Uncovering Hyper-Masculinity In Arthurian Legends

Since the beginning of time violence has been a part of humanity but more specifically violence has been dominantly centred around men and masculinity. Arthurian legends are well known for their chivalrous knights and honourable kings who fight for justice and morality. The three films that this essay will analyse; King Arthur, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Aquaman depict the tales of a man named Arthur and his journey fighting for honour, love, loyalty and duty against greed and jealousy. Masculinity is a very prominent aspect in all three films with majority of all male characters portraying typical masculine qualities, but the conflict caused in each film derives from hyper-masculinity. Therefore, these three films show how hyper-masculinity is linked with violence. Through secondary research and in-depth close analysis of key scenes from the three films the link between hyper-masculinity and violence will be explored.

In the newspaper article Father, Forgive Me for my Hyper-masculinity Joseph Brean writes on a campaign held at the university of Reina where both males and females are encouraged to take part in a 'masculinity confession booth' where they are able to come clean about their negative masculine tendencies. Hypermasculinity can be described as 'an exaggerated view of maleness in which emotion is suppressed until it explodes as anger' by Roz Kelsey. The anti-violence campaign promotes healthy masculinity by exposing toxic masculine traits such as hyper-masculinity. In the text hyper-masculinity is considered is a social construct placed upon male where men are put into an emotionless prison forcing them do deal with their emotions in a more aggressive and toxic way such as violence. Ros Kelsey, a professor in kinesiology and health studies, explains how the men are forced to resort to anger as a way to process any emotional turbulence and this is 'the direct connection that we see in violence.” Brean connects the link between masculinity causing violence but as a result of emotional trauma.

Hyper-masculinity is linked not only to violence but to shame. In her essay “I Retract that Bit”: Hypermasculinity and Violence in Martin McDonagh’s Films, Molly Ferguson writes that men with hyper masculinity resort to anger in order to avoid emotions of shame. Ferguson shows that the term hyper-masculinity itself is an exaggeration of masculine tendencies such as strength and aggression. Ferguson writes that hyper-masculinity is an accomplishment and in order to become a man one has to accomplish this factor first. Her analysis of McDonagh’s films shows that violent, racist and dehumanizing traits are directly caused by one’s attempt to obtain hyper-masculinity in order to avoid shame. Ferguson shows the link between hyper-masculinity and shame and violence is a direct symptom of the two. In order to prove themselves men exaggerate the masculine attributes that they have. Each of the characters she analyses resorts to violence as a result of their hyper-masculinity and therefore, it is clear that violence is linked with hypermasculinity.

King Arthur directed by Antoine Fuqua is a typical Arthurian film other than the fact that Arthur himself is a Roman Officer who leads his knights. The film has themes such as Christianity, loyalty, honour and masculinity. These themes are what Arthurian film are known for and they show the brutality and resistance that men have when they have their honour on the line. The Saxon named Cerdic is one of the antagonists in the film, but hyper-masculinity is seen in almost all the male characters causing wars and conflict even between the closest of friends. The film shows men as they try to overpower each other for land and power. The greed to become more powerful and to own for land and to kill more people is directly linked to hyper-masculinity because to appear more masculine in the thirteenth century one had to kill to become powerful. Arthur is also seen to possess hyper-masculinity but isn’t as aggressive as the Saxon King Cerdic. The two characters together prove that hyper-masculinity causes violence, whether it’s intentional or not.

Arthur possesses hyper-masculinity but instead of using his exaggerated masculinity for greed or suffering he uses it to save and protect people. In a scene where Arthur and his knights arrive to a village owned by Romans Arthur is immediately set apart physically, being taller and holding more muscle on his body than any of the commoners who stand beside him. Not only is he physically much more masculine but he speaks in a lower register pointing his sword at commoners when he’s angry and therefore his masculine traits that he possesses are above the average man. These enhanced physical traits amplify Arthur’s masculinity casuing him to have hyper-masculinity and this is why he is so experienced in combat; he has fought many battles. Although he is there to help the commoners, he points his sword which is an act of aggression and violence escalating the scene very quickly despite his original intentions of freedom. Arthur only indented to find out the truth about the awful treatment the commoners were under but, regardless of his intentions he still resorted to violence. This shows that even in the most honourable and just man where there is hyper-masculinity there will be violence.

