100 Fictional Characters Made of Win: #1 Arthur Pendragon
100 Fictional Characters Made of Win:
Big Damn Heroes
#1
Arthur Pendragon
Kicking off my 100 blog posts about my favorite characters, the ones who stuck with me, taught me lessons, and influenced me, is a character who is both very old and very new. I've divided the characters into groups, the first group being the characters I consider to be Big Damn Heroes. Not because they're always right. Not because they're always noble. But because they take on the world, bear their burdens, and try. They really do try.
Tales of the legendary King Arthur have circulated for centuries, and I grew up, like most children, dreaming of knights and battles, swordplay and magic. But, for the sake of this blog, I'm going to focus in on a version of King Arthur that is somewhat different from the others, young Arthur Pendragon from the BBC's Merlin television series.
Click to view(Fanvideo by Hogwarts 32)
What Makes Arthur Pendragon a Big Damn Hero?
Well, when first we meet to once and future king of Camelot, he's a bit of an ass.
No, no! Not a literal ass. (Yet.) He picks on Merlin, acts all entitled and like... like a "prince." Because, well, if anyone is going to act a bit spoiled in a kingdom, it's a prince, right? He makes poor decisions, continuously puts his foot in his mouth, and whines. Quite a bit.
But, Arthur grows as a character, into the man who would the king of legend. He tries to play both the obedient son to the temperamental King Uther, while at the same time making the decisions he knows to be right. This doesn't prove easy...or even possible, in some cases. While Arthur has yet to escape his anti-magic, Uther's-word-is-law upbringing, he slowly learns to think for himself, and becomes a leader. Becomes a man the people of his land can love and respect. And, he is willing to make even the most ultimate sacrifice in his duty toward his kingdom.
He still treats his lessers like his lessers. He still has no clue how to do chores on his own or even run his own bath. But, Arthur respects his friends, even those he also calls servants, and in him, it is easy to see the man who would be the king of legend.
What does my inner Fan-girl have to say about Arthur?
Because I can't just leave that noble description as it is, can I? No, I have to ruin it by fan-girling all over the place (which sounds utterly disgusting, doesn't it?)
Well, if you insist... Arthur is played by Bradley James, who has a seductive Bowie-esque smile and the sweetest damn accent. Seriously, he does. And he also has an ability to play both the stereotypical dumb blond, a smartass, and a hero, all at the same time, which shouldn't actually be possible, but it is.
Then there's the whole shirtless thing--as a single woman, I can appreciate the fanservice. He can kill any beast in the land, make treaties with warring kingdoms, rescue damsels in distress...can't find a damn shirt without shouting for Merlin's aid.
Okay, that's unfair. He's not always losing his shirt. (And, those times it is almost always Merlin's fault...)