Original artwork, not a still
Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!
— Monty Python and the Holy Grail • 1975
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a medieval peasant giving a political-science seminar to a king, and the joke is that Dennis is right. The line punctures the whole mythology of divine right and magical swords with a dry argument about consent, which is why it is quoted by anyone who wants to mock a claim to authority based on pageantry. It is also the origin of the 'watery tart' insult and of the shout about being repressed, both of which fans still use.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Monty Python and the Holy GrailShow the scene
Early in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), King Arthur and his servant Patsy are searching the countryside for knights when Arthur stops to recruit two peasants working in the mud. Arthur explains that the Lady of the Lake held up Excalibur and that this is why he is king. Dennis, played by Michael Palin, is unimpressed. He lectures Arthur on anarcho-syndicalist politics, insisting that power comes from a mandate from the masses, and delivers this line. Arthur loses patience and tries to shut him up, and Dennis cries out about the violence inherent in the system.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Monty Python and the Holy GrailDialogue between Arthur and DennisReference checked
- Wikipedia: Monty Python and the Holy GrailPlot and CastReference checked
Context reviewed
