Title: Arthurian Legend: A Romance Narrative and The Romance Hero
1Arthurian LegendA Romance Narrative and The
Romance Hero
- Mrs. Eckman Wissler
- 12th Grade English
2Chivalry is
- Reached its height in 12th-13th centuries
- Boys from the nobility were raised in code of
chivalry - At 7- Became pages in castles
- At 14- Became squires, serving knights, learning
horsemanship - At 21- Became knights
- Loyalty to God, lord, and lady who he had sworn
his love - Represented Christian and military idealsfaith,
modesty, loyalty, courtesy, bravery, and honor
3Is Chivalry dead?
4King Arthur Fact or Fiction?
- Did Arthur truly exist?
- White and Red Dragon
- Excalibur the sword in the stone
- Merlin
- Lady of the Lake
- The Round Table
5Arthur was real BUT.
- ..Little is known
- .Scholars are not entirely sure if he was real
- . He was a Briton
- ..He was a leader against Anglo-Saxon invaders
in 6th century - ..Oral poets in Wales celebrate him as a HERO
6Geoffrey of Monmouth (1135)
- Produced semi-historical History of the Kings of
Britain from Welsh legends - His book became popular amongst French, German,
and English writers - Writers updated the stories to reflect notions of
chivalry - He wrote about King Arthur because it was Good
for Morale, Public looking for a HERO and for
National Pride
7King Arthurs Family Tree
- The genealogy of King Arthur and his family has
changed from one generation to another, during
the medieval period. The main difference between
one source from another, is that of number of
sister and half-sisters, or the number of nephews
Arthur had. - The spelling of names had also changed, depending
on languages or regions. - Source http//www.timelessmyths.com/arthurian/ho
usearthur.html
8There are many variations
- Family Tree of King Arthur (Geoffrey of
Monmouthsversion)
9Family Tree of King Arthur (Chretien de Troyes'
version)
- The family tree of King Arthur shown here, comes
from Chretien de Troyes' five Arthurian romances.
Chretien was the first to introduce Lancelot and
Perceval into the legend. He was also responsible
for beginning the Grail legend. - Here, Morgan le Fay is Arthur's full sister. He
had another unnamed sister in Conte du Graal
("Story of the Grail" or "Perceval). But if we
followed the First Grail Continuation, then her
name was either Norcadet or Morgawse. Also,
Chretien had listed three brothers to Gawain, but
no Mordred.
10Family Tree of King Arthur (Vulgate /
Post-Vulgate version)
(This is) almost identical to the next family
tree, which used Sir Thomas Malory's work, Le
Morte d'Arthur, 1469. The difference is mainly in
the spelling of Arthur's nephews and the number
of his sisters. Notice that here, Morgeuse and
Morgan are Arthurs half sisters.
11Family Tree of King Arthur (Sir Thomas Malory's
version)
This is one of the more popular versions.it is
based on the work by Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte
d'Arthur (1469)
12Romance Narrative
- A Romance Narrative or a Medieval Romance is a
dramatic verse or prose narrative that usually
involves adventurous heroes, idealized love,
exotic places and supernatural events (Holt
McDougal Literature 229) - First appeared in France in the 12th Century-
quickly spread to England - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is considered one
of the best examples of this genre in Arthurian
literature. - So- what does this really mean?
13Characteristics of a Romance Narrative
- Idealized or Larger- than-Life Characters
- A hero who faces a challenge or test
- Exotic Settings or Supernatural/magic Elements
- Hidden or Mistaken Identity
The adventures of a knight/hero on a quest
(good-vs-evil), overcoming danger to save a noble
lady or for love
14The Romance Hero.
- Born under mysterious circumstances
- Grows up in obscurity
- Undergoes childhood initiation (usually involving
a magical weapon) - Fights evil-promotes good
- Aided by magical weapons wise mentors
- Mysterious events surround his departure from
earth (death?)
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