Conchobhar

The Role of Kings and Warriors

Choncobhar is not necessarily a good king... In fact most would argue that a king who abandons his men in the midst of a battle would qualify as a rather terrible king. But to further understand why he his such a terrible king, analyze what characteristic constitute a good king.

1. A strong leader
2. An outspoken man
3. A good listener
4. A Fair and Just human being
5. A firm and unyielding decision maker
6. (in the words of jake) a total badass

Choncubar fails to be a strong leader- by abandoning his troops they are left bereft of a central figure, not a good position to be in during a battle. He is extremely selfish and vain as seen by his willingness to display his figure. I am almost supprised he did not commit suicide when he saw his disfigured self. The only reason he manages to hold the throne is because of the gifts he gives to his people. He truly is a terrible king.

The role of warriors is also important throughout the story, warriors are ideally very loyal, very strong, very determined, very courageous, and also very bad-ass. The warriors of both Connought and Ulster embody these traits. They fight fearlessly. Cet even steals away the brain-ball of his deceased companion from his enemy, a testament to his loyalty. This is ironic because with such a terrible king, one might expect some sort of dissent among his warriors and citizens. Instead they are insanely loyal, which perhaps shows another trait of the warrior little intelligence.