iE MORTE D’ARTHUR
work: Chronicle
Tne Thoms Nalory (1002-1471)
apo plot Chiari romance
‘met plat: Goken Age of chivalry
Britain
tpubished: 1469; printed 14a
Le Morte o’Arthur is @ monumental wor
a ok Boao legends which had
gave those tales apically Enelishvong’
bed ‘awork which has had tremendous influen
Principal Characters
Arthor (hor, king of Britain and head ofthe Round
‘pile, a brave, st, and temperate ruler. He values the
{alowshp of his men above revenge for his queen's inns
ely, and be closes his eyes to her love for Launeelot
snl Mordred and Agravaine force him to act.
‘Queen Guenevere (2¥én'a:vit), a jealous, passionate
‘woman whose fury drives her lover Launcelot mad. She
repeats afer the King is betrayed by Mordred, and she
Gis in a convent,
Launcelot du Lake (J6n’sarl0t di lak), the greatest of
allthe knight except those who achieve the Grail quest
Heis, himself, ranted a vision of the Grail, but his love
forthe queen bars him from suecess in spite of his deep
and sincere penitence.
‘Wstram (rs'trom), the ereat Cornish knight who is
te fatful and devoted lover of Isolde, the wife of his
uncle, King Mark, Like Launcelot, he adheres firmly for
the knightly code of honor and continues to fight for his
country even after Mark has ried to have him murdered.
Iblde (6d), an Irish princess, married to King Mark
fecpltcal reasons although she has loved Tristram from
te time she cured him of a wound incurred while he
jmusted with he brother.
Mark, the cowardly, jealous king of Cornwall, who
tecomes increasingly biter and vengeful toward Tristram,
Isolde la Blanche Mains ((s6d’ labliish min), Trs-
tan’ wife, Princess of Brittany.
Gawain (gi'win), Arthur's nephew. He stands for vit-
(we and justice untempered by merey in his uncle's final
const with Launcelot but he dishonors his fellowship
tale by beheading a lady and killing Lamorak de Galis
‘hen that knight was unarmed.
Sir Kay, Arthur's sardonic, mocking foster brother
and seneschal
Galahad (gal’a-had), Launcelot’s son, the best of the
"Sieh, who sits inthe Siege Perilous and draws Balin’
‘word from a great stone as a prelude to his successful
Gail quest, He dies after vision in which he receives
rk Which made the
one from the folklore of Celne
of view, an
ice on literature
351
‘Arthurian cycle avai
ele available for the first time in English.
Brain Freche
Wade, amended and dete forsee pga
the trament frm St. Joseph of Arita
Pefclral p's) and Bors de Gants (6s do
ns), vitaous nights wh aeompany Calta onthe
ues ofthe Grail, Bors shone returns Arthur's ou
' dee vs
mide (pment pagan bight, or
mary years Tatoms daly enemy ae ale ot
mit, He lyon ovr by hs a compe
enor and Signin his ow ends by be
‘itsanea igt friendship by being
lamer de Galle (n'a tk do gi, i
famous for his Seenth and var, who surpacted ol
by Lamcslot and Tasvam. He i killed by Gawain ard
bis brothers or his afar wth hei meter
Mordred (mér‘dréd), Arthur's son by his sister, an
iltempered, evi aight who eventually destoys the
lowship ofthe Round Tale and his royal father,
Agravaine (Ggro-vin) and Gaherls. (grhér,
Gavan brothers, pricipans in More's plot and
th ing of thei othr and Lamers.
Gareth (girth), tl, Hendsome young. man who
nertakes his fst quest at “Beaumains” the Kitchen
boy, but ater reveal imsl a the other af Cavan.
Lint ie’, th damsel whose quest Gareth fils
Ste mocks and cicizs the inexperienced young knight
unt ater he hs rescued her ss.
Lines (in), Lint sive lter Garth's ride.
Balin Sauvage ino 0c). a Northumbrian
ig, fated by the acquisition oa magie sword oll
his beloved tote, Balan.
