Literature 4: Le Morte d'Arthur

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 5

Literature 4: 
Le Morte d'Arthur

Assignment 2

Write a description / background article about one of the characters from the Middle English text The Canterbury Tales.

Deadline = Friday 27th of May

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

Check the reader:

Literature 4: Le Morte d'Arthur
- Read the background information
- Answer the questions (using the internet)
- Check your answers (see Its Learning)
- Work on the 2nd Bonus Assignment