Arthurian Knights in CG

[jczala.livejournal.com]

We all know that the Arthurian legends are heavily influenced in Code Geass. The roles revolving around King Arthur and his knights are almost (but not quite) similar to roles of the characters in Code Geass. The Knights of the Rounds, most especially, have caught my interest, and I've done a little studying about Arthur's knights.

KNIGHT OF THREE: Gino Weinberg

First, let me begin with the Knight of Three, Gino Weinberg. He's a seventeen year old guy born from nobility. Despite his young age, he is the Knight of Three and has superb piloting skills. His Knightmare Frame is Tristan. I've noticed something about Gino when he's fighting. He enjoys it, which is rather obvious in his face, and there's something odd about him. He is always cheerful and energetic--and that worries me. At first, I didn't give a damn about him, but seeing him battle made me think otherwise. Sometimes, the cheerful characters are the most dangerous to me. Upon seeing his rather angst face in the second opening of R2, my suspicion of him got even bigger. Don't get me wrong. Gino is a nice character and I like him a lot, but there's more to him than that friendly smile of his.

Okay, Gino pilots the Knightmare Frame Tristan. In the Arthurian legends, Sir Tristan was a noble knight with great kills in hunting, jousting, dancing, and harp playing. He is quite remembered for his relationship with Isolde. His name actually means sorrow, and this was the name given to him because his mother died giving birth to him. In some books I've read, Tristan is known as the Death Knight. Hence, we see the reason why the KMF Tristan is wielding a scythe as a weapon. His uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, sent Tristan to Ireland to escort the beautiful Isolde back to Cornwall to marry King Mark. On the voyage back to England, Tristan and Isolde drank a love potion mistakingly believingt hat it was wine. This potion, which had been meant to enhance the marriage of Mark and Isolde, instead bound Tristran and Isolde inextricably and tragically in love.

I don't know but I have a feeling that Gino is a rather tragic character. I could be wrong by this assumption, but I'm just stating my own opinion. His expression in the OP suggests that he will play a dark role later on.

KNIGHT OF SIX: Anya Alstreim

Pink-haired Anya is the youngest member of the Knight of Rounds. According to the novel, she became a Knight of Rounds at the age of 14 (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). Seeking to be remembered, she regularly uses her camera phone to update her blog. She has rather an introverted personality. However, her piloting skills are top-notch and she pilots the heavy assault Knightmare Frame, Mordred. In the anime, I always see little girls carrying big guns >_<. She seems to know Lelouch as a young boy and she is somehow connected to C.C. as shown in one of the episodes.

Mordred is known as the traitor among the Knights of the Round Table. His brothers or half-brothers are Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth. Mordred is the son of Arthur and his sister or half-sister, depending upon the version of the legend one reads. The sister's identity is probably Morgause or Morgan le Fay, and there are countless references to her incestuous encounter with Arthur. The portrayals, if kind to Arthur, often place the 'blame' upon her - sometimes a result of her 'abilities of enchantment', and sometimes resulting from her deception regarding her relationship with Arthur.

Something which Mordred certainly represents above ALL other considerations is egotism. By whatever means, he rose to the status of knighthood, and for this he must be commended. Any bitterness his mother had concerning her relationship with Arthur might have been bred into Mordred as well, and his enthusiasm, considering his denied lineage and any actions taken to prevent its fruition, is understandable. And this, egotism, is what Malory condemns as 'evil', not a caricature of a good king's rival, but the robust challenge of an enthusiastic, if ill-fated young man. There are times when, although Mordred's acts fall squarely within what may be called modern 'justice', Malory describes his actions as 'plots' and 'wickedness'.

Anya is nothing like Mordred, but it won't surprise me if she suddenly switches side. I have this crazy idea in my head that she'll side with C.C. and Lelouch later on. Well, that's just me.

KNIGHT OF SEVEN: Suzaku Kururugi

Suzaku is granted a position in the Knight of Rounds by the Emperor for his capture of Zero. His current title and rank is Knight of Seven. Suzaku desires to become the Knight of One, a status that will allow him to rule Area 11 by his choosing. As we all know, he pilots the Lancelot.

