Le morte d’arthur

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Le Morte d’Arthur Originally spelled “ Le Morte Darthur “ , Middle french for the death

Transcript of Le morte d’arthur

Page 1: Le morte d’arthur

Le Morte d’Arthur

Originally spelled “Le Morte Darthur “ , Middle french for the death of Arthur .

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King Arthur

legendary king of the Britons (possibly based on a historical figure In the 6th century but the story has been retold too many times to be sure said to have led the knights of the round table at camelot .

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Sir Thomas Malory

• . The exact identity Of auther “ Le Morte D’Arthur has long been the subject of ongoing speculations , Owing the fact that a number of minor historical figures bore the name of “Sir Thomas Malory “

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Middle English of Le Morte D ‘ Arthur

The middle english of Le Morte D’Arthur is much closer to Early Modern English than the middle english of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales . If the English is Modernized , it reads almost like Elizabethan english .

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Le Morte D’Arthur

Is the story of king Arthur and the knights of the round Table , beginning with Arthur’s conception and birth , concluding with his death at the Hands of His #son Mordre . (Perhaps due to his choice of name ?)

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The characters of Arthur and his knights were already Well-known in England.In the beginning , these tales were mostly in French . The Most influential group , Chre’tien de Troyes’ collection of five long tales , Introduced characters such as launcelot , Gawin and percivial to the written world of English (French ) Literature . By the fourteenth century , the Arthurian tales had made their way in English (ever heard of the prose romance Merlin ? ) .

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Conflict

Love Triangle, Vengeful Nephews, and Lots of DramaArthur's goal after establishing the Round Table is to have unity amongst his knights, and to command the loyalty and respect of the best knights in the world. Unfortunately, Artie, that's a bit of a pipe dream. Launcelot's love for Gwenyvere obviously conflicts with this goal, and the blood feud between the families of Lot and Pellynore splits the Round Table in two.

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Complication

Caught in the Act!Launcelot's affair with Gwenyvere has been going on for a long time, but it's not until now that Aggravayne and Mordred decide to do something about it. This really throws a wrench in things, because now Arthur can't just sit back and ignore it. It forces the knights in court to take sides,(something that the feud between the families of Pellynore and Lot has already sort of done) so battle-lines form quickly. Launcelot's rescue of Gwenyvere, who's about to be burned at the stake, leaves things unresolved, though. The affair has ended, but nobody has really been punished.

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Climax

Arthur at WarAll right, all right, he's been in several wars. But this one's special, we swear. He goes to war with Launcelot, of all people. Of course the only possible reason a king would go to war with his favorite knight is a woman. So this war is the inevitable end of Launcelot and Gwenyvere's affair. Arthur can't ignore what Launcelot has done; he has to punish the guy somehow. And Launcelot can't help fighting with Arthur once he invades his lands.

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Suspense

Uh Oh, a CoupThe war with Launcelot is still going on, but now Mordred's set himself up as King of England, while Arthur's off, fighting over his Queen. Will Arthur be able to re-claim his lands from Mordred? Will Gwenyvere allow herself to be married to England's new ruler?

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While malory was writing (probably in prison , but that’s another story ) , England was Knee –deep in the Wars of Roses a civil war . Besides Reminding us of the danger of in-fighting –no matter what century we are living in .

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Questions

Le Morte asks plenty of questions that are timless , no matter who’s reading it . E.g what it means to be great king , or a great man in general .Is launcelot , the undisputed battlefield champion ,the best knight in the world or is his son ghalad , who rejects earthly love and glory in favor of all things spiritual , the idea Knight .

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Why should I care ? Le morte d’Arthur has been one of literature’s greatest influnces on pop culture for the 600 years . You maybe heard of The sword of stone ? Or star- crossed lovers gwenyvere and launcelot ?

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Denouement

Death and ReconciliationGawain's reconciliation with Launcelot symbolizes the end of the feuding between Arthur's Knights, resolving that tension. Unfortunately, though, Arthur is not able to re-claim his lands from Mordred without dying.

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Conclusion

A Love Triangle Loses a Side. (Or Two. Or three.) England loses a king.With Arthur dead at the hands of Mordred, Launcelot and Gwenyvere's affair is really at an end. Both of them have now devoted themselves to God. Launcelot's burial of Gwenyvere's body at Arthur's side signals his final ceding of Gwenyvere to the King in death, which is something he refused to do in life. And so ends the reign of Arthur.