Honors 9 Homework 9/21/18

Study "King Arthur"

Test Monday!!!!!


"King Arthur" Vocabulary List: jousting, chivalry, sovereign, dismay, stern, to embellish, scabbard, conjurer, homage, tempest



"King Arthur" College Bowl Questions: (The study guide questions we worked on in class have been added to the college bowl questions.)

In the beginning of the story, how would you describe the general state of things in England?

• Not good.
• “We see wasted fields, and no one is safe from the wild beasts and robbers roaming the highways.”

Who is Arthur travelling with?  Sir Hector Anton and his son, Sir Kay

Who is Arthur’s biological father?   Uther Pendragon

Who was Uther Pendragon?  He was the king “in the old days”.

What was England like under his rule?   “Peace was in the land… [There were] chances aplenty for friendly jousting and the courtesies of chivalry”.

What is the text setting us up to associate with order and peace?  Chivalry and knighthood.

How old is Arthur when the legend begins?  17

How old are the heroes of the other myths we’ve read? Theseus is 16, others are adolescents when their stories begin.

Why do you think this is? Coming of age, this is around the time adulthood begins, children had more responsibility early on before modern times.

How does Arthur prove he will be king?

• He pulls the sword from the anvil on the stone in St. Stephen’s churchyard.
• This occurs after Sir Kay forgets his sword and Arthur goes to retrieve it.
• The inscription on the sword says “Whoso shall pull this sword out of the anvil, he is King of England by right”.

Is this merely chance, or is something else at play here? Why?

What does Sir Hector do when Arthur brings back the sword? Returns to the churchyard and has Arthur replace the sword. Then, asks Sir Kay to draw it.

Why? Sir Kay is his real son and Sir Hector wants him to be king.

Who is Merlin? A magician, was an adviser to Uther Pendragon.

What does Merlin foretell? One day a new ruler would appear.

This would imply what? Merlin can foretell the future.

How else does Merlin demonstrate that he can foretell the future? He warns Arthur against marrying Guinevere and also foretells the completion of the Knights of the Round Table.

• Why are there two swords?  Even though Arthur pulled the sword from the anvil in the churchyard, there were still many who are reluctant to follow a 17 year old king. After a year as king, Arthur defends his kingship against King Lot of Orkney, who is the husband of his half sister Morgana (Morgan le Fay). During the battle, his sword is broken in two.

How does Arthur receive his second sword? It is given to him by the Lady of the Lake. She rises out of the lake and walks across the water to give the sword to him.

What is significant about this? It is an allusion (designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly) to Christ/Christianity.

• The story represents the clash between two traditions. On the one hand, you have a nature-revering, matriarchal Celtic/pagan tradition, centered in Avalon. On the other, a patriarchal Christian tradition, centered in Camelot. There are characters who bridge the gap between the two, for example Lancelot (du Lac), who was raised in the Celtic/pagan religion but comes to Camelot to be a knight. There is also Merlin, who is an adviser to Arthur even though he is a magician and part of the Celtic/pagan society, as well. Merlin is trying to foster magic so that Avalon is not destroyed.

What is the sword called and what does it look like? Excalibur. It has a jeweled hilt and a scabbard embellished with gold.

What does Arthur promise to do in return for the sword? Give the Lady of the Lake a favor when she asks for it.

What possible significance could this interaction have? (Where Arthur receive his power from?)

What could the sword symbolize? Justice, power, truth, righteousness

What is engraved on either side of the blade? Take me. Cast me away.

Given what you know about the rest of the legend, why is this inscription important?   Could be foreshadowing the inevitable end of Arthur’s reign or downfall of Camelot.

What could an alternate meaning of the inscription be?   Perhaps it is related to the bearer’s knowing when to use it and when to cast it away, in other words, the responsibility of power.

Why does Merlin ask Arthur whether he likes the blade or scabbard better?   He’s asking is Arthur prefers war or peace (will he be a peaceful ruler or a warlike ruler?).

Why is the scabbard worth more than the sword?   “You will not lose a drop of blood as long as you have the scabbard with you”.

How does this underscore the values that we have already seen expressed in this myth?   Being peaceful is valued more than waging war.

