King Vs Tyrant: The Hero's Final Test

In this article, we’ll be looking at what separates the secure king from the insecure tyrant. We’ll examine historical examples and fictional characters, comparing the good and bad qualities, and considering from a psychological lens the choices that define them. As we go through, you might realise that you share these qualities, whether they’re the productive or unproductive ones. So, with that out of the way, let’s get to it.

King's and Tyrant's Qualities

In the literary landscape, the secure king can be thought of as the fully realized version of the hero after they’ve accomplished their mission and learned how to rule, bringing a controlled but peaceful order to their kingdom. They have a strong sense of duty that’s boosted by a belief in something higher than their personal interests. Think Aragorn from Lord of the Rings or King Arthur. The tyrant, in comparison, is self-absorbed, obsessed with legacy, terrified of ridicule, and so seeks to control the narrative, stifling all dissent. The king’s acceptance of ridicule is a quality which sets him apart from the tyrant, who is too insecure to risk embarrassment.

Tyrant's Aversion to Ridicule

Historically, the king would employ the court jester, who would be granted immunity from punishment and given free rein to ridicule him. In the past, if a leader was seen to reject the utility of this role, then they were viewed as being on a dictatorial path away from expression and towards suppression and control. However, there are examples where a tyrannical king also has a jester on their side. Take Henry VIII, for example, who employed a jester through his, let’s say, controversial tenure. But to be fair, he did threaten to kill his jester after he dared to call Princess Elizabeth a bastard. Whilst we’re on the subject of Henry VIII, what made him a tyrant was his obsession with legacy. He was so desperate for his legacy to carry on with a male heir that he let it consume him, becoming a tyrant who executed two of his six wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, for failing to bear a boy. The irony here is that his two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, would end up on the throne, breaking the tradition of a male heir and making his obsession meaningless. His failing that eventually drove him mad was trying to control the uncontrollable.

The Secure King's Self-Belief

As I mentioned in my previous article on the warrior, the character of Simba in The Lion King is a good example of someone who needed to believe in himself. He had to stop shirking his responsibilities and stop blaming himself for his father’s death, proving to him that it’s possible to live up to his dad’s expectations and legacy if he willingly accepts the responsibilities of the king. Simba’s naïve prioritization of pleasure caused him to forget who he was, falling short of his purpose. This acceptance of responsibility is the first step into maturity and allows the king to cultivate the productive traits.

The story of King Arthur—if you believe it’s a story—is another example of a character denying his destiny. Arthur rejects his destiny after he suffers a failed coup attempt of the current king, Vortigern. Reflecting on the loss of his allies, Arthur doubts his ability to fulfil his destiny, and he throws the sword Excalibur into a lake. However, the Lady of the Lake, who’s a mage that represents the feminine energy, is able to balance Arthur’s doubts, which in turn reconvinces him that he’s destined to be king.

The role of the feminine to prompt the masculine to regenerate and recenter is a necessary step towards the secure king’s integration. It’s parallel to Nala’s role in waking Simba up from his slumber and encouraging him towards a life of responsibility. It’s through this synergy of the masculine and feminine energies that a unified order is created, which can then be bestowed to the kingdom when he becomes the ruler.

What also sets a secure king above a tyrant is his ability to willingly die in service of something higher than him at any given moment. This doesn’t necessarily have to be God. It could be their tribe, their family, the universe—anything that keeps their self-obsession at bay.

Although I did just say there are more options than it being God, in many cultures, the fate of their society is dependent on the king having a strong connection with their god. For example, the ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh served as a mediator between the gods and the living. They believed that the falcon-headed god Horus lived within the pharaoh, and when they died, it would be passed on to their successor. This meant the pharaoh’s laws had to be respected by all as they came from a divine place, creating a collective consensus and harmony in their society.

In fact, in many cultures, there’s a point when the king receives sacred information regarding the key to peace and order. Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai through counsel from God. In ancient Egypt, it was through the god Thoth. In Hinduism, Dharma is the universal truth, the right order. In China, it is Tao, which translates to the way.

If one wants to cultivate their own form of the king energy, they must understand what distinguishes a good king from a tyrant. For one, the former is not envious of others because they’ve already established a secure and clear mindset. You also recognize that power has the potential for destruction. As I mentioned in my video on the warrior, we all have this potential for destruction, and it’s on us to recognize our potential for this and begin to learn how to keep it in check.

The secure king knows that absolute power corrupts absolutely. It’s always more preferable to be aware of this than to just be ignorant of our power. This is because it’s more noble to be a man who can be cruel but tames it himself than to be one who doesn’t know what it means to be cruel. This is the same message found in the Beauty and the Beast story, with the Beast only being reborn into his human body once he has come to terms with his monstrous appearance. As Jung says:

“If a man is a hero, he is a hero because in the final reckoning he did not let the monster devour him, but subdued it—not once, but many times.”

Closing Thoughts

To conclude, the king in its fully realized form is secure and principled, with their carefully considered values making them a role model for others to follow. With the king being the complete hero, it’s multi-dimensional—containing the traits of the warrior such as their impeccability and perseverance, the innocent pure spirit, as well as any other qualities they find from the characters they meet. In our lives, this positive king energy is unlocked when we accept our dual nature in its totality, recognizing its potential for both creation and destruction. And whilst we’re at it, we should also expel any illusions of self-grandeur in favour of a higher power.

Thanks for reading, would appreciate it if you hopped over to my YouTube :)

Brandon

‍