Camelot Excalibur Holy Grail Knights of the Roundtable

Camelot Excalibur Holy Grail Knights of the Roundtable Guinnevere Merlin WITH WHICH LEGENDARY CHARACTER ARE ALL OF THESE TERMS ASSOCIATED?

KING ARTHUR Historical Arthur Dark Ages Literary Arthur Middle Ages

Sooo, was this guy real or what? ? • Arthur as presented in the legends was NOT a real person. • There was, however, a chieftan named Arthur. • Historical Arthur lived in the Dark Ages at the end of the 5 th and beginning of the 6 th centuries. • __________________.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND… • King Arthur was the son of King Uther Pendragron and Igraine BUT was raised by Sir Ector. The magician, Merlin, made Uther look just like Igraine’s husband, so she slept with him and conceived _________. • When King Uther died, there was controversy over who ______________. THIS GAVE WAY TO THE LEGEND OF…

THE SWORD IN THE STONE! "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England. "

The Knights of the Roundtable • After becoming king, Arthur surrounded himself with knights who followed ______________________________. • The roundtable was given to Arthur as part of Lady Guinevere’s dowry. Why do you suppose the table was round? ____________________________________.

WHERE WAS ARTHUR’S KINGDOM? Camelot____________________.

The Holy Grail According to Christianity, the Holy Grail was the cup Jesus drank from during the Last Supper. Aside from carrying out acts of chivalry, King Arthur and his knights also went on the “Quest for the Holy Grail”, which they believed was a cure to all illness. Sir Galahad, Launcelot’s son, is said to have found and drank from it.

Monty Python and The Holy Grail- spoof

EXCALIBUR Under Merlin’s guidance, King Arthur obtained this magical sword from The Lady of the Lake and vanquished many foes with it.

Morgan Le Fay Arthur’s beautiful half-sister who is a powerful sorceress. She serves as an antagonist to both King Arthur and Lady Guinevere. Keep your eyes open for her when we read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight!

So what happened to Arthur? • During a battle with Mordred, who was either King Arthur’s traitorous nephew or his illegitimate son depending on the source, he was mortally wounded. • Arthur was set upon a boat and floated down river to the isle of Avalon where his wounds were treated by three mysterious maidens. • ____________________________________________________________.

The Arthurian Romance • As you probably recall from your earlier notes on the Middle Ages, the romance became a popular form of literature. • A romance is _____________________________________________________________. • Most Arthurian romances were not love stories but rather dealt with _____________________________________________________________. • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1375) is one of the most well-known and beloved Arthurian Romances. Let’s read it and discover whether or not we think Sir Gawain truly abides by the code of chivalry.