1. The Middle Ages

2. King Edward died in 1066 & Duke of Normandy laid claim to England’s throne; he won England through battle, becoming England’s 1st Norman king—William I This brings French influence into England, including ideas of feudalism & chivalry

3. Feudalism
King parceled land out to lords; lords granted land to vassals in exchange for an oath of military duty

4. Heroic Ideal – demands skill & courage of king & his followers in all aspects of life
King’s duty:
Protect & share spoils of war +
Person’s duty:
Provide military service/protections & give back to kingdom =
Code of Reciprocity

5. Knights had to show loyalty to 5 things:
Their Word
Earthly Lord or King
God
Lady
Fellow Knights

6. Knightly duties: To love God & give his life for Him
To possess justice & loyalty; to protect the poor & weak
To stay clean in flesh & pure in spirit
To avoid pride

7. Chivalry
Describes courtly behavior off the battlefield (championing the weak, acting devoutly and piously, upholding the truth)
Became associated with courtly love (knight showed skill in poetry and music, pledged to defend and protect a noblewoman.
Many knights carried tokens from their ladies, such as scarves or gloves that she would bestow upon the knight before he rode into battle)
Swearing an Oath
Swearing means making a promise. A knight who swore in truth could be counted on to keep his word. A knight who didn't keep his word was not honorable.

8. Ideals of Chivalry Prowess Loyalty Generosity courtesy Piety
Temperance
Chastity

9. Additional Info:
The knight’s reputation was very important as an indication of his character
He often sought adventures in battle or w/ women to heighten/develop his reputation
A knight was expected to attend Mass

10. Medieval Romance - genre of literature characterized by:
Form of narrative poetry that came after the old heroic poem
Everyday language—didn’t have to be read only by the Greek or Latin scholars
set in the world of knights, kings, and supernatural creatures
Includes quests & tests of the knight (moral & physical strength)
Element of the supernatural
Written for nobles
Three stages of a medieval romance: a dangerous quest, a test of honor or courage, and a return to the beginning point of the quest

11. Malory-English author of Le Morte d’Arthur
Sir Thomas Malory of Newbold Revell
Knighted in 1442
Served in Parliament of 1445 (*title-Sir)

12. An upstanding character???
violent, lawless individual
committed crimes such as poaching, extortion, robbery, and murder
Most of Malory’s life from 1451 was spent in prison (*probably did most of his writing there)

13. Igraine/Uther--Arthur’s parents
Merlin--magician to whom Arthur was promised as payment for his father’s pact with the magician

14. Arthur became king of Britain when he removed the sword from the stone
Powerful; heroic--joins fight “rode steadily” into Mordred’s army to fight
Not scared; proud; unmoved by fear

15. Sir Mordred
Arthur’s son
Wicked, greedy, arrogant
Selfish--Arthur & his men must beg him to accept peace terms
Brave, fearless, unmoved by fear (*like Arthur)
Works until he gets what he wants

16. Both are faithful leaders who are unmoved by fear
Both men share this...
Both are faithful leaders who are unmoved by fear

17. Guinevere--Arthur’s wife; queen

18. Lancelot--Knight of the Round Table; had an affair with Guinevere

19. Morgan Le Fay--Arthur's half sister; the daughter of Arthur's mother Igraine and her 1st husband; an adversary of Arthur's
Also spelled Morgaine

20. Lady of the Lake--mysterious female who gave Arthur Excalibur

21. Excalibur--had special powers

22. Romance hero Romance hero –
usually born under mysterious circumstances
grows up in obscurity & undergoes a childhood initiation involving a magic weapon
In his maturity he fights to defeat evil and promotes peace.
Aided by magic weapons and wise mentors
Fate is often uncertain. Very mysterious events surrounding his death suggest he may return when his people need him the most.

23. Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot triangle--a lesson in love, fidelity, and forgiveness
Arthur’s pulling of the sword from the stone--mankind’s continual hope that an unrecognized leader will arise from us to lead us in our purpose
Promise of the leader’s return--Symbolizes the better hopes we share for times to come.

24. “Utopia” – a perfect society based on selflessness
Camelot--humanity’s nearest approach to the city of God on earth
Round Table--symbol of equality and friendship

25. Holy Grail quest--a search for spiritual fulfillment

26. Dream/vision--foreshadows Arthur’s death
Foreshadowing
Dream/vision--foreshadows Arthur’s death

27. Symbolism Dream/vision--Second chances for life, for peace
chair--throne
wheel--instability of Arthur’s throne/rule/kingdom
platform--isolation--Arthur ultimately faces this “darkness” alone
gold robes--Arthur’s dress--indicates riches & wealth/royalty
In black lake--worms, serpents, wild beasts--the dangers that await Arthur (Sir Mordred and his army)

28. Color Symbolism Lake--black Ladies--black hoods/cloaks/robes
death, evil, or something harmful
hard to see through dark water--symbolizes blindness/naivete--Arthur can’t see through Mordred
Ladies--black hoods/cloaks/robes
Another indication of death
Have come to take Arthur to the “other side”--Avalon (heaven??)

29. Honorable Acts Committed
Knights & King stay to fight until the bitter end
Sir Bedivere carries his king to save him; Lucas helps
Sir Gawain (even in death) helps warn his king, Arthur, staying loyal even after mortal life

30. Dishonorable Acts Committed
Son vs. Father & vice versa
Robbers/looters--stealing from dead bodies & those mortally wounded
Sir Bedivere--twice doesn’t throw Excalibur into the lake per Arthur’s request and lies to Arthur about it (*he is seduced by thoughts of the sword’s material) [richness=greed]

31. Here lies Arthur, the once and future King.
Final comment in the text
Arthur’s strange death, departure, and promised return are typical of all romance heroes
Arthur’s return is always hoped for

32. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain was a moral story. “Anti-romance” (most romances didn’t preach a moral)
Two divisions of the story:
tests physical courage—beheading and returning for payment
tests moral courage—temptations
Sir Gawain
has been shown to be ruthless and bloodthirsty by some writers, and noble and courageous by others
possesses the ideal traits of a Knight of the Round Table:
Physical ideals--strength, skill at arms, horsemanship
Non-physical ideals--courage, humility, courtesy, and loyalty

33. Symbol of Truth - Five-pointed star (Pentangle)
Gawain’s strength symbolized in the star on his shield
Faultless in 5 senses
Faultless in 5 fingers
Faith in 5 wounds of Christ on cross
Fierceness from 5 joys from the Virgin Mary
5 virtues: generosity, love for fellow man, purity (truth & goodness), courteous, courage
Truth was valued above all other virtues in the code of honor
Color Symbolism-colors are used to represent/give meaning to the work.
Color-green
Green sash
Setting/time of year