CHAPTER 5 LE MORTE D' ARTHUR ENGLISH SECOND QUARTER

Page 4: Le Morte D’ Arthur

  • Collection of legends about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table

  • Comprised of 21 books

  • Written by Sir Thomas Malory in 1460-1470

  • First published in 1485 by William Caxton, an English merchant

Page 5: Important Characters

  • King Uther Pendragon: True father of Arthur and king of England until his death

  • Queen Igraine: Arthur's mother, originally the wife of the Duke of Cornwall

Page 6: Chapter V: How Arthur was chosen king

  • After King Uther's death, lords in the kingdom hope to be the next successor

  • Merlin advises the Archbishop of Canterbury to gather all lords and gentlemen of arms in London by Christmas

  • A sword is stuck in a stone with an inscription that whoever pulls it out will be the rightful king

  • Many try but fail, so a joust and tournament are planned for New Year's day

  • The winner of the tournament will have the sword

Page 8: Summary of Chapter V

  • Sir Ector, Sir Kay, and young Arthur go to the tournament

  • Sir Kay realizes he forgot his sword and sends Arthur to fetch it

  • Arthur sees the sword in the stone and pulls it out to give to Sir Kay

  • Sir Ector realizes Arthur is the chosen one and tells him he must be king

  • Arthur puts the sword back in the stone

Page 9: Important Characters in Chapter V

  • Arthur: Son of Uther and Igraine, raised by Sir Ector, destined to pull out Excalibur

  • Merlin: A sorcerer who arranges for Arthur to be raised outside the royal court

  • Sir Ector: A faithful knight who raises Arthur as his own son

  • Sir Kay: Son of Sir Ector, becomes one of Arthur's knights

Page 11: Chapter VI: How King Arthur pulled out the sword

  • Sir Ector and Sir Kay try but fail to move the sword

  • Arthur easily pulls it out without pain

  • Sir Ector reveals that Arthur is not his son and tells him about Merlin's advice

  • Arthur agrees to make Sir Kay the seneschal of his lands

  • The barons and lords are not accepting of Arthur as king and delay the decision

Page 13: Summary of Chapter VI

  • At the Cadlemas, many lords try but fail to pull out the sword

  • Arthur easily pulls it out again

  • The decision is delayed until the feast of Easter

  • The lords feel displeasure and delay it again until the feast of Pentecost

  • The Archbishop provides the best knights to be with Arthur

Page 14: Chapter VII: How King Arthur was crowned

  • At the feast of Pentecost, only Arthur can pull out the sword

  • The commoners and lords declare Arthur as their king

  • Arthur forgives them and offers the sword on the altar

  • Coronation takes place, Arthur swears to be a true king

  • Arthur appoints Sir Kay, Sir Baudwin, Sir Ulfius, and Sir Brastias to important positions

Page 16:

  • Holy Grail

  • Excalibur

  • Round Table

Legend and and Its Themes

The Arthurian Legend and Its Theme

  • Themes:

    • A peasant or commoner with a secret background

    • Prophecies

    • The chivalric hero

    • Role of supernatural forces

  • Legend:

    • Type of folk narratives or stories handed down over generations

    • Believed to be based on history, but a mix of fact and fantasy

  • Arthurian legend:

    • Refers to different accounts of the life of King Arthur

    • Popular in Wales even before