The Once and Future King by T. H. White

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The Once and Future Kingby T. H. White

• Of Arthur, who, to upper light restored,
• With that terrific sword,
• Which yet he brandishes for future war,
• Shall lift his countrys fame above the polar
  star?
• William Wordsworth

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Terence Hanbury White

• Born May 29, 1906 in Bombay, India to British
  parents
• Graduated top of his class from Queens College
  in Cambridge

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T. H. White

• Led a solitary life in which most of his
  companions were his pets
• Made one attempt to get married, but fiancée
  broke it off
• After teaching at Stowe, he dedicated himself to
  the study of medieval life and became a full-time
  author.
• Toward the end of his life, he underwent
  psychological treatment for homosexuality.
• On-again, off-again alcoholic
• Died aboard ship in Athens, Greece, on January
  17, 1964 after a lecture tour in America

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The Once and Future King

• His most famous book
• Wrote the novel in England after WWII.
• The first three books were released
  independently. The entire collection was
  published in 1958.
• The novel is based on Sir Thomas Mallorys 15th
  century romance Morte dArthur (Death of Arthur)
  and Arthurian legend.

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Arthurian Legend

• The stories of King Arthur were once part of an
  oral tradition and have since been written down.
• Legends are a combination of history and myth.
  Typically, they are based in part on real
  characters or historical events.

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History of Arthurian Legend

• King Arthur was based on a king who lived in
  South Wales or England during the 6th century and
  led his armies against invading armies of Saxons.
  His legend grew through stories, poems,
  histories, and novels written from the 7th to the
  12th centuries.
• Eventually, the stories reached France where new
  embellishments were added (especially those
  related to Lancelot and Guinevere). Later, the
  story of the grail was added (drawn from Celtic
  legend) along with giving more prominence to
  Merlin. The stories also began to take on
  Christian overtones.
• By the 15th century, Sir Thomas Malory had
  written a collection of the tales called Morte
  dArthur.
• More recently, Victorian poet Lord Tennyson
  repopularized the legends in his Idylls of the
  King. Stage productions such as Camelot and
  movies like Excalibur have also retold the
  legends.

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Characters King Arthur (Wart)

• Protagonist of the novel
• Becomes king of England
• Tutored by Merlyn
• Believes in justice and has faith in good which
  sometimes makes him unaware to things around him

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Sir Kay

• Sir Ectors son (Arthurs foster brother)
• Knight of the Round Table
• Selfish yet decent at heart

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Merlyn

• Magician, born in the wrong time, who lives
  backwards (from the future to the past)
• Arthurs tutor and friend
• Kind yet sometimes absentminded

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Sir Bruce Sans Pitie

• A Gaelic knight
• An example of the bad knight King Arthur hopes to
  eliminate
• Known for his sneak attacks and ambushes
• Always manages to avoid capture

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Mordred

• Son of Arthur and his half-sister
• Raised by his mother to hate Arthur
• Hunchback, almost an albino
• Thrives on slander and insinuation (he prefers
  these to open confrontation)
• Even walks in a defiant manner

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Igraine

• Chaste and beautiful Countess of Cornwall
• Mother of three daughters

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Sir Palomides Tom of Warwick

• Black man or saracen
• Attempts to cheer up King Pellinore by dressing
  up like the Questing Beast with Sir G

• Young page
• Chosen to be a light bringer, a candle in the wind

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Nimue

• A young maiden that Merlyn loves
• Traps Merlyn in a cave for centuries

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Elaine

• Daughter of King Pelles
• Tricks Lancelot into sleeping with her
• Young, yet determined to do all she can to win
  Lancelots love
• Unhappy woman except the 2 times Lancelot stayed
  with her
• Knows that Lancelot loves Guenever

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Quotations

• Merlyn, King Arthur, Lancelot, Mordred, Robin
  Wood, King Pellinore, Agravaine

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Merlyn

• Education is experience, and the essence of
  experience is self-reliance.

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King Arthur

• The Might is there, in the bad half of people,
  and you cant neglect it. You cant cut it out,
  but you might be able to direct it, if you see
  what I mean, so that it was useful instead of
  bad.
• What I meant by civilization when I invented it,
  was simply that people out not to take advantage
  of weaknessnot violate maidens, and rob widows,
  and kill a man when he was down. People out to
  be civil.

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Lancelot

• The thing which these birds made me see, because
  my black heart could not see it alone, was that
  if I was to be punished, it was because of my own
  natureThey made me see that the world was
  beautiful if you were beautiful, an d that you
  couldnt get unless you gave.
• It is important that somebody should be alive to
  explain about us decently. That is the hard work
  which you will have to do. Besides, I should
  want you to pray.

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Mordred

• Personal combat has no meaning. It is an unfair
  justice anyway. It is the thugs who win.

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Robin Wood

• I dont think you can very well give people as
  presents they might not like it. That is what
  we Saxons feel, at any rate.

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King Pellinore

• I happened on it in this gorse bush here, with
  snow all over its poor back and tears in its eyes
  and nobody to care for it in the wide worldIt
  has gone to pieces altogether, and it will be
  your fault if it dies. You and your bed.
• what harm has she done? All the world loves a
  lover. I dont see why the poor beastie should
  be killed, just because she has got the gentle
  passion. I mean to say, I am in love myself

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Agravaine

• We do not want mercy, we want justice.

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Study Questions and Topics

• As King Arthur plans his new order of chivalry,
  what does he decide is the most important thing
  to do?
• Whose name does Merlyn keep forgetting to tell
  Arthur?
• Who are the first 2 people to notice that
  Lancelot and Guenever are falling in love with
  each other?
• After Arthur feels that chivalry has failed, what
  does he invent?
• What does Mordred invent to bring social class
  divisions into Arthurs court?
• What does Arthur instruct his young page to do?
• King Arthur realizes that humans will always
  fight each other as long as there are what?
• Why doesnt Lancelot kill Mordred when he has a
  chance?

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More Study Questions and Topics

• What does King Arthur warn Lancelot and Guenever
  that Mordred will try to do?
• How does Lancelot physically meet Sir
  Meliagrance?
• What does Kay do when Cully refuses to come down
  from the tree?
• Why does Merlyn arrange a joust between King
  Pellinore and another knight?
• Why does Wart believe Kay acts the way he does?
• What is Kay like as he grows older?
• What are the three stages of education for a
  civilized gentleman?
• When in London, why is Wart sent back to the inn?
• What is the name of the sword pulled from the
  stone?
• What is the meaning of Might makes Right? In
  what situations is this idea present?

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Still More Study Questions and Topics

• When Arthur was born, who knew where Merlyn took
  the baby?
• Why does Lancelot begin his famous quests?
• Does Lancelot think that King Arthur knows about
  his love affair with Guenever?
• How does Lancelot feel about killing Gareth?
• Where does King Arthur believe that the ultimate
  hope for peace lies?
• What does Robin Wood say about fairies?
• Why is Robins band considered outlaws?
• What is ant society like?
• What happens to the Questing Beast when King
  Pellinore takes a long vacation at Sir Ectors
  castle?
• What does Wart expect when Kay becomes a knight?
• What does Merlyn tell Wart at the end of Book I?