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Arthurian Legend. Mr. Newsome Pikeville HS Sophomore English. The Literature of Romance. During the Middle Ages, the new literary form of the romance developed Originated in France and spread through Europe
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Arthurian Legend Mr. Newsome Pikeville HS Sophomore English
The Literature of Romance • During the Middle Ages, the new literary form of the romance developed • Originated in France and spread through Europe • Called romances because first written in the Romance languages of Old French and Provencal • Romances- popular narratives about adventures of knights and heroes • Told by wandering minstrels called troubadours • Celebrated the ideals of chivalry, the code of a knight that advocated bravery, loyalty, piety, and honesty
Hero’s Quest • Romance is an ideal world of exaggeration where good always triumphs over evil • Plot of a romance involves a hero’s quest • A long, perilous journey in search of something • Kingdom, Maiden, Treasure, etc. • May involve magical or supernatural events • Quest is a struggle between good and evil • It is a journey into and out of the evil side of human nature • Look for this theme in the Grail quest
Will the Real Arthur Please Stand Up? Please Stand Up… Please Stand Up… • Arthur was probably a Celtic warlord of the 6th century • He fought against the Saxon invaders of England • Said to have been fatally wounded at the Battle of Camlan and buried in the abbey of Glastonbury • By 12th century, Arthur had been added to and had become a national hero
Arthur in Literature • Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain (1137) hails Arthur as master of a European empire • German legends grew up around Parsifal • He glimpsed the Holy Grail • Legend of Tristan and Isolde developed too • Adulterous lovers in Celtic legend
Thomas Malory • Malory was a 15th century knight and soldier who spent many years in prison • While in prison, he yearned for the simpler days of chivalry • In his Morte Darthur, he wrote down many of the heroic tales surrounding King Arthur
Arthur Lives… • Many famous works of popular culture based on the Arthurian legend • Tennyson’s Idylls of the King • T.H. White’s The Once and Future King • Lerner and Loewe’s musical Camelot • Disney’s The Sword in the Stone
Major Players in the Arthur Legends • King Arthur • King who ruled his great realm of Camelot • Guinevere • Wife of King Arthur who partly causes the downfall of Camelot • What might this echo? • Merlin • Arthur’s advisor and magician • Modred • Sometimes said to be Arthur’s son and sometimes his nephew; he kills Arthur at the Battle of Camlan
Credits • Thomas Malory image taken from: • http://www.malory.net/images/writing.jpg • Idylls of the King image taken from: • http://iub.edu/~liblilly/miniatures/thumbnails/american_idylls_thm.jpg • Once and Future King image taken from: • http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/200px-Once_future_king_cover.jpg • Camelot image taken from: • http://www.worldzone.net/art/tahoearts/images/camel1.jpg • Sword and the Stone image taken from: • http://www.sanbenito.k12.tx.us/schools/sbhs/99projects/Dau's%20Web%20stuff/The%20sword%20and%20the%20stone.JPG • All other images taken from Microsoft ClipArt Gallery