“King Arthur bore himself in such a noble fashion that all those kings who were not slain [in the rebellion] … accepted him as their overlord”. Also, Arthur forgives those who rose against him in the rebellion and gives them their land back, including King Lot.

What kind of attitude does Sir Mordred have towards Arthur?   Sullen attitude. Doesn’t understand chivalry and honor. He “swore fealty with a sullen face”.

Describe how Camelot comes to be.   Merlin causes it to be built using magic.

What does Camelot look like?   “Spires and turrets, like visions out of Fairyland….” Gray walls of stone rising out of “golden mist”.

What might Camelot symbolize?   Utopia/perfection on earth.

Is perfection on earth attainable?   Utopia in Greek means “nowhere”.

Who does Arthur want to marry and how many times has he seen her?   Guinevere. Once.

Though Merlin warns Arthur against Guinevere, what does Merlin say to Arthur? “When a man has given his heart, he will be loath to change”.

When Guinevere is introduced, the text says that she “did not always choose to follow the rules”. What is this an example of?   Foreshadowing. Guinevere will commit adultery with Lancelot.

• The King Arthur legend has two main strains: one concerned with the relationship between Guinevere and Lancelot, which leads to the downfall of Camelot, and another concerned with the Round Table and the quest for the Holy Grail.

Where in the myth does it indicate that love at first sight is a possibility?   When Guinevere meets Lancelot. “Only for a moment did their eyes meet, but Guinevere knew that it was a moment neither of them would ever forget”. Also, Arthur wants to marry Guinevere after only seeing her one time.

What does King Leodegrance send to Camelot as Guinevere’s dowry? The round table and 100 knights.

How many knights does the table seat and how many does King Leodegrance send?   Seats 150. He sends 100.

How does Merlin again demonstrate knowledge of future events?   He says, “Before your reign shall come to an end, the Round Table shall be filled”.

Who blessed the Round Table?   The Archbishop of Canterbury. (Again we see the link between Christianity and the legitimization of power.)

What was the oath of knighthood?   “To speak the truth; to maintain the right; to practice courtesy; to avoid the alurements of ease and safety; to maintain honor in every perilous adventure; to uphold Christianity; to destroy tyranny wherever it might be; to defend and protect to the uttermost, women, the poor, and the oppressed”.

• King Arthur says, “none shall sit higher, none lower… as brother unto brother... a good man will always do unto another man as he would be done to himself”.

What is the table a symbol of?   Democracy. They will see that “justice and mercy prevail”.

What happens after the knights recited their oaths of knighthood?  Their names appeared on their sieges (chairs) in gold letters.

What is the Siege Perilous and why is it perilous?  One of the empty chairs around the Round Table. Only one can sit in it. If anyone else does, they will die.

Who is destined to sit in the Siege Perilous? Sir Galahad

What happens when Galahad comes to Camelot?   The Siege Perilous says This is the Siege of Sir Galahad.

How does the Holy Grail appear to the knights?   When Galahad sits at the Round Table, there is thunder and a bright light, then the Grail appears covered in a white cloth.

What is the Grail?  It is the dish or cup that Jesus used during the Last Supper (important to Christian tradition, reputed to have healing powers).

What was King Arthur’s greatest joy and what was the sorrow that followed caused by? Joy - the Round Table finally full. Sorrow - the knights leave on a quest to find the Holy Grail and he knows that some will not complete the quest.

• “For he knew that this quest was not for the many, but only for the chosen few -- the blameless and perfect knights… Many would become discouraged of their knighthood, and many would die”.

What is the Grail a symbol of? Moral perfection. Only those who are pure can see the Grail.

Lancelot has a vision of the Grail, but ultimately will not complete the quest for the Grail. Why is this?   The brave deeds he had done were not done for their sake alone, but for Guinevere’s.

Who finds the Grail and why?   Galahad, Percival, and Bors. They find it because they are worthy (perfect, blameless). They find it on a boat and Galahad ascends with it to heaven. Percival becomes a monk. Bors returns to Camelot. Before Galahad ascends to heaven he heals King Pecheur with the Grail (allusion to Christ).

How does the heroic ideal presented in the King Arthur stories differ from that in the Greek stories? Think about the Oath of Knighthood and the values it expresses. Think about instances in the Greek myths where different values where shown.