Arthuriana

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Arthuriana

• LA 12
• Ms. Karla Olson

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Arthurian Timeline

• Historical
• Roman Rule of Britain declines about 420 CE.
• Arthur may have been a Dux BelloramDuke of
  Warfor Romans.
• 437 CE Ambrosius Aurelianus emerges as pro-Roman
  faction leader possible Arthur.

• Historical, cond
• 440-470 Civil War (Roman vs. Saxon) and famine
  back and forth battling.
• 460-470 Aurelianus Rulestill battling with
  Saxons.
• 465 King Arthur, if real, born about this
  time.

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Timeline, cond

• Historical Roots
• 485-496 Period of Arthurian invincibility in
  Roman-Saxon wars.
• 496 Siege of Mt. Badon Saxon forces defeated,
  British (Arthurian) victory.

• Historical Roots, Cond
• 537 CE Battle of CamlannArthur diesaccording
  to the Annales Cambriae.
• At Camlann, Died at the hands of Mordred
  (sometimes Modred), his son and/or nephew.

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Comparison with Beowulf

• Scandinavian in origin.
• Composed (in final form) around 800 CE.
• Written down in form we now have, in English,
  about 1000 CE.

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Comparison with Beowulf, Cond

• King Arthur, if real (and no one knows for sure),
  was born around 465 CE and died around 537 CE.
• Wasnt written about until much, much later.
• Predates Beowulf.
• British (Welsh-British) in origin, not
  Scandinavian.

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Arthuriana Literary History

• Earliest Writings, Last Discovered
• The Mabinogion, collected in Welsh around
  1050-1200 (scholars disagree).
• Not discovered until 19th century and translated.
• Four Branches.
• Tales of Knights and Ladies and Mythology.

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Literary History, Cond

• After the Mabinogion (and possibly before),
  Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote The History of the
  Kings of Britain around 1136-1138. Very early
  narrative of King Arthur. Geoffrey considered
  this historical and not just legend.
• HKB incorporates his earlier work, The Prophecies
  of Merlin.

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Literary History, Cond

• Next, the French get hold of the Arthur stories,
  and they have a blast.
• 1170 Marie de France writes Arthurian Lays.
• 1170-91 Chrétien de Troyes writes Arthurian
  Romances.

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French Additions

• The French added much to the Arthur legends. So
  much so that what we consider Arthurian today
  is largely French.
• The French added the romantic triangle aspect
  (Guinevere in love with Arthurs best knight)
• The French added Lancelot du Lac, who is a French
  Knight.
• The French added the aspect of the Holy Grail.
• The French liked tales of the Court of Arthurand
  women characters and women writers were revered.

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Literary History, Cond

• 1215-35 The French Vulgate Cycle is Written.
• Characters added and changed.
• Lancelot, Galahad, and Tristan become major
  characters.
• Concerned with Excalibur, Lancelot, the Quest for
  the Grail, and the Death of Arthur.
• Will influence Sir Thomas Malory.

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Literary History, Cond

• Sir Thomas Maloryperhaps the biggest name in
  Arthuriana.
• Wrote Le Morte dArthur, eight romances published
  together by William Caxton in 1485.
• Its this version that we moderns are most
  familiar with.
• Was influenced by the French versions.
• Written in prison.

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Sir Thomas Malory

• Knighted in 1442
• Member of Parliament
• Perhaps a lawless, violent manperhaps only
  outspoken about his own unpopular politics
• In prison (or mostly in prison) from 1451 until
  his death in 1471

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A note about Romance

• Not the modern connotation of romance.
• Heroic prose and narrative poetry, popular in
  Medieval times.
• Tales of Chivalry and Knighthood.
• Courtly love women characters.
• Written in the vernacular, not in Latin.

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Lets Summarize

• King Arthur may or may not be real.
• If real, likely lived in the 5th century CE.
• Was a Briton and fought the Saxon invasions.
• Became legendary and was written about starting
  around 1000 CE (the same time as Beowulf was
  written down).

