Notes arthurian legend

The Arthurian Legend

The Man, the Myth, the Archetype

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)

Literary Focus: Archetypes

• An archetype is a pattern that appears in literature across cultures and is repeated through the ages.

• An archetype can be a character, a plot, an image, or a setting.

– Ex. The Quest Circle of Character Archetypes

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-SaxonChivalric Tradition – Anglo-Norman

3. Second most referenced character in Western Literature.

King Arthur, c. 1385

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.

True History

• Most scholars believe that a King named Arthur did defeat the Saxons in the 5th or 6th century. This is outlined in one of the oldest accounts of English History Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century Historia RegumBritanniae

• There are ruins of a castle in Cornwall that many believe to belong to Arthur

• Not much else is known; accounts of Arthur seem to be mysteriously missing from all Anglo-Saxon chronicles and other such history books.

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.


• 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 authorsMerlin Reads his Prophecies to Vortigern


• 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

Sir Launcelot

How Sir Bedivere Cast the SwordExcalibur into the Water


• 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

Lady of Shallot Looking at Lancelot


• 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.

Cover, The Once and Future King


• 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 Objects

• The Holy Grail

• The Round Table

• Excalibur

Arthur and the Round Table

A Country Religiously Divided

• Arthur was a member of the Old Celtic religion (as evident by keeping a Royal wizard, Merlin)

• However, a new religion, Christianity, was beginning. Guinevere, Arthur’s wife, was a member of this religion.

• Arthur and Guinevere were having trouble conceiving. Guinevere believed this was because God was punishing Arthur for believing in pagan gods and encouraging his people to do so as well.

• To try to remedy the problem of an heir and heal the country, which had once again grown restless, Arthur established the Crusades.

Crusades and the Holy Grail

• Because the Celtic religion is based upon tangible items and nature, Arthur would need artifacts to convince his country to convert to Christianity.

• With the help of Merlin, Arthur decided to send his knights on a quest for religious artifacts, more commonly know as the Crusades.– The body of Joseph of Arimathea– The Spear of Destiny– The Holy Grail– King Solomon’s Temple– Byzantine Crown of Thorns– Holyrood (the cross on which Jesus died)

Key Objects: The Holy Grail

– Cup that Jesus drank out of at the Last Supper

– Joseph of Arimitheabrought grail to England

– “quest” which requires much of the individual

– Grail represents unanswered philosophical/ cosmological questions

– only artifact not recovered which explains its continued popularity

The Holy Grail and The Templars

• The Holy Grail is the only artifact not recovered which explains its continued popularity

• Once the Holy Land was discovered, Arthur encouraged the English to visit it and created the Knights Templar** who were warriors sent to protect the road to the Holy Land. These warriors begin much of the problems that still exist in the Middle East today.

*** Please note: This is one version of the story. Many scholars argue that this is not historically accurate.

Key Objects: The Round Table

• When Arthur assumes power, England is torn apart by war, is fractioned into city-states, and is on the brink of invasion by the Saxons

• To unite the country and defeat the Saxons, Arthur creates the Knights of the Round table.

• This is a revolutionary idea for the time. Each city state is represented by a knight. No one knight, including King Arthur himself, has more power than another. Arthur creates a democratic society.

• Because of this alliance, Arthur and his knights defeat the powerful Saxons in a series of 12 battles.

Key Objects: Excalibur

• Magical sword Arthur receives from the Lady in the Lake OR from a stone which Merlin placed it

• It is said that the key to Arthur’s success is the sword Excalibur which he always takes into battle. Excalibur is said to make its bearer invincible.

Key Themes/Archetypes

• Love Triangle– Arthur / Guinevere /

Lancelot

• Traitor/Judas Figure– Mordred

• Fall of the central community / end of order

• Messianic Return– Once and Future King

Key Characters

• Uther Pendragon – Arthur’s biological father

• Igraine – Arthur’s biological mother

• Merlin – Arthur’s counselor, prophet & wizard

• Morgan le Fay – Arthur’s half-sister; in some versions full sister; magical; adversary

• Mordred – Arthur’s nephew; or in some versions his illegitimate son; kidnaps Guinevere and rebels; killed by Lancelot

• Gawain – Arthur’s nephew; principle knight of the round table

One Version:Morgan de Fey and Mordred

Arthur unknowingly had a half sister, Morgan de Fey. She believed that she was rightful ruler. In an attempts to usurp the throne, she slept with him and conceived a son. Morgan was said to be a witch and a powerful woman. Her son, Mordred, threatened Arthur’s marriage and his throne.

