Theme: Downfall

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Theme Downfall

• Mort Artu/Death of King Arthur

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• Geoffrey, Historia Cousin Mordred and the queen
  betray Arthur, who returns form the mainland
  (where he almost conquered Rome), long battle, A
  and M mortally wounded, A is taken to Avalon.
• Wace, Roman de Brut same story, but with espoir
  breton, Is Arthur really dead?
• Layamon, Brut gtgt A is put on a boat to Avalon,
  Bretons belief in his return

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• Function espoir breton gtgt for the original
  inhabitants of Britain, Arthur is the
  protector/liberator (story about fight over the
  issue of his death Herman of Tournai (1146).
  They believe in his return, until then he sleeps
  under a hill!
• The Normans do not need this, they try to rule
  the Britons and usurp even their national hero.
  So they prefer him dead and buried a fine
  example from the past, but preferably not likely
  to return to throw them out.

4

• Avalon Glastonbury
• Grave discovered gtgt Gerald of Wales reports
  (handout), Cross re-burial in the abbey, new
  grave also destroyed gtgt sing in the garden

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• Meaning?
• For the Normans A dead! No need to believe or
  fear his return Richard II gives Excalibur to
  King Tancred II of Sicily on his way to the Holy
  Land.
• Did the monks stage the whole thing? Perhaps, but
  they did not begin to make a lot of money right
  after the discovery, and that is supposed to be
  their aim. The number of pilgrims/visitors did
  not go up.

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• Vulgate Cycle Mort le roi Artu
• What remains? No more adventures, and the ideals
  have gone rusty, lost their inspirational power.
  There are many misunderstandings ?? Also between
  Lancelot and the queen gtgt Elaine of Astolat, Lady
  of Shalott
• Chain of events (adultery gt discovery gt queen
  almost burned gt rescue gt Gaheriet dies gt
  Gauvains revenge gt expedition to Lancelots
  territory gt Mordreds treason gt ultimate battle)

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• 4 causes
• Adultery (uncovered by Morgan and Agravain)
• Clan conflicts Gauvains group lt-gt Lancelot s
  group
• Modreds treason Arthurs son (handout), in love
  with the queen, tries to outdo Arthur and
  Lancelot
• Fortune gtgt presentation F
• Grave found after brief boating trip to Avalon
  with Morgan, is Arthur indeed buried there?

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• Explanation downfall in in Mort Artu leaves some
  things open final meeting Lancelot Guinevere
  (B3), and other elements in tasks A and B
• Malorys epilogue
• Rex quondam, rexque futurus gtgt Once and Future
  King
• Nachleben gtgt next year, and in lecture guest
  Martine