Lancelot is both the greatest and the worst of the knights at the court of of King Arthur. Lancelot is the son of King Ban of Benwick,and he is known as Lancelot of the Lake or Lancelot du Lac as he was raised by the Lady of the Lake. He does all sorts of good deeds, including rescuing Queen Guinevere from Meleagant, an unsuccessful quest for the Holy Grail and the rescue of the queen after she is condemned to be burned to death for adultery with, ironically, Lancelot. Lancelot as the knight who is most skilled in arms, chivalry and all the other qualities that make a knight a knight. He becomes the king's champion, fighting challenges and undertaking quests in the king's name. Eventually he becomes the adulterous lover of Queen Guinevere, a relationship that causes Arthur's Camelot to finally come to an end.

Okay, Suzaku is like Lancelot in so many ways. Right now, I'm close to the point of hating Suzaku for what he's doing right now in the series, though I still like him. Now that sounds weird. Anyway, since Suzaku represents Lancelot, I'm guessing that Euphemia is like Guinevere here. Hehe... But he is the most loyal to the empire, and like Lancelot he is chivalrous and skilled in arms.

KNIGHT OF ONE: Bismarck Waldstein

I think his name was derived from Otto von Bismarck, who was an influential German politician of the 19th century. Since he is the Knight of One, he is also the strongest among the knights. Despite his status and abilities, he does not believe that war should be used as a means of subduing unrest. I can't really go that deep into his character yet since he's rarely on screen. I do want to learn more of his character. But I believe he's an intimidating figure. He pilots the Knightmare Frame, Galahad, which is the wielder of the Excalibur.

Galahad is the son of Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic.  Contrast to his father, Galahad is shown to be pure in mind, body, spirit, and intention. Galahad is handsome and brave, but resists the lure of the many women that tempt him, and remains a virgin all his life, while awaiting his destiny with the Grail. He is one of the achievers of the grail. In other words, he is known as the Knight of purity.

The Knight of One might not be a terrible person if he's anything like Galahad. All I could say is that he is still a big threat.

KNIGHT OF TEN: Luciano Brandli

He is a laid-back man who often does as he pleases, but is still fiercely loyal to the Empire. He is known as the "Vampire of Britannia" and pilots the Knightmare Frame Percival. Another interesting knight for me. I do wonder why he's calle the Vampire. Let's see...Suzaku is known as the White Reaper and he's the vampire. Somehow, they are being portrayed as monsters.

Now we come to Sir Percival. As the original Grail Knight, he is most famous for his involvement in the quest for the Holy Grail. Percival was often portrayed as a simple young man with uncouth innocence. As a knight, Percival has great strength and natural skills in jousting and swordsmanship. His ignorance stemmed from the fact that his mother had kept him ignorant about his father and brothers, who were knights. His mother didn't want to lose her son too, so she avoid mentioning life of the nobles and knights. Percival wanted to become a knight and left home after seeing a few knights passing the forest which he and his mother lived.

Percival was one of Knights of the Round Table. As a knight, he was usually known as the Red Knight, because he won his horse, armour and weapon by killing the Red Knight of Quinqueroy. So, it's no wonder Luciano is wearing red. He's normally called Percival the fool.

I'm thinking that Luciano may tend to act like a fool since he's so laid-back, but he's not someone to be underestimated. His title as a vampire is kinda creepy enough.

Comments

[pocky-please.livejournal.com]

I have a bad feeling about Gino (or cheerful characters, in general) when it has something to do with Sunrise. ;______;

But I hope what I think won`t happen. >__

[jczala.livejournal.com]

I don't want Gino to be portrayed evil later on, but I still get this feeling. >_

[fox-holland.livejournal.com]

I don't Anya to be a Rei x.x

[jczala.livejournal.com]

Hehe... I don't think she'll be a Rei here.

[fox-holland.livejournal.com]

I just get the vibe that she's made from the corspe/leftovers of Marianne/Yui Ikari.

[breepants.livejournal.com]

I think Anya will defect to the Black Knights. If she finds out who Zero is, she might join his side.

I think we should have a discussion about the other mythologies too. Sword of Akasha anyone?

[jczala.livejournal.com]

I think so too. There is a possibility of Anya switching sides.

