Arthurian Legend

1
Arthurian Legend
2
Historical Arthur

• Arthur existed, a war leader in the dark days
  following the collapse of Roman rule, around 450
  A.D. May or may not have been a king.
  
• The Roman-Celtic population was being driven west
  by Anglo-Saxons.
  
• Arthur briefly rallied and stopped the tide of
  Anglo-Saxons.
  
• Won a mighty battle over the Anglo-Saxons at
  Mount Badon.

3
Arthur in Wales

• As Britons were driven west into Wales, the
  legend of Arthur grew.
  
• Around the legendary King Arthur clustered a
  series of marvelous figures, (i.e. Merlin,
  questing beast, Lady in the Lake, fire-breathing
  serpents)
• And wondrous events (i.e. Quest for the Holy
  Grail, an embodiment of salvation, which had been
  brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea)
  frequently set around the festival of Pentecost
  (descent of the Holy Spirit into Christs
  apostles 50 days following Easter.)

4
The Legendary Arthur

• Legends spread across Europe, particularly France
  (which comes to be entangled with England through
  William the Conqueror, Plantagenet Kings, 100
  Years War.)
• Legends get romanticized through the poems of
  Chrétien de Troyes and many others.
  
• Arthur becomes the hero who came to epitomize
  England of the 15th century.
  
• King of the British Isles and Holy Roman Emperor.
  
  
• Brings an age of justice and glory to England.
  This golden age was symbolized by the palace at
  Camelot.

5
Chivalry

• Notions of trust and obligation were strong.
• Honor defined relations between people.
• Honor was a complex concept in which one had to
  have a reputation and a commitment to integrity
  and courage.
  
• Conduct on the battlefield and off.
• From the chevalier, from French word for horse.

6
Chivalric or Courtly love

• In medieval Europe, in both secular and religious
  life, love was elevated into a cult.
  
• Worshipping from afar.
• Gives a sacred character to courtly love
• In reality, much seduction and infidelity.
• Both pure and impure carnal love plays a
  significant role in the story of King Arthur.

7
Malorys Morte dArthur

• Religious and carnal love, history and myth came
  together in the literary cycle of King Arthur and
  the search for the Holy Grail.
  
• King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table,
  the love of Lancelot and Guinevere, and Sir
  Galahad and the Grail brought together the themes
  of chivalry, courtly love, and religious
  mysticism.

8
Malorys Morte dArthur (cont.)

• Captures passion, consequences, contradictions of
  romantic spiritual love.
  
• One of the first great works of English prose, it
  summarizes the civilization of medieval chivalry
  in its ideal form.
  
• Morte dArthur has inspired poems, novels,
  musicals, movies, comic books, role playing
  games, operas, video games, etc.

9
Thomas Malory

• English knight served with distinction in the
  Hundred Years War, elected to Parliament.
  
• In 1459, he and a group of fellow knights
  allegedly beat up and robbed some monks.
  
• Sentenced to jail, where he died in 1471.
• Used jail time to come to grips with the question
  of love to write Morte dArthur.

10
Morte dArthur

• Uther Pendragon, a mighty ruler over the western
  part of the British Isles, falls for Igraine,
  wife of Duke of Tintagel
  
• Merlin arranges for Uther to assume the form of
  the duke and be transported to his castle.
  
• The real duke is killed in battle three hours
  before Uther visits Igraine, who then marries
  Uther.
  
• Their son is Arthur, accepted as legitimate.
• Uther Pendragon dies.

11
Succession

• Arthur rides to an assembly in London. Word is
  the next king will be the man who can draw a
  sword from a stone.
  
• Only the young Arthur can do so. Some nobles
  agree that Arthur should be the king of England.
  Some do not war.
  
• This is not Excalibur.

12
Arthur as King

• A strange woman in a lake gives the sword
  Excalibur to Arthur.
  
