V4 P2 W5 King Arthur

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

What do I expect of you?

• Do your work!
• Try to speak as much English as possible. 
• Be mindful, respectful & communicate!
• Be on time: more than 5 minutes = too late. 
• Raise your hand if you have a question and be silent during explanations of me/student. 
• Phones are in your bags, bags are on the floor.
• No eating or drinking in the classroom (gum included), water is allowed. 

learning goals

- I know who the most important characters from the King Arthur legends are.

- I know the significance of excalibur and the round table

King Arthur

Have you ever seen an Arthurian adaptation? If yes, which one?

History or fantasy?

King Arthur

- Arthur Pendragon
- Most likely: A Roman military leader 5th & 6th century
- Fought against the Saxons
- Popular character in medieval romances

Arthur (continued)

- History of the Britons in 9th century

- Set the basis of Arthur as the legendary warrior

- 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth adds Merlin

- Other stories added Camelot, Round Table, & Guinevere

Merlin

- 12th century: first appears as a prophet
- Later: becomes Arthur's adviser & magician
- First given the name Emrys
- Later: Merlin (from his Welsh name: Myrddin)
- Merlin's father an angel who visited a nun?
   or is Merlin's father an evil spirit?

Merlin & Arthur 

- Prophecy: red dragon (Britons) fights a 
   white dragon (Saxons), and the red one wins.
- Merlin becomes Arthur's tutor when he's 
   a child living with a foster father.
- Arranges the sword-in-the-stone that
   makes Arthur king.

Morgana & Mordred

Morgana:                                                     Mordred:
- powerful enchantress                        - son of Arthur & Morgause
- daughter of Arthur's mother             (Morgana's sister)
- Arthur's half-sister                               - evil & wicked     
- apprentice of Merlin                            - Arthur kills all babies born
- wants to take over the throne            in May after a prophecy
                                                                         - Mordred lives & kills Arthur 

the sword in the stone

Excalibur 

• Sword that Arthur pulls from the stone.
• Highest status symbol of glory and honor, since it is meant for the rightful king of England.
• Symbol for fate, since arthur was always supposed to pull the sword from the stone, identifying him as Uther's heir.

Excalibur

"And when matins and the first mass was done, there was seen in the churchyard, against the high altar, a great stone four square, like unto a marble stone; and in midst thereof was like an anvil of steel a foot on high, and therein stuck a fair sword naked by the point, and letters there were written in gold about the sword that said thus:— Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England." (Book 1, chapter 5)

The round table

• Represents knighthood and honour 
• As each member is carefully chosen by Arthur
• Circularity is meant to represent that there is a lack of hierarchy and emphasises brotherhood (= no one can sit at the head of the table)

The round table

"Merlin made the Round Table in tokening of roundness of the world, for by the Round Table is the world signified by right, for all the world, Christian and heathen, repair unto the Round Table; and when they are chosen to be of the fellowship of the Round Table they think them more blessed and more in worship than if they had gotten half the world." (Book 14, chapter 2)