[lfjokes] King Arthur....

[Simondo]

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a 
neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him, but was moved by
Arthur's youth and ideals. So the monarch offered him freedom, as long as
he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to
figure out the answer and if, after a year, he still had no answer, he
would be put to death.  The question was: What do women really want? 

Such question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man and, to young
Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than
death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's
end.  

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everybody: the princess, the
priests, the prostitutes, the wise men, the court jester. He spoke with
everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.  Many people
advised him to consult the old witch. Only she would know the answer. The
price would be high, however, as the witch was famous throughout the
kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.  

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no alternative but to 
talk to the witch. She agreed to answer his question, but he'd have to 
accept her price first:  she wanted to marry Gawain, the most noble ofthe 
Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!  Young Arthur was 
horrified as the witch was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, 
smelled like sewage, made obscene noises ... etc.  He had never 
encountered such a repugnant creature and he refused to force his friend 
to marry her and endure such a burden.   

Gawain, upon learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He told him 
that no sacrifice was too high compared to Arthur's life and the 
preservation of the Round Table.   

Hence, their wedding was proclaimed, and the witch answered Arthur's
question thusly: What a woman really wants is to be in charge of her own
life.  

Everyone instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that 
Arthur's life would be spared. And it was so. The neighboring monarch 
granted Arthur total freedom and Gawain and the witch had a splendid 
marriage. Arthur was torn between relief and anguish. Gawain was proper 
as always, gentle and courteous.  The old witch put her worst manners on 
display and made everyone very uncomfortable.  

The honeymoon hour approached. Gawain, steeling himself for a horrific
experience, entered the bedroom.  But what a sight awaited him! The most
beautiful woman he'd ever seen lay before him! The astounded Gawain asked
what had happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to
her when she'd appeared as a witch, she would henceforth be her horrible,
deformed self only half the time, and the other half she would be her
beautiful maiden self.  Which would he want her to be during the day and
which during the night? 

What a cruel question! Gawain pondered his predicament: during the day, a 
beautiful woman to show off to his friends but, at night in the privacy 
of his home, a hideous witch? Or vice-a-versa?   

What would you do? What Gawain chose follows below, but don't read it
until you've made your own choice.     





Noble Gawain replied that he would let her choose for herself.  Upon
hearing this, the witch announced that she would be beautiful all the
time, because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her
own life. 

What is the moral of this story?  

The moral is this: If a woman doesn't get her own way, things are going 
to get ugly.