Synthesis Essay The 400 years between when “The Misfortunes of Arthur” was written, and the movie Excalibur was directed; the character Mordred of the Arthurian Legends went through many different unique re-tellings. These re-tellings were a result of business and a unique selling point that each writer or director used in order for their work to be a success. The selling points that the writer or director chooses are affected by their audience, in which they try to bring something new and entice the people of their time period. These factors provide strong reasoning to how Mordred went from a man stealing the crown from his father and having a courtly love affair with his mother, to a young boy that leads an uprising against his father with the help of his aunt/mother.…show more content… They try and connect their interpretation of the legend to the people they believe will pay to watch or read their work; this means they focus on their audience. “The Misfortunes of Arthur” shows many examples of love and battles while adding songs at the end of each act. Music and songs were popular in a medieval culture, when this text was written, so Hughes incorporates it into his play. With Hughes adding a popular aspect into his play, people feel enjoyment while watching, which drives “The Misfortunes of Arthur” upward, leading it to be a successful play. The same effect is used in Excalibur when talking about the sword and the stone, Merlin, and Morgan Le Fay. These examples connect to some type of magical or supernatural power, which in today’s period are popular themes. Therefore, Boorman chooses to use these as the main themes in his movie because it brings excitement to the viewer and influences them to pay to watch again, driving this particular interpretation into success while also explaining why the authors and directors choose to include, change, or remove specific details in the