Dinadan (ctn’s'n') Txtam’s commonsensial
wit companion, who scorn ove
‘King Pelle (pe), the Fisher King of te Galle
end a some points, togh isnt i ofen clea.
He undentands th mysterio th Sangean ranges
ihe conception of Gala, the knight who i fo achieve
the guest and cre the wounded king
nine lan’, Pel daughter and Galahad mother,$52
i ion of
cs Lancelot in pt of his ection of Bt
eta th fa mai of Asta WHO PES
af ve for Lanett Gor}
King Evelake "2 es con
seph of Arimathaea, He lives genet
wall eomplete the Gril DES a allows
in (mir'in), the magician whose sPe
xing ines Ponaragn to xe Tinga Casein ne shape
of the rightful Duke of Cornwall, husband ofthe ov")
Tgraine, Arthur's mother. In return, Uther promises that
the child thus conceived wil be turned over to Merlin,
to be reared under his charge. =}
[Nimue (nim362), the Lady of the Lake, Medins
mistess, who serves as a deus ex machina for several of
the knights.
an ancient ruler, €0
‘The Story
Uther Pendragon saw and loved Igraine, the
vest and chaste Daches of Coal His eis,
however, were checked by Igraine’s husband. King Uther
made war on Cornwall, and in that war, the duke was
Killed. By means of magic, King Uther caused Igraine
to become pregnant; the couple were subsequently mar-
ried. The child, named Arthur, was raised by a noble
‘gh, Sr tr. After he death of King Utes, Artur
proved his right tothe throne by temoving a sword from
anil that was bedded na rock. From the Lady of
the Lake, he received his famous sword, Excalibur. When
the independent kings of Britain rebelled and made war
‘on the young king, they were defeated. Arthur ruled over
all Britain
King Arthur martied Guinevere, the daughter of King
Leodegrance, who presented the Round Table and a
hundred knights to Arthur as a wedding gift. Merlin the
‘magician was enticed by one of the Ladies of the Lake
into eternal imprisonment under a rock.
Five foreign kings invaded Arthur's realm and were
defeated after a long war. To show his gratitude to God
for his victor, King Arthur founded the Abbey of the
Beautiful Adventure atthe scene of his victory.
Sir Accolon was the paramour of Morgan le Fay,
enchantress sister of King Arthur. He fought Arthur with
Excalibur, which Morgan le Fay had procured from Arthur
by black magic. Arthur was nearly overcome; but in the
fight, their swords were accidentally exchanged, and the
King defeated Accolon.
King Lucius of Rome sent ambassadors to Britain to
demand tribute of King Arthur. When Arthur refused (0
ay, he was promised aid in war by all the knights of his
er ated aa the British defeated Lucius
and Ialy. Arthur was crown
Emperor of Rome. maps
Back in England, SirLauncelot, a knight ofthe Round
se
Masterpien.
Morgan le Fay (mr'gon
who contioualy devises yi fa
Pelliore (peV'ndn), bold 2%
edly pursues the Questing Beas!!!