[jczala.livejournal.com]

From what I've read, Akasha means the basis and essence of all things. The source of everything that exists. And in the series, it is the tool to destroy the gods.

[e-eleniel.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the nice info on the Knights of the Round Table. This subject was intriguing me, too...

Personally, I find Gino as a vey interesting character. I have the same sentiment about him being a darker character than he really shows. I like him, but he somehow bothers me like an itch in my brain.

I also watched some episodes just to look back at Anya's character. She has photos of Lulu's childhood and when their KMFs clashed with CC, she had some visions about Lulu and his time as a prince strenghts the possibility that she personally knew Lulu and even CC...Though I don't know what kind of openings this possibility would bring to the CG plot...

I never liked Suzaku to begin with. When I was having a small chat with a fellow CG fan, she complained that everyone seems to hate him with a passion. Maybe that's because of fandom's general tendency of favouring Lulu-may be not- or simple fangirling... But if I put aside my own fangirl sense, I never liked him. I can't be sympathetic with him. Even at the university when we studied the King Arthur legend, I didn't like Lancelot-personal feelings-. The partial pov of the numbers on Lancelot being the Shiro Shinigami is somewhat true to me. He is the perfect knight on the surface but Suzaku has little redeeming qualities in my opinion. He is a messed up boy, I can understand why he is like this to some extend, yet he is creepy. He really gives off a feral and lethal vibe to me even when he is smiling. Really, Suzaku always amazes me with things he does, like thinking of using Refrain on Kallen to get info on Zero -even if the motive behind it is good, I can't justify his actions no matter what. I have to say that I don't justify Lulu's actions, too... He is sometimes beyond my comprehension.

I really wonder if there is anyone out there who recently studied KA legend and bring some more insights on Lancelot and Suzaku. It would be a pleasure to read...

[brisent.livejournal.com]

Tragic Gino would suit my fangirly needs quite well. But I don't want to see him going batshit insane on anyone. D: I always thought that he was one of the more potential people to get killed off before the season ended. And that is really creepy about Anya, too. I kinda liked her. 3: I hope she doesn't screw everything up for...everyone. EVERYONE IN THE KNIGHTS OF ROUND ARE OUT TO GET EACH OTHER. D:

[jczala.livejournal.com]

Since Tristan, the sorrow, had caused his mother's death, I believe Gino has a tragic past of his own.

[fujiappletan.livejournal.com]

Also, someone... posted snippets of the novel they translated, and I thought they mentioned Gino's beliefs on strong people/weak people and how it came to be by some girl he cared about who probably died etc, etc. So it really does feel like he does have a tragic past? If the novels can be taken into consideration.

[x-drear-x.livejournal.com]

That was an interesting read. Gahhh I can't wait for more about Gino now! The OP was so...Ominous!

[rainbow-cnxn.livejournal.com]

According to my in-depth research on Wiki (lol), the affair between Tristan and Isolde greatly influenced the writing of the legend of Lancelot and Guinevere. And it has been shown in the KoR Sneaker novels that Gino does have some mysterious girl in his past. I wonder how much of his experiences could parallel Suzaku's.

Lancelot fits Suzaku nicely because he was sorta a failed knight. Lancelot was a guy who, despite all his attempts at chivalry, just couldn't quite cut it, and I'd always felt that Suzaku tried so fucking hard to be the image of the perfect knight for Euphie and (obviously) failed at the end.

One of the first problems you encounter when trying to untangle the Arthurian mythos in CG is: "Who's represented by Arthur?" This is important, as so many Arthurian characters are defined by their relationship to Arthur. Is it Lelouch or Charles or someone else entirely?

And then you realize that in the canon, Arthur is a fucking cat that has a penchant for bobby things and biting Suzaku. =P And of course, there's the issue of Camelot (like, the whole frickin' thing) being embodied in the Lancelot's development staff. Suzaku/Lancelot rules over Camelot, whut? I know I'm getting kinda off-topic here, but this problem is a bigger one: "Where do the Arthurian parallels stop, and where does 'lol Sunrise' begin?" =P

[arhel.livejournal.com]

Anya is actually Arthur's kitten, turned into the form of a small girl by Geass powers. It all makes sense now :P

Honestly I would probably attribute most of this to "lol Sunrise". I kind of doubt that they had the KoR planned out way back in Season 1 when they were introducing Lancelot; quite likely it was just British mythology -> most famous knight -> Lancelot, and then they needed a naming theme for their mecha, so they fished names out of a hat from Arthurian legends.