Cerdic, the Saxon King, is the main reason there is conflict in the film all because of his desire for violence. The entire film foreshadowed Cerdic as a formidable antagonist, portraying him and the Saxon army as unbeatable and barbaric but until the scene just before the final battle Cerdic is still cloaked in a thick layer of fog. In the scene where he requests to talk to Arthur his hyper-masculinity is seen on full display. He deepens his tone of voice and gets into Arthur’s personal space in order to show his superiority, strength and hostility towards Arthur. Cerdic then aggressively states “you should be on your knees” towards Arthur when he begins to feel threatened. Through this conversation it is clear that Cerdic portrays an intimidating and aggressive character and ultimately it is his desire to be the most masculine, which in these times meant the most powerful. It is this desire that leads to so much violence and death in the scenes to follow.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword directed by Guy Ritchie is a sci-fi take on a classic Arthurian legend. It incorporates magic, honour and duty in order to make a very compelling film filled to the brink with masculine virtues. Arthur is forced to live like a commoner, and he is brought up by the streets which has filled him with strength, wits and arrogance. The conflict in the film starts and ends with Arthur’s uncle and his greed for power which is caused by the hyper-masculinity that his. Arthurs uncle is a prime example of a man who has bottled up all his emotions, ranging from jealousy to guilt, which causes him to amplify his strength and domineering characteristics. He even murders both his wife and his daughter in order to become more powerful which leads to conflict with Arthur’s father. Arthur is forced to fulfil his duty and defeat his uncle, which is done by being less violent and more forgiving as he lowers his masculinity. King Vortigern shows that hyper-masculinity is linked not only to violence but to death.

Hyper-masculinity doesn’t just result in violence, but it can result to suppression. In a scene during the first half of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword King Vortigen tells Arthur “I will show them power,” followed by “I will show them strength,” as he puffs his chest. These two quotes portray Vortigen’s view of power and masculinity as qualifications to be an effective ruler when in actual fact it makes Vortigern a dictator. In this scene Vortigen tries to kill Arthur in a display of his strength, in doing so he gets the kingdom to turn against Arthur by stripping Arthur down and taking away his strength. In his attempt to make Arthur look weak he himself is overexaggerating his masculinity, screaming with the crowd and being overly aggressive towards everyone and everything. This exaggeration of his masculinity is to justify his role as king and to inflict pain and suffering into his people. The hyper-masculinity that he possesses not only almost causes Arthur to lose his head in an attempt to establish dominance but, he is trying to use his strength and aggression to dominate and cause fear in his people. Vortigern’s actions are therefore an excellent example of hyper-masculinity leading to violence in an attempt to avoid shame.

Death as a result of hyper-masculinity isn’t uncommon in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword but is rather an extreme result of the violence caused by hyper-masculinity. In the final fight between King Vortigern and Arthur, the two most masculine characters in the whole film, Vortigern transformed into a demonic character towering over Arthur both in height and width. This transformation is a result of Vortigern killing his daughter to increase his strength and size. His physical appearance symbolises the over-exaggeration of his masculinity inside his head and visually shows what hyper-masculinity is, that being the exaggeration of strength and aggression. The only way for Vortigern to become powerful is through violence and death but Arthur breaks this wall and sees Vortigern for what he is, a greedy regular man jealous of his brother’s throne. In fact, it is through Arthur’s masculinity that he is able to defeat Vortigern in the first place but instead of his physical appearance symbolising his hyper-masculinity it is the sword handed down to Arthur. The sword has a direct link to death as it is a weapon designed to take lives and to use in acts of violence therefore Arthur’s sword and Vortigern’s exaggerated physical appearance are both directly linked to violence and death. It is through Arthur and Vortigern that hyper-masculinity can be linked to violence.

Aquaman directed by James Wan is an Arthurian film taking place in modern times where men are given the abilities of Gods. Aquaman, also known as Arthur, has many elements that are typical to Arthurian films such as chivalry, honour and courage. Hyper-masculinity is shown through Arthur’s half-brother who portrays an overly masculine persona which ultimately causes a war. His biggest attributes are his strength and his ability to dominate others around him, which are classic traits of hyper-masculinity. When he breaks down this hyper-masculine persona the war ends, and he finds some peace in his character. Arthur who is very masculine only shows symptoms of hyper-masculinity in the beginning of the film and it is because of this that the tensions between his half-brother and himself escalates and he almost dies. Through King Orm hyper-masculinity can be seen to not only cause violence but be a way to establish authority.