Gouvermail(giv-érniy t,
stant companion Oy,
Brangwane (nein), hoy
Betor de Maris Ghar dy n° lang
Dodinas le Sauvage (dove, Lins
more (Sig'r9"m6r), Breunor engl
and Safere (sf), brave ana oie x
Meliogrance (m'yograne 8% int
aman who kidnaps Guenevere ga & 2h
‘with Launcelot when she refs
Tata), 4
wk
si
‘Table and Queen Guinevere’s favorit
tures to further the honor and glory of yin eng
queen. After many long and arduous np cig
them triumphant, Sir Launceltreturnag , e
seat of King Arthur, and was avlane} got
ofall Christendom, the Fig
Elizabeth, queen of King Meiods of
siving birth toa son, who was named Hoe
of the sad circumstances surrounding po
“istram was sent to France with hie se ey
is preepe, 6
nai, where he was trained inal he wens
knighthood. The King of leland demangen se
King Mark of Cornwall. Sit Tistam tha (2%
tne a come Sor ae
champion, Si Maths, but he wat wage
test He was nursed by Isolde, princess of inn
tram and Isolde fell in love and promised oon
to each other. Later, King Mark commisinoa Stk
tram to return to Ireland to bring back lle song
King ha contracted to mast. Dutng the evs ee
from Ireland to Cornwall, Tistam and lle ert
Jove potion and swore undying love. sold aria,
Mark, and Sir Testa later married sleet
Mains, daughter of King Howes of Britany. ibs
remain separated from Isolde of Irelan, isn ot
her secretly. At las, fearing discovery ani os
rind for love of Isolde, Tristram ein fsb
4 pitiful condition, he was carried back 1 te a
‘where a faithful hound revealed his identity Kiet
King Mark then banished Tristram from Comet
years. The knight went to Camelot, whe he wate
renown at tourneys and in knightly adventures, Kis
heard of Tistram’s honors and went in dsgie C2
lotto kill Tristram. Sir Launcelotrecogized Kite
and took him to King Arthur, who ordered
sovereign to allow Sir Tristram to returape morte CArthur
King Mark attempted unsuccessfully to get ig
I,
corn tristram, however, managed
"risa
otis 8
tp residence in Castle Joyous Cheng
‘old hermit prophesied to King Arthur
9 0 raat ate Round Ta ul
ght not yet rn—One who Would win the Holy
ye
Gail
er Sir Launcelot was tricked into an affaiwi
tered Galahad. Some YER later, a stone with ewney
sateen appeared i a rive A'mesage gp
inte sated that the best knight in the world woutd
smo itll the Knight of the Round Table attempted
tephra the sword without succes. Finally arog
fe Mproueht a young Knight to the Round Table sad
‘dim nthe vacant place at which the young knights
‘ete Sit Galahad, appeared magically fie he had been
‘wf. Sit Galahad withdrew the magic sword from the
si and set out, with Arthurs other knights, in quet
Sfthe Holy Grail. During his quest, he was joined part
the time by his father, Sir Launcelo, Sir Launcelet
to enter the Grail chamber and was stricken for
reay-four days as a penance for his years of sin, A
‘Son of Christ came to Sir Galahad; he and his comrades
‘eeived communion from the Grail. They came toa city
‘ripe car east where they healed a cripple. Because of
its miracle, they were thrown into prison by the pagan
fing, When the king died, Sir Galahad was chosen king;
fe saw the miracles of the Grail and died in holiness.
“There was great rejoicing in Camelot after the quest-
ing nights returned. Sir Launcelot forgot the promises
fe had made during the quest and began to consort again
with Guinevere.
(One spring while traveling with her attendants, Guin-
vere was captured by a traitorous knight, Sir Meliagr-
Critical Evaluation
The author of Le Morte d’Arthur was the unusual Sir
‘Thomas Malory of Newbold Revel. The strange circum-
sances of his life contributed significantly to the shape
and meaning of his masterwork. Born about 1400, he
served with Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, was
lighted in 1442, and was elected a Member of Parlia-
meat in 1445, For whatever reasons of military adven-
‘ure, Malory turned to a life of irresponsible violence
aod pent most of his last twenty years in prison until his
‘ath in 1471. It was during his imprisonment that Malory
composed, translated, and adapted his great rendering of
the Arthurian material. His active, fifteenth century life
-xcounts for many of the differences between his vig-
rows narrative and its contemplative, ruminative ante~
cedents in chivalric literature. Malory lived just alittle
Fst the age of chivalry, at a time when its elegance and
leisure had to be rationalized.
Paty repr Monae nn cama. leben
fits the tone of rain and ted to hanes
sett eats
Seis ag Ae ate
et Lae] pairs King Arthur and Sir Mordred, an
ae ‘on a pitched battle in which Mordred was iid
rete Finally, Sir Bedivere threw the sword
ural under the water. aoe
el omar vn
ce Pams eae
belongs eet ate Cosa
Malory isthe most influential of all Arthurian writers,
He was the source and delight of Spenser and the well:
spring of Tennyson's dlls of the King. First printed by
Caxton in one volume in 1485, Le Morte Arthur has
been consistently popular since, except during the Augustan
period of the early eighteenth century. Caxton's printing
is the source of all extant versions except a manuscript
discovered in 1934 inthe Fellows" Library of Winchester
College. The Winchester manuscript, which seems gen-
cally more reliable than Caxton, ot only made the iden-
tity of the author more certain but aso showed that Cax-
ton had condensed the original.
