From Disney movies to Monty Python skits, America loves recreating good ole’ Arthurian legends. Among the many retellings of Sir Thomas Mallory’s medieval book Le Mort d’Arthur, the 1960 Broadway musical Camelot has much to say about the modern degradation of the American Dream.
Premiering at the end of the Golden age of musical theatre and starring big names like Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, the show quickly became a hit. The story followed the rise and fall of Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot in one of the most famous love triangles ever told.
While we tend to think of this story in terms of courtly love, Camelot also centers on politics. King Arthur starts off as an idealistic boy just figuring out how to turn his dreams of justice and chivalry into reality. As Arthur declares, “Might for right! Right for right! Justice for all!”
However, the greatest test of his political aspirations comes as the kingdom crumbles. After saying goodbye to Lancelot and Guenevere, knowing there is nothing he can do to prevent the bloodshed, Arthur prepares for battle. All the while, he’s wracked with the question: was it all worth it?
As an audience member watching the show unfold, your heart aches at the proposition. Could all of Arthur’s efforts be for nothing? The greater ache in our heart ces from the realization that we’re no different. While the timeframe may be different, every once-great nation has fallen. There is no eternal country on earth and in the final moments we must ask ourselves, “was it worth it?”
As Arthur laments, a boy runs up to him. He wants to fight for the Round Table and become a knight, all because of the stories people tell of their courage and chivalry!
In Tom, this little boy, Arthur sees the reflection of his own youthful ideals. He knights the boy as Sir Tom of Warwick and gives him the most important commission:
“Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.”
And as Arthur tells his advisor, this is the victory that matters. What they did will be remembered. The hope that their story will be passed down for generations allows Arthur to face death head on, proud of his legacy.
His hope proved true; everyone knows the names of Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot, characters written centuries ago. Camelot is even ingrained in our politics. The John F. Kennedy administration was known as the Camelot era, referencing the musical itself and the medieval tales.
While these tales of the rise and fall of a nation may be fictional, they reveal truths about our political system. We can read dates of historical events in a textbook, but watching a story with sympathetic characters deepens our understanding of human nature in different political circumstances. It forms us more implicitly, and watching a young Arthur mature in his earnest pursuit of virtue leads us to desire the cultivation of the same virtue.
The stories that we pass down, whether fictional or factual, alter political systems. The question is which story do we tell?
The American Dream, one of the most inspiring American ideals, is souring in the public eye. We reject this positive narrative on the grounds that we as a nation fall short of our ideals, and continue to allow the least among us to slip through the cracks. Instead of a land of prosperity, many Americans label their country as the promulgator of oppression. There is no focus on an aspirational mission or fundamental principles, only a litany of injustices.
This narrative undermines the motivating force of the nation. As Arthur shows in Camelot, his reign required holding the excesses of the knights in check and tending to the concerns of the people. While Camelot was never truly perfect, its glory comes from its movement toward these ideals.
America takes up this legacy, adopting King Arthur’s court into our culture and shaping it to our circumstances. The story of our country is stronger than the state buildings or politicians. When we unify around an ideal, that story strengthens our country and becomes our legacy.
