Guinevere is a Feminist Icon!

While I know very little about historical accuracy, this movie seemed to check the important boxes. The knights, the armor, the weaponry, transportation methods, etc, all seemed to match my idea of what they "should be." This movie begins by suggesting to the viewer that King Arthur was a real guy during the Dark Ages, which may have colored the way I viewed it; that being said, I was willing to believe that this small, scrappy crew would've been successful behind the wise Arthur and his humanitarian ways. At least, I believe it could've been based on a real person and group.

A surprising factor of this movie was the agency given to Guinevere. Keira Knightley does a great job at playing the damsel-not-in-distress as she calls Arthur on his bullshit (see: "animals live, don't you want to live free") and holds her own...once she's rescued from prison. She chooses to stand on the sketchy frozen body of water and fight with the group of round-table knights. Guinevere also chooses to sleep with Arthur rather than the other way around; the way it is shot shows that she is in control of the situation, as she makes the sexual advances and seduces Arthur. 

I question the accuracy of a prisoner not only being able to freely speak her mind to a knight, but to also go on to marry a king. I wonder, too, about the legitimacy of a woman choosing to fight in a battle with absolutely no contest. I'm sure that women had more agency than what I was taught to believe, but something tells me that may be a bit exaggerated for the purposes of telling the story...I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking but it just doesn't click for me. All that said, I love seeing a powerful woman in full control of what she does in the battlefield and in the bedroom. You go Guinevere! 

she looks super badass tho