• Mabinogion ?
• Geoffrey of Monmouth ?
• Chrétien de Troyes ?
• French Vulgate Cycle ?
• Sir Thomas Malory.
• French added Lancelot, Grail, romantic elements.
• Malorys tales the ones were most familiar with.
• Romance doesnt mean modern Romance writing.

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King Arthur

• Central figure.
• The King and the Land are One.
• Courageous, honorable, chivalrous.
• Best of the best.
• Born to Uther Pendragon and Igrayne, at Tintagel.
• Cornish/Welsh.
• Killed by Mordred.
• Marries Guinevere.
• Wields Excalibur.

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Merlin (Myrddin)

• Welsh Wizard.
• Advisor/Counselor to Arthur.
• Helped Arthur to attain and keep power.
• Tricked by woman (usually Vivien) to give away
  his magical secrets.

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Camelot

• King Arthurs Castle Kingdom.
• Best Castle in existence peaceful, chivalrous,
  beautiful.
• Knights of the Round Table met here.
• Location unknown perhaps Cornwall, or
  Winchester, or Salisbury, or Glastonbury.

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Guinevere

• Daughter of Leodegrance marries Arthur.
• Falls in love with Lancelot.
• The betrayal of Wife and Best Friend leads to
  downfall of Arthurs Kingdom.
• Cause of temptation (element of Med. Romance).
• Most beautiful in the land.
• In Malory, saved from death.
• Guinevere is usually childless (Mordred is
  conceived by someone other than Guinevere).
• Portrayed as everything from weak to strong to
  manipulative each tale is different.

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Lancelot

• Came from France.
• Becomes Arthurs best and brightest knight.
• Falls in love with Guinevere.
• Added by the Frenchhes not in the earliest
  stories.
• Rebuilds friendship with Arthur.

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Excalibur

• The Magical Sword.
• Associated with the Sovereignty of Great Britain.
• Tied to Kings leadership.
• Two Origins
• The Sword in the Stone
• The Lady of the Lake

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The Lady of the Lake

• Mythical being, associated in many ways with the
  life of King Arthur.
• Often found at birth and death of Arthur.
• Often is the source of Excalibur.
• Pagan origins.
• Also often associated with Avalon.

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Avalon

• Isle of Apples
• Mythical Island, British Isles, where (in some
  tales) King Arthurs body was taken to await the
  need for him again.
• Legendary mixture of Pagan and Christianoverlappi
  ng tales, at times.

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Knights of the Round Table

• Legendary Arthurian table.
• All who sit at it are equals no head, no sides.
• Located in Camelot.
• Knights of the Round Table are, then, Arthurs
  Knights.

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Morgan le Fay/ Morgana

• Half-sister to Arthur (Igraynes older daughter).
• Sorceress.
• Mother to Mordred.
• Seduces Arthur (in many of the tales).
• In other tales she tricks Guinevere, Lancelot,
  and devises other ways to bring about Arthurs
  downfall.
• In some other tales, shes benevolent.

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Quiz Time!!!

• Who is married to King Arthur?

• Guinevere!

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Quiz Question 2

• Who wrote Le Morte dArthur?

• Sir Thomas Malory!

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Quiz Question 3

• In what century did the legendary Arthur likely
  live (was born)?

• The 5th Century CE (b. 465)

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Quiz Question 4

• Who sat at the Round Table?

• Arthurs Knights! (And it was at Camelot!)

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Modern Arthuriana (written)

• The Idylls of the King, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
  (1885).
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court, by
  Mark Twain (1889).
• The Once and Future King, by T.H. White (1958).
• The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, by
  John Steinbeck (1976).
• The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
  (1979).

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Modern Arthuriana (film)

• Camelot, a musical based on The Once and Future
  King, directed by Joshua Logan (1967).

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Modern Arthuriana (film)

• Excalibur, directed by John Boorman, based on
  Malorys Le Morte dArthur (1981).

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Modern Arthuriana (film)

• The Fisher King, directed by Terry Gilliam and
  starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges (1991).

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Modern Arthuriana (film)

• King Arthur, directed by Antoine Fuqua, (2004).

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And Ms. Os Favorite

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail, (1975).

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The End!