The Legend of King Arthur

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The Legend of King Arthur
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What is a Legend?

• a traditional historical tale or collection of
  related tales popularly regarded as true, but
  usually contain a mixture of fact and fiction

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Who was King Arthur?

• Ruins and history point to a probable Briton
  warrior
• May have been son of Uther Pendragon
• Existed ca. 450-550 A.D.
• Led battle of Mount Badon, defeating the Saxons

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King Arthur of Legend

• Son of Uther Pendragon and Lady Igraine
• Raised by Sir Ector with foster brother Kay
• Proven heir to throne when he pulls the Excalibur
  from a stone
• Educated and advised by Merlyn the Wizard

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King Arthur Literary Tradition

• First mentioned by a Welsh monk, Nennius in 800AD
• A Briton warrior who defeats Saxons in 12 battles

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Arthurian Literary Tradition

• Although a Dark Ages figure, Arthur is
  romanticized by medieval writers
• Geoffrey of Monmouth (12th century)
• Chretien de Troyes (12th century)
• Sir Thomas Malory Le Morte dArthur (15th
  century)

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The Literary Tradition

• Medieval authors used elements of Celtic
  mythology
• Blended in medieval concepts of knighthood and
  chivalry
• Portrayed Arthur as a king, not warrior

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Literary Tradition 19th and 20th Centuries

• Lord Tennyson (poet)
• T.H. White (The Once and Future King book one
  is The Sword in the Stone
• Marian Zimmer Bradley (The Mists of Avalon)

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The Round Table

• A gift from his father in law
• To unite the country, Arthur creates the Knights
  of the Round table.
• Each city state (kingdom) is represented by a
  knight.
• No one knight, including King Arthur himself, has
  more power than another
• Creates a democratic society

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Knighthood

• Medieval concept
• Warriors and defenders
• Competed in tournaments and jousts
• Wore full armor
• Loyal to local lord/king

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The Code of Chivalry

• A knight should
• Use his strength for good
• Be honorable and virtuous
• Protect the weak
• Be courteous
• Respect and defend women
• Defend the church
• Be inspired by love

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Camelot

• Synonymous with peace and perfection
• Castle and seat of King Arthurs power
• Constructed by Merlyn

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Guinevere Lancelot

• the beautiful Princess Guinevere as becomes
  Arthurs bride
• Merlyn sees this will end disastrously.
• Lancelot is a knight who will become one of
  Arthur's favorites and closest friends.

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• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of the
  many stories that focuses on the other knights of
  the round table. This story comes at a time of
  piece, after the Round table has been established
  and Arthur is happily married to Guinevere.
• Gawain is Arthur's Nephew, son of a sibling of
  Guinevere.

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Mysteries and Evil Plots

• Arthur has an older half sister - Morgan le Fey
  (fairy/witch) who believes she is the rightful
  ruler
• She sleeps with Arthur and conceives a son,
  Mordred.
• Mordred is raised to hate Arthur

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Trouble At Home

• During the search for the Holy Grail, Arthurs
  life begins to fall apart. Some versions of the
  story have Arthur gone 10-20 years on his quest.
  
• Merlin is seduced by a young woman who steals his
  powers and imprisons him. Arthur is left without
  an advisor.
• Upon his return, Arthur unknowingly knights his
  own son (Mordred) and invites him to the round
  table.

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The Most Famous Affair in Literary History

• Mordred discovers Guinevere and Lancelots 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. This leads to a civil war
  between the two and their knights.

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The Fall of Camelot

• Metaphorically, the country already had fallen
  with the betrayal of Arthurs only love and his
  best friend
• There are many versions of the story. All of
  which end with Arthurs death in battle. Some of
  the versions include the following battles
• Saxons
• Romans
• Goths
• French
• Irish
• Lancelot
• Morgan le fey
• Mordred
• All of the stories end with Arthurs glorious
  death in battle, all that any legendary king or
  hero can ask for