Courtly Love. The code of romantic love celebrated in French and English medieval romances is known as courtly love. Men in the throes of courtly love will risk and suffer anything for the love of a noble woman.
Folk Tale and Motif. A folk tale is a brief story passed by word of mouth from generation to generation. Arthurian stories in French and English drew upon many previously existing folk tale motifs. A motif is any element that recurs in one or more works of literature or art. A person of low estate who turns out to be a king or a supernatural being is a common folk motif.
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By the time that Malory wrote Le Morte d’Arthur, romance literature had declined in popularity. Living at the end of what is now considered the Medieval Period, Malory wrote with a nostalgia not only for the Arthurian legends of romance and chivalry, but also for a time that celebrated them. Ironically, his book is the most complete and engaging retelling of the Arthurian legend.
The legend of Arthur has vague ties to a historical person. Arthur is supposed to have lived in fifth-century Britain, but a significant account of his history doesn’t appear until the middle of the twelfth century. At that time, tales of his deeds as British king and of the members of his court were detailed. Although Malory’s work is titled The Death of Arthur (the name given by its publisher in 1485), the majority of the book tells of the adventures of the individual knights of the Round Table. The massive work is divided into twenty-one books, and each book is divided into chapters.
The following excerpt is taken from the first book of Le Morte d’Arthur and relates the story of Arthur’s birth and youth. The tale of Arthur’s proof that he is the rightful heir to the throne has been retold many times in many ways.
Make a sequence chart to show Arthur’s change of circumstance.
Write what you know about King Arthur or what you think his story might be like.
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