“Malory’s Le Morte Arthur is itself a condensation,
adaptation, and rearrangement of earlier materials. It is
based primarily on the French Arthurian Prose Cycle
(1225-1230) known as the Vulgate, « conglomeration
of courtly stories of Launcelot, ostensibly historical554
‘Arthur and stories of the quest
Taste Holy Grail. Eugene Vinaer, the foremost editor
atthe differences
and critic of Malory, has explained th
ran cen the Vulgate and Malory’s narrative ae £00
indicators ofthe nature of Malory’s achievement
“The primary structure of the Vulgate is episodic, and
its narrative movement is largely flashbacks. Episodes
prepare for and elucidate other episodes that may Rave
Rrcurred earlier. It did not grow by accretion its shape
{Sa reflection ofan alternative aesthetic. The result is &
web of themes in which forward movement of the nar-
ative is subordinated to the demonstration and clarifi-
Cation of the dominant ideals ofthe work. Malory took
this source, added material from the fourteenth century
English Alzerative Morte Arthur and, t lesser extent,
from the Stancaic Morte, and fashioned a new kind of
fictional structure. The result isnot simply condensation
but a disentanglement of the clements of the narrative
and a recombination of them into an order, an emphasis,
fnd a significance entirely alien tothe sources.
Vinaver has identified two primary ways in. which
Malory transformed the structure ofthe narrative. First,
certain episodes are formed into self-contained units,
almost short stories, by detachment from their context
and the excision of extraneous detail. For example, in
the Vulgate the incidents grouped together by Malory as
the story of the Knight ofthe Cart appeared long before
the Grail quest; Malory puts them long after and orga-
nizes them as an exemplum of Launcelor’s noble ideals
rather than as a prefigurement of his amatory commit.
‘ment, Consequently, Malory gives the episode a different
significance by omission and shortening. Malory’s sec-
‘ond mode of transformation is to fashion a coherent nar
ative from bits and pieces taken from his sources. Inthe
story of the Fair Maid of Astolat for example, he orga-
nizes details into a sequential form.
‘The most striking change in the sources is Malory’s
accounts of the court of
Masterpie,
Pieces of Wary
imposition of @ consistently fory,
movement. The courtly digressiony sy to
a ares el be
there is a straightforward narrative so
tone and meaning of the original ye tte oa
prehension of of sympathy for the RY had gate
Benet permened Ne soree tn fe
fot be omitted, Malory translates pert Yigg)
‘hore compatible with his genius The! Some
ere ie hight fe ca eee Lae
ebasement forthe beloved but beeen. ofa
to chivalric ideals, The elegance ang teeta
ality of his antecedents are changeg etme
irectness and moral earnestness, Leg) Mal af.
christianized, somewhat sentimentalizen tg,
the model of the moderation that leade rq et Mio
rewards. Similarly, inthe story of Plles any s2P ay
makes Peles’ behavior more practical th Et Magy
Ettard’s infidelity, Malory substitutes te cou: A
fof her death and Pells" happiness for mee te
‘abnegation demonstrated by Pelles in the Yarn?
‘Sometimes Malory’s fiction suffers fom
between his sources and his rendering of me 24
the courtly and mysterious elements ary a N#al
eonelized into the new intentiog nage, Re
pherable oddities result. Le Morte davies ts
femains a vigorous and compellin : over,
‘pint of adventurous knighthood, Ac Vi uote
in detail, Malory has substituted outdoor image
affectation, the real English countryside fa to
tional French, vigorous speech for conventny st
Jogues, and direct human relationships for te cay
cate ae
blunt and lively prose which isthe antithesis of teint
cece of te French sources andi ely mali,
Maloy’ more dest sutra oth