Medieval romance Millennium 1 Page 30

Characteristics of the Medieval Romance A popular genre mainly translated from French models (see, for example, the tales of Chretien de Troyes: " Lancelot ou le chevalier à la charrette " ( in English " Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart "), dealing with Sir Lancelot’ s love for Guinevere or " Perceval o Le conte du Graal ", (in English " Perceval, the Story of the Grail ") left unfinished and dealing with the quest for the holy Grail. The Medieval Romance consisted of a tale in verse about chivalry, love, and all sorts of wonders: fairies, giants, dragons and wizards. the narrative framework into which the story was set could be: – a religious crusade, – a conquest for the knight's lord, or – the rescue of a captive lady – or any combination Main features: 1.The world of chivalry, the hero-knight and his noble deeds are idealized 2.the knight's love for his lady is an important component of medieval romance 3. the settings of medieval romance tend to be imaginary and vague (exotic places and fantastic journeys 4. mystery and suspense are derived from supernatural elements 5.concealed or disguised identity of the main character 6.repetition of the mystical number "3." (Repetitions of the number or multiples of 3)

Characteristics of the Hero-Knight 1. Birth of the great hero is shrouded in mystery; 2. He is reared away from his true home in ignorance of his real parents ; 3. For a time his true identity is unknown; 4. After meeting an extraordinary challenge, he claims his rights ; 5. His triumph benefits his nation or group ; Arthur himself is a Hero Knight and the events surrounding his rise to power as a King is a Medieval Romance. This genre is still popular today. The new interest in Stars Wars, in particular the first trilogy (Episodes 4-6), is a perfect contemporary Medieval romance.

Origins of the Medieval Romance The tales come from three main sources: – France (the court of Charlemagne, Roland, Roncevalles, known as “the matter of France), – Rome (classical stories, such as the conquest of Troy, Alexander the Great etc, known as the matter of Rome), – Britain (Brittany in northern France, with the stories of King Arthur and his knights, Merlin, Lancelot etc., known as the matter of Britain). This genre develops in the XII and XIII centuries; It expresses the values of the French aristocratic society; It provides a picture of feudal knighthood: – clothing, hunting, feasting and tournaments are clearly described as well as the moral code of knighthood: the true knight owed total obedience to his God, his king and his lady and had to be ready to die for them. Morte D’Arthur by Thomas Malory – best example of an English medieval romance; – the French and English stories of the knight of the Round Table are unified by Malory into a single narrative; – Malory’s romance begins with Arthur’s birth and ends with his death and the destruction of the Round Table; – the adventures of the best knights, like Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan and Perceval are also described in this romance

Study Questions 1.What were the subjects of the medieval romance?  The subjects of medieval romance were the adventures of knights and their extraordinary deeds. 2.What did the deeds of the knights include?  They included much fighting, romantic love, fantastic journeys in exotic places and supernatural events. 3.What was the medieval romance a portrayal of?  It was a portrayal of both the exterior and ethical aspects of feudal knighthood. As far as the exterior aspects are concerned, clothing, hunting, feasting and tournaments were described; ethically, the knight was totally bound to his God, his king and his lady. It was for them that the knight faced dangers, supernatural events defending the weak against evil forces. 4.What did the “matters” which make up the corpus of medieval romance include?  They can be divided into three groups: the matter of France dealing with the stories of Charlemagne, Roland and Roncevalles; the matter of Britain (i.e. Brittany in the north of France) dealing with the stories of the Arthurian legend, and the matter of Rome which includes the story of Troy, the story of Thebes and the stories of Alexander the Great. 5.Who were King Arthur’s best knights?  The best knights of the Round Table were Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan and Perceval.