Not saying the names can't be significant, but anime tends to like throwing in mythological references for the heck of it. I mean, there is a Guinevere in the show now, and I somehow don't see her having an epic tragic affair with Suzaku anytime soon.

[zerorevenge.livejournal.com]

Luciano is called "The Vampire"? Where is this stated?

[himeno-sakura.livejournal.com]

It's stated in his profile at the website I think.

[lilunara.livejournal.com]

The name Tristan is a baby boy name. The name Tristan comes from the Celtic origin. In Celtic The meaning of the name Tristan is: Tumult; outcry.

It's more sounds like Tristan's true meaning.

[lilunara.livejournal.com]

From Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Scholars have puzzled over the Green Knight's symbolism since the discovery of the poem. He could be a version of the Green Man, a mythological being connected with nature in medieval art, a Christian symbol, or the Devil himself. British medieval scholar C. S. Lewis said the character was "as vivid and concrete as any image in literature" and J. R. R. Tolkien said he was the "most difficult character" to interpret in Sir Gawain. His major role in Arthurian literature is that of a judge and tester of knights, thus he is at once terrifying, friendly, and mysterious. He appears in only two other poems: The Greene Knight and King Arthur and King Cornwall.Scholars have attempted to connect him to other mythical characters, such as Jack in the Green of British tradition but no definitive connection has yet been established.


Green knight = Gino weinberg?

[breepants.livejournal.com]

The Green Man (Knight) has a plethora of metaphoric meanings. Most notably being a symbolism for nature, the fae, or a metaphor for the pagan religions that were being eradicated at the time that the Arthurian legends were being written.

I knew that Medieval Studies minor would come in handy.

[lilunara.livejournal.com]

The poet of the Sir gaiwan and Green knight highlights number symbolism to add symmetry and meaning to the poem. For example, three kisses are exchanged between Gawain and Bertilak’s wife; Gawain is tempted by her on three separate days; Bertilak goes hunting three times, and the Green Knight swings at Gawain three times with his axe. The number two also appears repeatedly, as in the two beheading scenes, two confession scenes, and two castles.The five points of the pentangle, the poet adds, represent Gawain’s virtues, for he is “faithful five ways and five times each”.[50] The poet goes on to list the ways in which Gawain is virtuous: all five of his senses are without fault; his five fingers never fail him, and he always remembers the five wounds of Christ, as well as the five joys of the Virgin Mary. The fifth five is Gawain himself, who embodies the five moral virtues of the code of chivalry: “friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety”. All of these virtues reside, as the poet says, in the “Endless Knot” of the pentangle, which forever interlinks and is never broken. Thus, the poet makes Gawain the epitome of perfection in knighthood through number symbolism.

Green knight=3
Gaiwan=5

[fujiappletan.livejournal.com]

I think Mordred fits Anya? She seems kinda arrogant when she fights, even if it's not like "obvious obvious" due to her regular personality. Also the whole Mordred and his relations could reflect Anya's relations to Lelouch and Nunnally? or something akin to it. I just want everyone to end up related in this show ahaha- *is shot*

[himeno-sakura.livejournal.com]

Yeah... She is kinda arrogant in a way.

I'm hoping that she'll switch sides.

[fujiappletan.livejournal.com]

:D

Oh me too, plus I picture Gino being *D:!devastated*.

[tarkara.livejournal.com]

As to Gino being happy all the time>
CLAMP made him.


Fai anyone?

[brisent.livejournal.com]

I second this. xDD The truth of it burns.

[shatteredwolf.livejournal.com]

Anyone know where I can find some pictures of knight of one?I really like him.

I just wonder about Gino as well. Been wondering since I first saw him. But we shall see.

[chiapetzukamori.livejournal.com]

interesting analysis ^_^ You bring up some good points!

...now what about the knights of twelve and nine? (I think the name of the knight of nine was given in Lost Colors but I have no idea what it is lol)
I wonder if the pattern continues with them!