King Arthur’s last goodbye with Guinevere is a devastating lesson in the power of magnanimity. It might even be Arthur’s finest moment. Magnanimity derives from the roots magnus (great) + animus (soul)—the magnanimous man is thus great-souled, a quality which manifests most particularly in his generosity or forgiveness especially toward a rival or a less powerful person. This is a difficult concept for children of modernity to understand, since we are skeptical about the soul and openly hostile to greatness; our shallow one-size-fits-all virtue of niceness doesn’t come close to approximating magnanimity. Let’s look to the example of Arthur to see this quality embodied.
The Power of Magnanimity: King Arthur at His Best
The Power of Magnanimity: King Arthur at His…
The Power of Magnanimity: King Arthur at His Best
King Arthur’s last goodbye with Guinevere is a devastating lesson in the power of magnanimity. It might even be Arthur’s finest moment. Magnanimity derives from the roots magnus (great) + animus (soul)—the magnanimous man is thus great-souled, a quality which manifests most particularly in his generosity or forgiveness especially toward a rival or a less powerful person. This is a difficult concept for children of modernity to understand, since we are skeptical about the soul and openly hostile to greatness; our shallow one-size-fits-all virtue of niceness doesn’t come close to approximating magnanimity. Let’s look to the example of Arthur to see this quality embodied.