The Arthurian LegendBRITISH LITERATURE-MEDIEVAL UNIT

WDYKAKA Question #1

Was King Arthur a real person?!

WDYKAKA Question #2

What did King Arthur do?

WDYKAKA Question #3?

Why did people write stories about him?

Why is Arthur Important?

1. Provided a hero to a conquered people.

Think of all the invasions we’ve discussed

2. Tales form a common bond between Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman.

Warrior King Arthur – Anglo-Saxon

Chivalric Tradition – Anglo-Norman

3. Second most referenced character in Western Literature.

Did he exist?

Historical Arthur Celtic/Anglo-Saxon Arthur

Welsh chieftain

warrior in the histories of 500-1100

may have really existed – not a king

Fictional Arthur Anglo-Norman Arthur

could just be a combination of great leaders

Normans add chivalry, romance, quest, love, etc.

Norman romances focus more on knights.

What is a legend?

a traditional historical tale or collection of related tales popularly regarded as true, but usually contain a mixture of fact and fiction

not to be confused with a myth (A traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society)

Arthurian Literary Tradition

Nennius

9th century

Welsh monk

wrote Historia Brittonum

1st reference to an Arthur

His Arthur is the “greatest of all the Celts”

an important hero to the declining Celtic community.

Arthurian Literary Tradition

Geoffrey of Monmouth

12th century

wrote Historia Regumn Britanniae

one of the most important books of the Middle Ages

add Merlin to the Arthurian legend

tales mostly focused on Arthur with little mention of his other knights.

inspired the next generation of authors

Arthurian Literary Tradition

Chrétien de Troyes

12th century

French

introduces character of Lancelot and the Arthur / Guinevere / Lancelot love triangle

romance / single hero adventures

example of Anglo-Norman cultural influence with the increased influence of the chivalric tradition

Arthurian Literary Tradition

Sir Thomas Malory

15th century

English

compiled the various tales into one work: Le Mort d’Arthur

The Death of Arthur

expands the characters of Lancelot and Guinevere and makes the affair chaste and pure

still read today and highly influential

Arthurian Literary Tradition

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

19th century

English

composed many works on the Arthurian tradition: “The Lady of Shalott,” “The Death of Arthur,” “Idylls of the King”

Father of the Arthurian Renaissance in Victorian England

Arthurian Literary Tradition

T. H. White

20th century

English

wrote The Sword in the Stone (1938) and The Once and Future King (1958)

based heavily on Malory’s work

The Once and Future King deals with darker themes as Arthur grows older

Key Themes

Love Triangle

Arthur / Guinevere / Lancelot

Traitor/Judas Figure

Mordred

Lancelot

Fall of the central community / end of order

Grail

Cup that Jesus drank out of at the Last Supper

Joseph of Arimithea brought grail to England

What does the grail represent?

Unanswered philosophical / cosmological questions

“quest” which requires much of the individual

Key Characters

Uther Pendragon – Arthur’s biological father

Igraine – Arthur’s biological mother

Sir Ector – Arthur’s adoptive father

Merlin – Arthur’s counselor, prophet & wizard

Morgan le Fay – Arthur’s half-sister; magical; adversary

Sir Kay – son of Sir Ector; Arthur’s step-brother

Mordred – Arthur’s nephew; kidnaps Guinevere and rebels; killed by Lancelot

Key Objects

Excalibur – Arthur’s magical sword; given to him by the Lady of the Lake

The Holy Grail – the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper; used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch Christ’s blood

The Round Table – the table given as part of Guinevere’s dowry; the idea that everyone is equal

What is a Romance?

A romance is an imaginative story concerned with noble heroes, chivalric codes of honor, passionate love, daring deeds, & supernatural events.

In the Middle Ages in Europe, wandering storytellers would retell adventurous tales of knights and other noble heroes. These became known as romances, which, over time, moved from the oral tradition into written versions

Writers of romances tend to idealize their heroes as well as the eras in which the heroes live.

What is a Romance?

Romances typically include these motifs: adventure, quests, wicked adversaries, & magic.

Motif: an idea, object, place, or statement that appears frequently throughout a piece of writing, which helps contribute to the work’s overall theme

Romance hero – a knight of superhuman strength, intelligence, and virtue who follows the code of chivalry

What is a Romance?

Exotic Setting: Romances are set in imaginary kingdoms with great castles, enchanted lakes, and forest populated with giants and monsters.

Supernatural elements: sorcerers and magic spells, giants and dragons, mysterious evil forces and foreknowledge of future events---such elements all play a part in romances.

Hidden identities: In a romance, others are often unaware of a character’s true identity. The truth is usually revealed at the climax of the tale.

Chapter 1- The Prophecies of Merlin and the Birth of Arthur

Which aspects of Arthur’s birth are similar to Beowulf? How are they different?

How important is family to the development of an individual?

What does the explanation of Arthur’s coming suggest about Medieval culture? What was valued? What was not?