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This article is about the character Arthur from King Arthur. For other versions of this character, see Arthur.

Artorius Castus, otherwise known as Arthur, is the main protagonist of the 2004 Touchstone Pictures film King Arthur, which sought to tell a historically accurate version of the legend of King Arthur.

Background[]

Personality[]

Arthur is a wise and commanding individual with a strong connection to his knights whom he cares deeply for. He strongly believes that it is his God given duty to ensure the safety and freedom of his men. While not a fanatic, he follows his orders unquestionably in the hopes that doing so will lead to a better life. When this ideal is destroyed, he becomes more determined to ensure the safety of his men and the pursuit of freedom. He even resorts to going against his orders to ensure that the people who have been harmed are safe and secure. He has a self-sacrificial belief, as he believed that giving up his own life would lead to his knights' salvation. He is not above earthly pleasures though, as he was willing to take Guinevere as his own.

Historical accuracy[]

The film portrays Arthur as a Sarmatian born who is half Briton, half Woad (Pict). Being raised under Roman rule, he is given the name Artorius Castus, with Arthur as his anglified name. The reason for this is due to the strong belief that the King Arthur of legend was derived from Roman military commander Lucius Artorius Castus. Additionally, early stories of Arthur place him, not as a king, but as a medieval commander, with later legends calling him a king. The film attempts to combine these elements together.

Trivia[]

  • Before Clive Owen was cast, Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson, Hugh Jackman, and Daniel Craig were considered for Arthur. Antione Fuqua favored Craig, but the studio insisted on Owen because they were convinced, ironically, that Owen would be the next James Bond.
  • As is the case with other adaptations of Arthur, he is usually portrayed as a native British born who either inherits the sword Excalibur from his father via a sword in a stone, or it is given to him by the Lady of the Lake. The film portrays him pulling the sword from his father's grave, a nod to the former legend.

Variants[]

External links[]

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