and Sid Ray. The Medieval Hero on Screen: Representations from Beowulf to Buffy. Jefferson: McFarland, 2004. Print.
Pugh, Tison, and Angela J. Weisl. Medievalisms: Making the Past in the Present. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.