Hyper-masculinity is a display of dominance and aggression that leads to violence. In Aquaman there is a scene in the first quarter of the film where Arthur is chained up in front of Atlantis and the high court. This scene depicts King Orm’s hyper-masculinity as he tries to overcompensate and make himself appear stronger and better than Arthur which can only be explained by Orm’s feelings of inadequacy. In this scene Arthur is chained up looking up to Orm who was sitting in his throne. Despite this fact Orm still rose above his throne to not only tower over Arthur but to tower over the entire of Atlantis. As he rises, he lowers his voice and broadens his shoulders once again trying to exaggerate his masculinity in order to become threatening. Orm’s use of his hyper-masculinity was strategic in order to persuade Arthur into a duel which Arthur accepts stating “you want conflict,” not only does Orm try to threaten Arthur with his hyper-masculinity but he wants conflict and he wants violence. This scene shows that hyper-masculinity is directly linked to violence and conflict and in fact in this scene violence was the goal.

Suppressed emotions are what triggers hyper-masculinity and anger. In the final battle scene between Orm and the Kingdom of the Brine the army of Atlantis and the Kingdom of the Brine go head to head in a battle of epic proportions. Just before this battle is engaged Orm states that his plan is to fight the Brine and then “scorch the surface,” this quote is then followed by a long shot of his combined army. The army is one that he established through deceit and murder, but it is a clear representation of his hyper-masculinity. The only way for king Orm to establish himself and make himself feel powerful is by overcompensating in his physic, his voice and his army. His army isn’t just the result of his exaggerated masculinity, but it is an attempt to ruin the surface due to his suppressed emotions towards the surface being the cause of his mother’s death. Orm’s supressed emotions about his mother’s death leads to anger and hatred which causes his heightened masculinity. This snowball effect of suppressed emotions leading to violence and death is the only way Orm can deal with the death of his mother even if it is misguided. This scene shows how supressed emotions eventually lead to hyper-masculinity, through his army, and therefore violence.

The three Arthurian films explored prove that hyper-masculinity is directly linked with violence. Every antagonist in each film possesses hypermasculinity that is shown through their physical appearance, the way they act and the people they supress. Despite the honour and chivalrous nature of Arthurian legends, these films prove that violence is an outcome of hyper-masculinity. The films discussed show violence as the goal of hyper-masculinity, as seen in through Cervic (King Arthur) and King Orm (Aquaman) and violence as an unavoidable symptom of hyper-masculinity due to emotional suppression or greed. Whether the characters fight for justice or for vengeance and jealousy, they still fight engaging in violence. It is clear that the more masculinity that a character possesses the more violence that he engages in therefore characters with hyper-masculinity tend to be the causes of conflict or they look for it. These three films prove that there is a link between hyper-masculinity and violence.

Bibliography 

1. Brean, Joseph. “Father, Forgive Me For Hyper- Masculinity; Confession Booth Set up at U. of Regina.” 30 Mar. 2017, http://ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/login?url=https://search-proquest- com.ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/docview/1882502584?accountid=10675.
2. Ferguson M. “‘I Retract That Bit…’: Hypermasculinity and Violence in Martin McDonagh’s Films.” Lit Literature Interpretation Theory, vol. 30, no. 1, 2019, pp. 25–43., doi:10.1080/10436928.2019.1561127.
3. Fuqua, Antoine, director. King Arthur: Directors Cut. Touchstone Home Entertainment, 2004.
4. Jansson, Peter Martin. “Exploring Pathways Related to Men’s Violence: A Qualitative Exploration of the Relationship between Violent Men’s Violence and Their Masculinities, Childhood, and Emotions.” Deviant Behaviour, vol. 40, no. 10, 4 June 2018, pp. 1171–1186., doi:10.1080/01639625.2018.1472929.
5. Ritchie, Guy, director. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Warner Bros. Entertainment, 2017.
6. Wan, James, director. Aquaman. Warner Bros. Entertainment, 2018.