Key Characters

• Guinevere –– Arthur’s queen

– has affair with Lancelot

– childless

– abducted by Mordred

• Lancelot –– Arthur’s chief knight

– usually French

– the “perfect” knight but has affair with Guinevere

Lancelot and Guinevere by Herbert James Draper (1863-1920)

One Version: Mordred and Guinevere

• During the search for the Holy Grail Arthur’s life begins to fall apart. Some versions of the story have Arthur gone 10-20 years on his quest.

• In Arthur’s absence, Mordred has been raised to hate Arthur, but also to be a knight

• Arthur returns and knights Mordred, invites him to the round table

• Guinevere has begun to realize her true love for Lancelot, not Arthur, during both their absences.

One Version:Guinevere

• After the battles with the Saxons, England finally experiences peace.

• During this time, Arthur decides to marry the lovely young Guinevere. She does not see him before they are married. Arthur sends his most trusted knight Lancelot to fetch her. He marries her and they are happy for some time.

• Guinevere, upon seeing Lancelot, believes he is her husband to be and falls in love with him.

One Version: The Most Famous Affair in Literary History

• Mordred sees the possibility to overthrow his father in Lancelot.

• Mordred discovers Guinevere and Lancelot’s affair (the two people that Arthur loves most) and convinces the rest of the Round Table to capture Lancelot in the act.

• Lancelot escapes but Guinevere is captured and is to be burned at the stake for her treachery against the king. She is rescued at the last minute by Lancelot and the two escape and are never heard from again.

• Arthur does not follow them due to the problems of his kingdom. They are once again on the brink of war and Mordred has turned much of the Round Table against him.

Key Places

• Camelot – King Arthur’s kingdom

• Isle of Avalon – island to which Arthur is sent to recover from the last battle

Gustave Doré’s illustration of Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King”, 1868.

The Fall of Camelot• Metaphorically, the country already

had fallen with the betrayal of Arthur’s only love and his best friend

• There are many versions of the story. All of which end with Arthur’s death in battle. Some of the versions include the following battles:– Saxons– Romans– Goths– French – Irish– Lancelot– Morgan de fey– Mordred

• All of the stories end with Arthur’s glorious death in battle, all that any legendary king or hero can ask for

Romance Motifs

Motif - an idea, object, place, or statement that appears frequently

throughout a piece of writing, which helps contribute to the work’s overall

theme

• Faithful Follower

• Wise old man

• Dreams

• Number three

• Magic

• Testing of Follower

• Betrayal

“The Day of Destiny,” an excerpt from Le Morte d’ Arthur, describes the end of King Arthur’s reign and the dissolution of the order which he, along with his Knights of the Round Table, has established. This end grows out of the corruption within the royal court itself. Arthur’s illegitimate son Morderd knows the secret love between Arthur’s wife, Queen Guinevere, and his best friend, Sir Lancelot. One night Mordred leads a band of knights to Guinevere’s chamber, when they find the Queen with Lancelot.

Although he is reluctant, Arthur feels obligated to obey the law of the land and to burn his wife at the stake. However, at the last minute Lancelot rescues her, killing two knights who were guarding her. Lancelot subsequently flees to a castle in France and Arthur forgives Guinevere. Sir Gawain, though, the brother of the dead knights, demands vengeance on Lancelot. His hatred forces Arthur to lead his men on an attack against Lancelot’s French fortress. In the ensuing battles Lancelot seriously wounds Gawain but refuses to kill him.

Meanwhile, Mordred senses his chance. With Arthur away in France, he leads a rebellion in England, claiming the throne and trying to seize Guinevere as his queen. She flees to the Tower of London. Arthur, returning to defend his crown, battles Mordred for the first time at Dover, where Gawain is fatally wounded. Before his death, Gawain writes a letter to Lancelot ending their feud and asking Lancelot to return to England to help Arthur. After a second, inconclusive battle with Mordred’sforces, Arthur regroups his men and moves westward

Spin Offs

Camelot, like Middle Earth, is a world rich with characters and stories of chivalry, fairies, magic and monsters. As such, it spawned countless spin-offs and parallel stories. Some of the most famous of these stories are:

– Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

– Percival (A Grail Knight)

– Tristan and Isolde

– The White Stag

– The Lady of the Lake

Education

Notes arthurian legend