Le Morte D

1
Le Morte DArthur

• Sir Thomas Malory

2
Who was Malory?

• Thomas Malory of Hatton in Yorkshire
• Thomas Malory of Newbold Revel, Warwickshire
• Born about 1415 died in 1470
• 1450 crime spree (murder, theft, extortion,
  rape)
• 1460 released from prison active in civil war
• 1467 back in prison for being on the losing side
• Wrote Le Morte DArthur in prison, and it was
  published by William Caxton in 1485

3
15th Century England

• Wars of the Roses (1399-1485)
• Lancastrians vs. Yorkists
• Decades of civil war
• Changes in battle technology
• Longbow
• Man in armor on horse no longer defensible
• Kings would no longer lead followers into battle
  after Richards defeat

4
Who was King Arthur?

• Celtic origins
• Arthwyr as general term for a prince
• Name may also derive from the Celtic word art,
  meaning bear (Arturus the Bear)
• Others argue that he was Octha, son of Hengest,
  who moved south and united much of the area
• Earliest stories represent him as a god-like
  creature interacting with other deities in Welsh
  mythology
• Welsh claims also based on his birth at Tintagel
  and burial at Glastonbury
• Alternately, High King of Britain with his
  origins in Brittany (Geoffrey of Monmouth)

5
Why would Malory choose King Arthur?

• Arthur brought order out of chaos
• Warfare as form of sport vs. warfare as
  technology aimed at widespread devastation
• Men heroically die in single combat, but are not
  slaughtered as they lie in the mud
• Imaginary past in which nobles had absolute power
  over contented peasants
• Hero/King who will return to bring peace

6
Le Morte DArthur Cultural Conflicts

• The stability of the society as a whole
• Government by contract between ruler and
  community of nobles and commons
• Rule of law within class system
• The motivations of individuals
• Personal goals
• Courtly love
• The will to power