Who is King Arthur?
Understanding the story of a legend.
What is the legend of King Arthur?:
The Legend of King Arthur is an old, oral folkloric tradition from medieval England that talks about the amazing adventures and tragedy of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. This story has been added too and altered many times over the centuries. The timeline of the legend and the additions:
-Culhwch ac Olwen: 10th century
-Geoffrey of Monmouth: around 1136
-Chrétien de Troyes’ The Knight of the Cart: between 1176 and 1181
-Sir Thomas Malory: 1469–1471
-Alfred Lord Tennyson: between 1859 and 1885
-T.H. White: 1958
-The film: Camelot: 1967
-The film: Monty Python and the Holy Grail: 1975
-Modern film: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword: 2017
Why this obsession of King Arthur throughout history?:
The story was originally an oral tale that was told throughout the early centuries. Both Geoffrey of Monmouth’s King Arthur and Culhwch ac Olwen, reflect the traditional telling of the legend. They do this by discussing the nature of Arthur and how he became a great King. It is not until the later centuries where we see Arthur’s character weaken, and the themes and plots of the original telling change.
The Arthurian Legend was a story attached to families and communities for generations. Because of this, we can see why it was written about so many times. I would think that if anyone had any knowledge of King Arthur, it would be in relation to the Holy Grail quest. However, the Holy Grail quest was not introduced into the legend until Chrétien de Troyes The Knight of the Cart (1181).
The Knight of the Cart:
This Novel by Chrétien de Troyes is where we are introduced to Sir Lancelot (the Knight of the cart), who is a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table. The perspective of the story begins to change from Arthur, to his Knights of the round table, like Sir Lancelot. It is interesting to see the attention move from Arthur, to others in his environment.
The Round Table:
The Round Table was created by King Arthur himself in an effort to gather the best knights around. Arthur chose a round table because he wanted everyone at the table to feel equal to one another. This is an important description of Arthur’s character because it shows how he felt about social and economic class as a king. The different changes and depictions of the legend over the centuries, has highlighted religious, cultural, and social topics. These topics reflect the time in which the texts were written in, which is important in the legends development over the centuries.
Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur and Its Importance:
Sir Thomas Malory once served for the British Parliament in the 1400’s. However, as he aged, he committed many crimes in England, which put him in jail for several years. During his time as a prisoner, Malory wrote his ‘spin’ on The Arthurian legend. He pulled all the information he could find on the Legend, compiled it, and added some of his own ideas.
In Malory’s King Arthur, we are introduced to a new character, Lancelot’s son, Sir Galahad. He is mentioned a little bit in past tales, but nothing like Malory’s construction of him. From this, we get the birth of the Holy Grail quest and the theme of the relationships between mankind and virtue. This was a quest in search for the ancient relic of the grail used at the last supper. Whoever was to find the grail would be presented with ultimate virtue.
Many knights of Arthur’s round table set off in search of the Holy Grail and the benefits that came with it. Along the way, knights are tested on their ability to be virtuous. This test was done by god or of some other force. These tests determined if he shall continue on the quest or give in to the many temptations. In the end, none of the knights of the round table were able to get to the Holy Grail. Only Sir Galahad was able to get to the Holy Grail. The legend goes on to explain that this is because Galahad was raised in a un-sinful place with nuns, away from desire, corruption, and sin. This notion that Malory constructs of Galahad being virtuous in his telling of the Arthurian legend is a reflection of the time he is writing in.
Modern Takes on The Arthurian Legend:
The Film Camelot (1967) was meant to show the successful life of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. However, in 1975, a spoof of Camelot came out: Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This film was really meant to mock the 1967 film of Arthur’s Camelot. That being said, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is pretty historically accurate and it also stays true to the descriptions of the Arthurian legend over the centuries. So, While it is making fun of the 1967 film, it shows a great appreciation for the legend itself.
There is even a movie that came out about Arthur and his own personal quest: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, that came out in 2017. I hope the legend continues to be added to as the centuries progress. I can only imagine what the legend will look like in 50 years.
I only mentioned some of the writers that wrote about the Arthurian legend over the centuries. But, there are more complex ideas and themes going on throughout the history of the legend. Maybe I will do a Part Two!
Further learning:
Most of the texts of the Legend are available to anyone who is interested! there is also great stuff on the history of the Arthurian legend available as well.