• With that sword and his innate goodness, Arthur
  unifies Britain and the whole of Europe into one
  kingdom, with himself as Holy Roman Emperor.

13
The Round Table

• Knights come to serve King Arthur at his capital
  city at Winchester, or Camelot. The knights sit
  at a round table (the dowry of Guinevere) because
  everyone is equal (ergo peers). Arthur is first
  among equals.
• Arthur weds Guinevere.
• The knights gather and serve the cause of good.

14
Lancelot

• French, Ill-formed knight, knight of the cart
• The greatest of all the knights brave,
  courteous, and bold
  
• His only flaw is that he loves Queen
  Guinevereand she loves him.
  
• Rescues Gwen and many other maidens
• Does NOT succeed in Quest for Grail
• Stays unwed to remain pure

15
Birth of Galahad

• On a journey, Lancelot arrives at the castle of
  King Pelleas, who asks him to sleep with his
  daughter Elaine so that he will to sire the
  perfect knight.
• When Lancelot refuses, Pelleas changes his
  daughters appearance so that she looks like
  Guinevere.
  
• Lancelot sleeps with Elaine, sires Galahad.

16
Galahad

• Truly the perfect knight.
• Raised by nuns, who lead him to Camelot. Takes
  the unfilled Siege Perilous, designated for the
  person that God chose to find the Holy Grail.
  Anyone else taking the chair would be struck
  dead, but for Galahad, a chalice appears.

17
Search for the Grail

• The knights decide that a young boy should not
  seek the Holy Grail by himself, and the entire
  Round Table sets off.
  
• Arthur is distraught, believes that many of these
  men of honor, courage, and faith will die on this
  lonely journey.

18
The Quest

• Lancelot and many others fail.
• Galahad remaining pure, and with Perceval and
  Bors find it and return it to Sarras, its
  rightful place.
  
• Content to have achieved this goal, Galahad and
  Perceval die peacefully.
  
• Bors, returns to tell about Galahads ascension
  to heaven for his goodness.

19
The Fall

• Lancelots life is about gossip, defense of rep.
• Lancelot and Guinevere are overcome by lust, and
  their affair is an open secret. Arthur shuts his
  ear to these rumors.
  
• Modred tells Arthur he must show the world
  whether Guinevere is innocent or adulterous.
  Tests Lancelot, who fails.
  
• Arthur, shamed, must exile Lancelot.

20
The Revolt

• Arthur, without Lancelot, faces the forces of
  revolt led by Modred.
  
• In a great battle, Arthur and Modred slay each
  other -- maybe.
  
• As he is (maybe) dying, Arthur requests his sword
  thrown into the lake. When told that a womans
  hand reached up to take the sword, Arthur can
  die.

21
The Future King

• According to Malory, Arthur was taken away to
  islands in the west by four queens, where he
  awaits the time when Britain needs him and he
  will return.
• Guinevere becomes a nun Lancelot, a monk,
  fasting and serving God until Guinevere dies. Can
  no longer eat or drink, wastes away and dies.
  
• Buried by knights who fought beside him.

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Whats it All Mean?

• Story of love, search for the Holy Grail, becomes
  a story of redemption.
  
• Sinners, such as Lancelot and Guinevere, bring
  destruction to those they love. God can take away
  their sin so that they die in peace.
  
• A great love story and a religious story.
• Speaks to values of the Middle Ages.
• Absolutely part of the British canon.

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Is this a great book?

• The theme distinction between lust and true
  spiritual love.
  
• Written in noble language. The first long work of
  prose fiction in English language.
  
• A universal story each generation has new
  movies, novels, comic books about Arthur.
  
• Morte dArthur summarizes a culturethe world of
  the Middle Agesat its apex.

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Other Biggies

• Merlin
• The Grail
• Geoffrey Monmouth
• Chrétien de Troyes
• Tennyson and Arthur
• Mabinogion
• Twain and Arthur
• Camelot, the musical