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    Arthurs Myth

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    Vicky Apud Cáceres
    The myth of King Arthur began as a historical figure who led resistance against Saxon invaders in 6th century Britain. Over time, the stories about Arthur were embellished with fantastical elements by writers like Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Arthur became a symbol of British nationalism. The legends were popularized through French and English literature in the Middle Ages, including Wace's Roman de Brut and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, cementing Arthur's place as an iconic figure in British cultural mythology.

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    Arthurs Myth

    Uploaded by

    Vicky Apud Cáceres
    126 views3 pages
    The myth of King Arthur began as a historical figure who led resistance against Saxon invaders in 6th century Britain. Over time, the stories about Arthur were embellished with fantastical elements by writers like Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Arthur became a symbol of British nationalism. The legends were popularized through French and English literature in the Middle Ages, including Wace's Roman de Brut and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, cementing Arthur's place as an iconic figure in British cultural mythology.

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    Arthur Myth

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    The myth of King Arthur began as a historical figure who led resistance against Saxon invaders in 6th century Britain. Over time, the stories about Arthur were embellished with fantastical elements by writers like Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Arthur became a symbol of British nationalism. The legends were popularized through French and English literature in the Middle Ages, including Wace's Roman de Brut and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, cementing Arthur's place as an iconic figure in British cultural mythology.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    126 views3 pages

    Arthurs Myth

    Uploaded by

    Vicky Apud Cáceres
    The myth of King Arthur began as a historical figure who led resistance against Saxon invaders in 6th century Britain. Over time, the stories about Arthur were embellished with fantastical elements by writers like Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Arthur became a symbol of British nationalism. The legends were popularized through French and English literature in the Middle Ages, including Wace's Roman de Brut and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, cementing Arthur's place as an iconic figure in British cultural mythology.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    The myth of Arthurs return

    1066 1485
    1066: The battle of Hastings. Britain is invaded once more by a powerful
    nation, the Normans. William the Conqueror became the new ruler of
    England.
    The new aristocracy paid little attention to the newly acquired land: they felt
    themselves French. Until Henry III (1216 -72), the English monarchs did not
    feel affinity with their English subject. French (and Latin) became the literary
    norm, English fell into disuse as an artistic language.
    Middle English literature, therefore, is popular in origin. Much of this
    literature is religious.
    LINGUISTIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE INVASION
    - The West Saxon dialect disappears as a literary standard (French becomes
    a mark of distinction)
    - Three languages coexist in England: Latin, English and French.
    - But at the beginning of the 13th cent., the English throne loses Normandy
    and Norman noblemen use English as a sign of their nationalism.
    The hundred years war
    From 1337 to 1453 the English fought with the French for land disputes.
    French became the language of the enemy. English became the official
    language.
    For four hundred years English had been spoken by the lower classes and
    now it was adopted by the Normans, but English had changed. French
    introduced about 10000 new words in English.
    LITERATURE MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD
    -In Europe, English had a modest place, e.g. Chaucer remained unknown
    abroad.
    -French literature dominated throughout the whole Middle English period.
    -The first Arthurian romances came from the pen of Chretien de Troyes:
    Arthur became Englands first great cultural export.
    THE MYTH OF ARTHURS RETURN
    Departing, sorely wounded, for the Isle of Avalon, the legendary King Arthur
    made a promise: that whenever his people needed him, he would return.

    DID ARTHUR REALLY EXIST?


    Most historian agree he did exist, though probably he was not a king but a
    Celtic cavalry leader of the 6th century with a swift-moving force, He held
    back, temporarily, the forces of Anglo-Saxon invaders.
    When the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes made bloody attacks on British
    coast, the natives rallied to defend their land.
    The real story of Arthur
    A resistance movement, led by the Romano-British prince Ambrosious
    Aurealianus, carried on a prolonged war with the Saxon.
    After Ambrosious, a man called Artos begins to emerge as a wide-ranging
    soldier uniting the petty kings of Britain against the common foe, leading
    them to a victory in Mount Badon.
    A WIDE-RANGING CAMPAINER
    Artos is the celtic form of the Roman Artorious. He was probably a noble
    Celt, whose family had grown to prominence during the Roman occupation.
    He was probably the leader of a band of horsemen, whose mobility would
    give them considerable advantage over their enemies
    Arthur is said to have fought 12 battles against the Saxon, of which the last
    was Mount Badon. Such a successful warrior must have been a light in
    darkness to the hard-pressed British. His name was known everywhere from
    Cornwall to Scotland.
    However, most stories link Arthur with the West Country, to which he retired
    with his wife Guinevere and held court at Camelot (probably a pre-Roman
    hill-fort in Cadbury Castle, in Somerset).
    ARTHURS DEATH AND LEGEND from partisan leader into a mighty monarch
    When he died, he might have been laid to rest at what is now Glastonbury
    Abbey, 12 miles of Cadbury Castle. He is said to have been buried there in
    great secrecy, to avoid heartening the Saxons with the news of his death.
    After his death, the legend began.
    Arthur is mentioned in poems of the period 6 th-9th centuries, but Geoffrey of
    Monmouth is the first one who gave literary from to the saga surrounding
    Arthur in his History of the Kings of Britain (1130s). He wrote of real events,
    but he also drew heavily on his imagination: Merlin the magician, the
    magical sword Excalibur, the isle of Avalon.
    AND THE LEGEND LIVES ON
    With the passing of time, new elements were added to the legend, like
    Arthurs half-sister, the enchantress Morgan le Fay, who ruled over Avalon.

    In 1155 the poet Robert Wace added the Round Table to the story. The 12 th
    century French writer Chretien de Troyes added Lancelot and the Holy Grail,
    beginning the genre of Arthurian romance.
    MEDIEVAL ROMANCE
    A characteristic genre of the Middle Ages, consisting of:
    - Knights who get involved in many adventures.
    - Frequent use of the supernatural (e.g. dragons, magic)
    - Romantic love as one of the main motives (Courtly love)
    - Standardized characterization of heroes and villains
    - Plots with a great number of events.
    - Easy and colloquial style.
    ROBERT WACE (1110 1174) LAYAMON (LATE 12th- early 13th CENT.)
    Waces Roman de Brut, a verse history of Britain, based on G. of
    Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniae, was written in the Norman
    language. In turn, it became the basis for Layamons Brut, an alliterative
    Middle English poem, the first poem in English which tells the story of
    Arthur.
    SIR THOMAS MALORY (1420 1471)
    The best-known version of Arthurs story is Morte dArthur, written by Sir
    Thomas Malory and published in 1485. He translated and adapted the
    stories, painting a picture of a golden age of chivalry and a unified kingdom
    ruled by a noble aristocracy.

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