Le Morte d'Arthur

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Sir Thomas Malory
Le Morte d'Arthur

Sir Thomas Malory - Le Morte d'Arthur

Sir Thomas Malory -  

Le Morte d' Arthur

Chivalry

• generous
• loyal
•  honourable
• defend the weak
• fight evil

Morgan le Fay

• (half) sister of King Arthur
• sorceress / healer
• Avalon
• Mother of Mordred (and Gawain?)

Guinevere

• Wife of Arthur
• love interest of Lancelot
• Root cause of the downfall of Camelot?

Alliterative Verse

•  alliteration (beginrijm)
•  ties the poem together.
• two or more words (or stressed syllables within words) in a line of a poem that start with the same letter/sound 

1. Take a guess: Le Morte d'Arthur is written by?

1. Geoffrey Chaucer
2. Geoffrey of Monmouth
3. Sir Thomas Malory
4. Nennius of Wales

2. Take a guess: True or False "Le Morte d'Arthur was published by William Caxton, the inventor of printing press."

1. True
2. False

3. Take a guess: According to Le Morte d'Arthur how many people can sit at the Round Table?

1. 20
2. 50
3. 100
4. 150

4. Take a guess: Queen Gwenyvere eventually cheats on Arthur with which knight?

1. Gawain
2. Tristan
3. Percival
4. Launcelot

5. Take a guess: How does Arthur become king according to Le Morte d'Arthur?

1. Killing his father Uther
2. Pulling a sword from stone
3. Merlin crowns him king when he's old enough
4. Conquering Camelot with his own army

Le Morte d'Arthur

- French for "The Death of Arthur"
- Sir Thomas Malory
- Several stories about Arthur's life & death
- Written in English & in prose (normal text, not poetry)

- First published by William Caxton (inventor of printing press)
- Written during the War of Roses
   (civil war between Houses of Lancaster & York for the throne)

Origin of the legend

- Legend dates back to the 9th century
- Around 1100 the story became really popular
- French invaders claimed Arthur was their ancestor, which 
   justified their invasion
- Most stories from Middle Ages therefore written in French
- Around 14th century first English texts appear

Arthur's Birth

- Starts with King Uther falling in love with Igrayne
- Relationship kept secret
- Arthur is hidden away until after Uther's death
- Pulls Excalibur from the stone, making him king of England
- Some lords dispute his claim
- Marries Gwenyvere to make his claim stronger
- She brings the Round Table with her

Arthur's Death

- Arthur goes to war against the Emperor of Rome, Lucius
- Le Morte d'Arthur then focuses on the knights and their     
   adventures
- Gwenyvere and Launcelot have an affair and run away
- While Arthur wages war against Launcelot, Mordred claims
   himself king
- Epic battle and both Mordred & Arthur die 

6. Le Morte d'Arthur was written in?

1. French Prose
2. French Poetry
3. English Prose
4. English Poetry

7. True or False: "The French claimed Arthur was their ancestor to justify their invasion."

1. True
2. False

8. Le Morte d'Arthur is written during the War of Roses, which was a civil war between the Houses of?

1. Godwin & York
2. Anjou & Godwin
3. Lancaster & Stuart
4. York & Lancaster

9. What's the name of the sword that Arthur pulls from the stone?

1. Expansion
2. Excalibur
3. Extinction
4. Examiner

10. Who eventually kills Arthur?

1. Mordred
2. Lucius
3. Launcelot
4. Morgana

King Arthur

- Arthur Pendragon
- Most likely: A Welsh (Celtic/Briton) leader 5th & 6th century
- Fought against the Anglo-Saxons (Germanic tribes coming in)
- 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 etc.

Arthur's Influence

- Troubadours, jugglers, minstrels, storytellers spread the story
- Image of Arthur & his knights:
         - influenced clothes & fashion in Medieval era
         - guidelines for knights and how they should behave
         - jousting tournaments (on horses with lances)

- Arthur associated with the Middle English period (1100-1500)
   and not Old English period (450-1100) from which he came

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: Arthur will be king of all of Britain
- Arranges the sword-in-the-stone that
   makes Arthur king

- Merlin becomes Arthur's tutor when he's 
   a child

- Prophecy after Arthur is killed: Arthur will 

   come back to Britain in its hour of need

Arthur Pendragon was most likely...?

1. A Welsh military leader from the 5th & 6th century
2. A Roman military leader from the 5th & 6th century
3. A Roman military leader from the 8th & 9th century
4. A Welsh military leader from the 8th & 9th century

True or False: "The Legend of Arthur is most often associated with the Old English period instead of the Middle."

1. True
2. False

Which of the following did the story of Arthur and his knights not influence?

1. Clothes & fashion in the Medieval era
2. Guidelines for knights and how their behaviour
3. Medieval laws and governments
4. Jousting tournaments

Mordred was ...

1. Arthur's cousin
2. Arthur's son
3. Arthur's nephew
4. Arthur's brother

1. A new king has to be found, because the old one has died.

 

2. To prevent war between the various lords who are gathering troops to press their claim to the throne, Merlin predicts that a miracle will occur, by which the new king will make himself known.

3. Yes. After matins on Christmas morning, a stone with a sword in it suddenly appears in the churchyard. He who can pull the sword from the stone will be the rightful king of England. It also transpires that Arthur is the rightful king.

4. Arthur has a fairly subservient role. He is Sir Ector’s foster son, and not yet a knight. He is a sort of page, an assistant to his foster brother Sir Kay.

 

5. He is obedient and inventive, but perhaps also naive and ignorant: he has no idea of the significance of what he has done.

6. Sir Kay comes over as something of an opportunist. One might even say he is sneaky: he recognises the sword that Arthur has brought him and claims that, as he has the sword, he is the rightful king.

7. own answer

8. Each feels slighted because he has not been chosen as the rightful king; all are also opposed to a youth of humble birth becoming king. They do not realise that Arthur is the son of the previous king.

 

9. Any well-argued opinion is acceptable; however, it is odd that the nobles continue to protest when they know that Arthur has been appointed king by a higher authority

10. Merlin gets the Archbishop of Canterbury to call the nobles together. The archbishop apparently has considerable power in the kingdom. Frequent reference is made to people praying and to church festivals. Such festivals are used to pinpoint events on the calendar.

 

11. The Church played an important role in mediaeval society. It was also important that Arthur and his knights were portrayed as devout Christians, since they serve as role models.