Modes of Masculinity
There is nothing more masculine than King Arthur and the tradition of chivalry for his Knights; there is also no more likely "phallic symbol" (as feminists would say, but I am not one myself) than that of Arthur's sword, Excalibur; why? Why have a "sword in the stone" anyway? The film details how Uther's lust cost him the crown of England, and his phallic Excalibur had to be buried in a stone, because it was a "hard" erection for Igrayne that led to Uther losing everything, so the sword in the stone becomes a dualistic symbol of the "good phallus," Excalibur, and the "bad phallus," Excalibur in the stone (where it can't do anything). If a man cannot control himself--as Arthur does in marrying Guinevere instead of just bedding her, as Uther does with Igrayne--there is peace, prosperity and happiness for all throughout the whole kingdom. When Arthur gives up Excalibur (when he fails to use his "good phallus" for the benefit of all) then all goes to rack and ruin; that's also when the "bad phallus," the incest with his half-sister Morgana, comes in, because the sexual appetites become perverse, leading to the birth of the "monster" Mordred who brings death and division to the kingdom.
But the men are just one part of the tale, the women are the other,....
All three dominant women in the film--Arthur's mother Igrayne, his wife Guinevere and sister Morgana--are adultresses, that is, they allow their own unchaste and undisciplined sexual appetites to contribute to the "bad phallus" and degrading of society. One might argue that Igrayne didn't knowingly commit adultery, however, she did willingly perform the erotically charged dance which Uther witnessed, and that was just as bad. Given the film Excalibur was released in the early 1980s, when AIDS had first been discovered and the "sexual freedom" was largely to blame for the spread and moral degrading of society, the film provides an excellent social commentary for both sexes on why and how to balance one's appetites for their own good, and the larger good of society.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned