Before Reading

from The
Acts of King Arthur
and His Noble Knights
Romance by John Steinbeck

Do heroes get to be
HUMAN?
Think about people whom you regard as heroes. How do you expect
RL 1 Cite textual evidence to them to behave? What kinds of virtues should they possess? In this
support inferences drawn from modern retelling of Arthurian legend, John Steinbeck depicts Sir
the text. RL 4 Analyze the
cumulative impact of specific Lancelot as a knight whose private ambitions clash with his public
word choices on meaning. image of perfection.
RL 9 Analyze how an author
draws on and transforms source
material in a specific work.
QUICKWRITE Write a paragraph or two about what it might be like to
live in the public eye and be held to a high standard of behavior. Then
discuss when, if ever, we allow our heroes to show human weaknesses.

1130
 Meet the Author
text analysis: style
In his introduction to The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble John Steinbeck
Knights, John Steinbeck states his aim: to set down the story 1902–1968
of King Arthur in “present-day speech,” avoiding the archaic Voice of the Common People
language of Malory’s version. As you read the selection, notice John Steinbeck, who believed that a writer’s
how the following stylistic techniques transform his source first duty is to “set down his time as nearly
as he can understand it,” managed perhaps
material into a retelling that appeals to modern readers:
better than anyone else to tell the stories
• plain, contemporary language of ordinary people caught up in the Great
Depression of the 1930s. His masterpiece,
• detailed characterizations
The Grapes of Wrath, depicts the hardships of
• vivid sensory images an Oklahoma farm family forced to migrate
• rich figurative language, including similes and metaphors west for work. Like his other novels, it shows
deep sympathy for working people and
• long, flowing sentences outrage over social injustice.
• realistic dialogue “Dazzled and Swept Up”
• a sympathetic tone Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, in
one of the nation’s most productive farming
reading skill: make inferences regions. A shy young man, he enjoyed
spending time alone by the seashore in
In his work, Steinbeck presents Lancelot (spelled Launcelot Monterey, where he basked in the raw,
by Malory) as a complex character—one who struggles to untamed power of nature. For adventure,
maintain integrity in both his public and his private life. To he turned to literature. In particular, he felt
fully appreciate Lancelot, you will need to use details in the “dazzled and swept up” by the legends of
text and your own knowledge to make inferences, or logical King Arthur.
guesses, about his feelings and behavior. As you read, keep Steinbeck and Arthur
track of your inferences in a chart like the one shown. As an adult, Steinbeck attempted to set
down a retelling of Arthurian legend that
Details About Lancelot My Experiences My Inferences his two sons could enjoy. He researched
the legend in England and Italy, studying
“Some said he nodded Traveling can be tiring. Lancelot is weary from
rare manuscripts, and wrote in a room he
and perhaps dozed. . . .” Award ceremonies can his journey and bored by
(line 26) be tedious. named Joyous Garde, after Lancelot’s castle.
the speeches.
Unfortunately, Steinbeck died before he
completed his version of the legend. In 1976,
his unfinished work was published as The
Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights.
vocabulary in context The excerpt you are about to read offers a
To see how many vocabulary words you already know, match fresh perspective on some of the events in
each boldfaced vocabulary word in the first column with a Malory’s tale
e of Sir Launcelot.
word that has a similar meaning in the second column.
1. disparagement a. revenge Author
2. exalt b. exhausted Online
3. haggard c. wandering Go to thinkcentral.com.
kcentral.com..
KEYWORD: HML10-1131
4. intemperate d. praise
5. reprisal e. denigration
6. vagrant f. excessive

Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

1131
The Acts of
ing Arthur
and His Noble Knights

John Steinbeck

King Arthur held Whitsun1 court at Winchester, that ancient royal town
favored by God and His clergy as well as the seat and tomb of many kings.
The roads were clogged with eager people, knights returning to stamp in court
the record of their deeds, of bishops, clergy, monks, of the defeated fettered
to their paroles,2 the prisoners of honor. And on Itchen water, pathway from
Solent3 and the sea, the little ships brought succulents, lampreys, eels and
oysters, plaice and sea trout, while barges loaded with casks of whale oil and
casks of wine came tide borne. Bellowing oxen walked to the spits on their
own four hooves, while geese and swans, sheep and swine, waited their turn
10 in hurdle pens. Every householder with a strip of colored cloth, a ribbon, any
textile gaiety, hung it from a window to flap its small festival, and those in lack
tied boughs of pine and laurel over their doors. a a STYLE
In the great hall of the castle on the hill the king sat high, and next below Reread lines 1–12, noting
the fair elite company of the Round Table, noble and decorous as kings Steinbeck’s long, flowing
sentences. Why do you think
themselves, while at the long trestle boards the people were as fitted as toes Steinbeck begins this part
in a tight shoe. of his retelling of Arthurian
Then while the glistening meat dripped down the tables, it was the custom legend in this way?
for the defeated to celebrate the deeds of those who had overcome them, while
the victor dipped his head in disparagement of his greatness and fended off disparagement
20 the compliments with small defensive gestures of his hands. And as at public (dG-spBrPGj-mEnt) n.
belittlement
penitence sins are given stature they do not deserve, little sins grow up and
baby sins are born, so those knights who lately claimed mercy perchance might
raise the exploits of the brave and merciful beyond reasonable gratitude for
their lives and in anticipation of some small notice of value.
This no one said of Lancelot, sitting with bowed head in his golden-
lettered seat at the Round Table. Some said he nodded and perhaps dozed,
What character traits are
for the testimony to his greatness was long and the monotony of his victories
suggested in this portrait
of King Arthur?
Detail of King Arthur (1903),
1. Whitsun: another name for Pentecost. In Arthurian legend, Pentecost is one of the times at which the Charles Ernest Butler. Oil on
knights meet at Camelot to renew their oaths and receive new missions. canvas, 123.2 cm × 73.7 cm.
Private collection. Christopher
2. fettered to their paroles: bound by their word of honor to lay down arms.
Wood Gallery, London.
3. Itchen . . . Solent: waterways in southern England. © Bridgeman Art Library.

1132 unit 10: greek tragedy and medieval romance

 continued for many hours. Lancelot’s immaculate fame had grown so great
that men took pride in being unhorsed by him—even this notice was an
30 honor. And since he had won many victories, it is possible that knights he
had never seen claimed to have been overthrown by him. It was a way to
claim attention for a moment. And as he dozed and wished to be otherwhere,
he heard his deeds exalted beyond his recognition, and some mighty exploits exalt (Gg-zôltP) v. to
once attributed to other men were brought bright-painted out and laid on glorify, praise, or honor
the shining pile of his achievements. There is a seat of worth beyond the
reach of envy whose occupant ceases to be a man and becomes the receptacle
of the wishful longings of the world, a seat most often reserved for the dead,
from whom neither reprisal nor reward may be expected, but at this time reprisal (rG-prFPzEl) n.
Sir Lancelot was its unchallenged tenant. And he vaguely heard his strength retaliation in the form of
harm or injury similar to
40 favorably compared with elephants, his ferocity with lions, his agility with deer,
that received
his cleverness with foxes, his beauty with the stars, his justice with Solon,4 his
stern probity with St. Michael, his humility with newborn lambs; his military
niche would have caused the Archangel Gabriel5 to raise his head. Sometimes
the guests paused in their chewing the better to hear, and a man who slopped
his metheglin6 drew frowns. b b MAKE INFERENCES
Arthur on his dais7 sat very still and did not fiddle with his bread, and Reread lines 25–45.
Why are the knights
beside him sat lovely Guinevere, still as a painted statue of herself. Only her
so extravagant in their
inward eyes confessed her vagrant thoughts. And Lancelot studied the open praise of Lancelot?
pages of his hands—not large hands, but delicate where they were not knobby
50 and scarred with old wounds. His hands were fine-textured—soft of skin and vagrant (vAPgrEnt) adj.
very white, protected by the pliant leather lining of his gauntlets. c wandering
The great hall was not still, not all upturned listening. Everywhere was
c MAKE INFERENCES
movement as people came and went, some serving huge planks of meat and Reread lines 46–51.
baskets of bread, round and flat like a plate. And there were restless ones who Which details reveal the
could not sit still, while everyone under burden of half-chewed meat and the awkwardness that Arthur,
floods and freshets of mead and beer found necessity for repeated departures Guinevere, and Lancelot
feel during the feast?
and returns.
Lancelot exhausted the theme of his hands and squinted down the long hall
and watched the movement with eyes so nearly closed that he could not see
60 faces. And he thought how he knew everyone by carriage. The knights in long
full floor-brushing robes walked lightly or thought their feet barely touched
the ground because their bodies were released from their crushing boxes of
iron. Their feet were long and slender because, being horsemen, they had
never widened and flattened their feet with walking. The ladies, full-skirted,
moved like water, but this was schooled and designed, taught to little girls with
the help of whips on raw ankles, while their shoulders were bound back with
nail-studded harnesses and their heads held high and rigid by painful collars

4. Solon: an Athenian statesman and lawgiver who lived in the sixth century b.c.
5. St. Michael . . . Archangel Gabriel: In several religious traditions, Michael and Gabriel are archangels,
the chief messengers of God. Both are celebrated as warriors against evil.
6. metheglin (mE-thDgPlGn): a liquor made from honey.
7. dais (dAPGs): a raised platform used for a seat of honor.

1134 unit 10: greek tragedy and medieval romance

 of woven willow or, for the forgetful, by supports of painted wire, for to learn
the high proud head on a swan’s neck, to learn to flow like water, is not easy
70 for a little girl as she becomes a gentlewoman. But knights and ladies both
matched their movements to their garments; the sweep and rhythm of a long
gown informs the manner of its moving. It is not necessary to inspect a serf
or a slave, his shoulder wide and sloping from burdens, legs short and thick
and crooked, feet splayed and widespread, the whole frame slowly crushed by
weights. In the great hall the serving people walked under burdens with the
slow weight of oxen and scuttled like crabs, crooked and nervous when the
weight was gone. d d STYLE
A pause in the recital of his virtues drew Lancelot’s attention. The knight In lines 60–77, Steinbeck
describes various
who had tried to kill him in a tree had finished, and among the benches Sir
members of medieval
80 Kay was rising to his feet. Lancelot could hear his voice before he spoke, society. What similes
reciting deeds like leaves and bags and barrels. Before his friend could reach and metaphors help you
the center of the hall, Sir Lancelot wriggled to his feet and approached the understand these people
dais. “My lord king,” he said, “forgive me if I ask leave to go. An old wound and their differences?
has broken open.”
Arthur smiled down on him. “I have the same old wound,” he said. “We’ll
go together. Perhaps you will come to the tower room when we have attended
to our wounds.” And he signed the trumpets to end the gathering, and the
bodyguards to clear the hall. e e MAKE INFERENCES
The stone stairway to the king’s room was in the thickness of the wall of Reread lines 78–88. What
can you infer about
90 the round tower of the keep. At short intervals a deep embrasure8 and a long,
Lancelot and Arthur on
beveled arrow slit commanded some aspect of the town below. the basis of their sudden
No armed men guarded this stairway. They were below and had passed departure from the
Sir Lancelot in. The king’s room was round, a horizontal slice of the tower, banquet hall?
windowless save for the arrow slits, entered by a narrow arched door. It was a
sparsely furnished room, carpeted with rushes. A wide bed, and at its foot a
carved oaken chest, a bench before the fireplace, and several stools completed
the furnishing. But the raw stone of the tower was plastered over and painted
with solemn figures of men and angels walking hand in hand. Two candles and
the reeky fire gave the only light. f f GRAMMAR AND STYLE
100 When Lancelot entered, the queen stood up from the bench before the fire, Reread lines 92–99.
Notice how Steinbeck
saying, “I will retire, my lords.”
varies the beginnings
“No, stay,” said Arthur. of his sentences, here
“Stay,” said Lancelot. through the use of
The king was stretched comfortably in the bed. His bare feet projecting adjectives, conjunctions,
from his long saffron9 robe caressed each other, the toes curled downward. pronouns, and articles.
The queen was lovely in the firelight, all lean, down-flowing lines of green
samite.10 She wore her little mouth-corner smile of concealed amusement, and

8. embrasure (Dm-brAPzhEr): an opening in a wall, narrowing toward the outside.

9. saffron: golden yellow, like the spice of that name.
10. samite: a heavy silk fabric.

the acts of king arthur and his noble knights 1135

 Queen Guinevere’s Maying, John Collier. Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, West Yorkshire, UK. Photo © Bridgeman Art Library.

1136 unit 10: greek tragedy and medieval romance

 her bold golden eyes were the same color as her hair, and odd it was that her
lashes and slender brows were dark, an oddity contrived with kohl11 brought
110 in a small enameled pot from an outland by a far-wandering knight.
“How are you holding up?” Arthur asked.
“Not well, my lord. It’s harder than the quest.”
“Did you really do all the things they said you did?”
Lancelot chuckled. “Truthfully, I don’t know. It sounds different when
they tell about it. And most of them feel it necessary to add a little. When
I remember leaping eight feet, they tell it at fifty, and frankly I don’t recall
several of those giants at all.” g g MAKE INFERENCES
The queen made room for him on the fire bench, and he took his seat, back How are Lancelot’s
remarks in lines 114–117
to the fire.
consistent with his earlier
120 Guinevere said, “The damsel—what’s her name—talked about fair queen behavior at the banquet?
enchantresses,12 but she was so excited that her words tumbled over each other. Explain.
I couldn’t make out what happened.”
Lancelot looked nervously away. “You know how excitable young girls are,”
he said. “A little back-country necromancy13 in a pasture.”
“But she spoke particularly of queens.”
“My lady, I think everyone is a queen to her. It’s like the giants—makes the
story richer.”
“Then they were not queens?”
“Well, for that matter, when you get into the field of enchantment, everyone
130 is a queen, or thinks she is. Next time she tells it, the little damsel will be a
queen. I do think, my lord, there’s too much of that kind of thing going on.
It’s a bad sign, a kind of restlessness, when people go in for fortunetelling and
all such things. Maybe there should be a law about it.”
“There is,” said Arthur. “But it’s not in secular hands. The Church is
supposed to take care of that.”
“Yes, but some of the nunneries are going in for it.”
“Well, I’ll put a bug in the archbishop’s ear.”14
The queen observed, “I gather you rescued damsels by the dozen.” She
put her fingers on his arm and a searing shock ran through his body, and his
140 mouth opened in amazement at a hollow ache that pressed upward against his
ribs and shortened his breath. h h STYLE
After a moment she said, “How many damsels did you rescue?” Review the dialogue in
lines 120–138. Which
His mouth was dry. “Of course there were a few, madame. There always are.”
words and phrases in
“And all of them made love to you?” this exchange sound
“That they did not, madame. There you protect me.” particularly realistic?
“I?” Explain.
“Yes. Since with my lord’s permission I swore to serve you all my life

11. kohl: a cosmetic preparation used as eye makeup.

12. fair queen enchantresses: Morgan le Fay and three other queens, the four of whom, as related in
“Sir Launcelot du Lake,” imprisoned Launcelot, demanding that he take one of them as his lover.
13. necromancy: magic.
14. put a bug in the archbishop’s ear: alert the archbishop in a quiet way.

the acts of king arthur and his noble knights 1137

 and gave my knightly courtly love15 to you, I am sheltered from damsels by
your name.”
150 “And do you want to be sheltered?”
“Yes, my lady. I am a fighting man. I have neither time nor inclination for
any other kind of love. I hope this pleases you, my lady. I sent many prisoners
to ask your mercy.”
“I never saw such a crop of them,” Arthur said. “You must have swept some
counties clean.”
Guinevere touched him on the arm again and with side-glancing golden
eyes saw the spasm that shook him. “While we are on this subject, I want i i MAKE INFERENCES
to mention one lady you did not save. When I saw her, she was a headless Reread lines 138–157.
Describe Lancelot’s
corpse and not in good condition, and the man who brought her in was
feelings for Guinevere.
160 half crazed.”16 Which details helped you
“I am ashamed of that,” said Lancelot. “She was under my protection, and make your inference?
I failed her. I suppose it was my shame that made me force the man to do it.
I’m sorry. I hope you released him from the burden.”
“Not at all,” she said. “I wanted him away before the feast reeked up the
heavens. I sent him with his burden to the Pope. His friend will not improve on
the way. And if his loss of interest in ladies continues, he may turn out to be a
very holy man, a hermit or something of that nature, if he isn’t a maniac first.”
The king rose on his elbow. “We will have to work out some system,” he
said. “The rules of errantry17 are too loose, and the quests overlap. Besides, I
170 wonder how long we can leave justice in the hands of men who are themselves
unstable. I don’t mean you, my friend. But there may come a time when order
and organization from the crown will be necessary.”
The queen stood up. “My lords, will you grant me permission to leave
RL 4
you now? I know you will wish to speak of great things foreign and perhaps
tiresome to a lady’s ears.” Language Coach
The king said, “Surely, my lady. Go to your rest.” Commonly Confused
“No, sire—not rest. If I do not lay out the designs for the needlepoint, my Words The words
tiresome (line 175)
ladies will have no work tomorrow.”
and tiring are easy to
“But these are feast days, my dear.” confuse. Although both
180 “I like to give them something every day, my lord. They’re lazy things and can mean “causing
some of them so woolly in the mind that they forget how to thread a needle fatigue,” one has
from day to day. Forgive me, my lords.” the connotation, or
associated meaning, of
She swept from the room with proud and powerful steps, and the little “causing annoyance.”
breeze she made in the still air carried a strange scent to Lancelot, a perfume Which word has this
which sent a shivering excitement coursing through his body. It was an odor negative connotation?
he did not, could not, know, for it was the smell of Guinevere distilled by her

15. courtly love: a sentimental reflection of the feudal relationship between a knight and his lord. The
knight serves his chosen lady with the same obedience and loyalty he owes his lord. The knight’s love How does this painting
for the lady inspires him to seek adventure and achieve great deeds. depict Lancelot as an
16. When I saw her . . . half crazed: Guinevere is referring to a woman Lancelot was unable to save—a ideal knight?
woman who was beheaded by her jealous husband. As punishment, Lancelot commanded the husband
to take the woman’s body to Guinevere and to throw himself on her mercy.
17. errantry (DrPEn-trC): the knightly pursuit of adventure.

1138 unit 10: greek tragedy and medieval romance

Detail of Lancelot and Guinevere, Herbert James Draper. Private collection. Bohams, London. Photo © Bridgeman Art Library.

the acts of king arthur and his noble knights 1139

 own skin. And as she passed through the door and descended the steps, he saw
himself leap up and follow her, although he did not move. And when she was
gone, the room was bleak, and the glory was gone from it, and Sir Lancelot
190 was dog-weary, tired almost to weeping. j j STYLE
“What a queen she is,” said King Arthur softly. “And what a woman equally. Reread lines 183–190,
noting Steinbeck’s
Merlin was with me when I chose her. He tried to dissuade me with his usual
imagery—words that
doomful prophecies. That was one of the few times I differed with him. Well, appeal to the senses.
my choice has proved him fallible. She has shown the world what a queen Which images help you
should be. All other women lose their sheen when she is present.” understand Guinevere
Lancelot said, “Yes, my lord,” and for no reason he knew, except perhaps and her effect on
Lancelot?
the intemperate dullness of the feast, he felt lost, and a cold knife of loneliness
pressed against his heart. intemperate
The king was chuckling. “It is the device of ladies that their lords have great (Gn-tDmPpEr-Gt) adj.
200 matters to discuss, when if the truth were told, we bore them. And I hope the extreme
truth is never told. Why, you look haggard, my friend. Are you feverish? Did haggard (hBgPErd) adj.
you mean that about an old wound opening?” appearing worn and
“No. The wound was what you thought it was, my lord. But it is true that exhausted
I can fight, travel, live on berries, fight again, go without sleeping, and come
out fresh and fierce, but sitting still at Whitsun feast has wearied me to death.”
Arthur said, “I can see it. We’ll discuss the realm’s health another time. Go
to your bed now. Have you your old quarters?”
“No—better ones. Sir Kay has cleared five knights from the lovely lordly
rooms over the north gate. He did it in memory of an adventure which we,
210 God help us, will have to listen to tomorrow. I accept your dismissal, my lord.”
And Lancelot knelt down and took the king’s beloved hand in both of his
and kissed it. “Good night, my liege lord, my liege friend,” he said and then
RL 9
stumbled blindly from the room and felt his way down the curving stone steps
past the arrow slits. k ANALYZE CHARACTER
As he came to the level of the next landing, Guinevere issued silently from Now that you’ve read
Steinbeck’s modern
a darkened entrance. He could see her in the thin light from the arrow slit.
retelling of Le Morte
She took his arm and led him to her dark chamber and closed the oaken door. d’Arthur, think about how
“A strange thing happened,” she said softly. “When I left you, I thought Steinbeck transforms the
you followed me. I was so sure of it I did not even look around to verify it. You character of Sir Lancelot.
220 were there behind me. And when I came to my own door, I said good night to What qualities does
Steinbeck emphasize?
you, so certain I was that you were there.” What details does he
He could see her outline in the dark and smell the scent which was herself. leave out? Cite evidence
“My lady,” he said, “when you left the room, I saw myself follow you as though from the texts in your
I were another person looking on.” answer.
Their bodies locked together as though a trap had sprung. Their mouths
met, and each devoured the other. Each frantic heartbeat at the walls of ribs l MAKE INFERENCES
Reread the final
trying to get to the other until their held breaths burst out and Lancelot, paragraph of the
dizzied, found the door and blundered down the stairs. And he was weeping selection. Why does
bitterly.  k l Lancelot weep?

1140 unit 10: greek tragedy and medieval romance

1132-1140_NA_L10PE-u10s3-acts.indd 1140 3/11/11 2:07:15 PM

After Reading

Comprehension
1. Recall Why is Lancelot praised at the feast? RL 1 Cite textual evidence to
support inferences drawn from
2. Clarify Why does Lancelot leave the feast? the text. RL 4 Analyze the
cumulative impact of specific
3. Summarize Describe what happens after Lancelot leaves the king’s room. word choices on meaning.
RL 9 Analyze how an author
draws on and transforms source

Text Analysis material in a specific work.

4. Make Inferences Review the chart you created as you read. Do you think
Lancelot sees himself as others do—as a model of perfection? Cite evidence.
5. Draw Conclusions Reread lines 183–198. What conclusions can you draw
about the internal conflict Lancelot experiences? Support your answer.
6. Interpret Theme What theme about knighthood does Steinbeck
communicate in the selection? Cite evidence to support your answer.
7. Understand Style Steinbeck’s style features many tightly constructed
characterizations. Choose a passage of at least five lines that illustrates
the author’s ability to create a brief, effective portrait. Explain your choice.
8. Examine Figurative Language Identify three examples of figurative
language—similes and metaphors—in the selection. Explain how each helps
to clarify an idea or enliven a scene.
9. Compare Literary Texts Review Keith Baines’s retelling of Malory’s Le Morte
d’Arthur on pages 1112–1126. Then compare Baines’s writing style with
Steinbeck’s. Complete a chart like the one shown. In your opinion, did
Steinbeck do a good job of transforming his source material? Why or why not?

Baines Steinbeck
Characterization
Sensory Details
Dialogue
Word Choice
Tone

Text Criticism
10. Social Context In King Arthur and His Noble Knights, what does Steinbeck
suggest were the roles and responsibilities of noblewomen in medieval
society? Cite evidence to support your response.

Do heroes get to be HUMAN?

Do you want to know about your heroes’ human weaknesses? Why or why not?

the acts of king arthur and his noble knights 1141

Vocabulary in Context word list
vocabulary practice disparagement
Choose the letter of the word that differs most in meaning from the others in the exalt
set. If necessary, use a dictionary to check the precise meanings of words you are haggard
unsure of. intemperate

1. (a) encouragement, (b) belittlement, (c) disparagement, (d) ridicule reprisal

2. (a) motionless, (b) vagrant, (c) drifting, (d) wandering vagrant

3. (a) mercy, (b) reprisal, (c) punishment, (d) revenge

4. (a) glorify, (b) condemn, (c) exalt, (d) acclaim
5. (a) intemperate, (b) excessive, (c) mild, (d) extreme
6. (a) refreshed, (b) rundown, (c) worn, (d) haggard

academic vocabulary in writing

• drama • emerge • encounter • globe • underlie

How does body language reflect underlying feelings? A clear portrait of a

character often emerges when you consider the character’s words and actions.
Write a paragraph about how Lancelot’s responses and physical actions
reveal his feelings for both Arthur and Guinevere. Use at least one Academic
Vocabulary word in your response.

vocabulary strategy: connotation

A connotation is an attitude or a feeling associated with a word. For example, L 5b Analyze nuances in the
vagrant and rambling could both be defined as “moving in a random fashion,” meaning of words with similar
denotations.
but Steinbeck’s use of vagrant to describe Guinevere’s thoughts does not convey
the negativity associated with rambling. Writers are aware of the connotations
of words and often use them to evoke particular moods.

PRACTICE Place the words in each group on a continuum to show the positive,
neutral, or negative connotation of each word. Use a dictionary, glossary, or
thesaurus to help you. Then compare your answers with those of a classmate.

Negative Neutral Positive

1. intemperate, bold, extreme

Interactive
2. worn, haggard, tired Vocabulary
3. exalt, boast, praise Go to thinkcentral.com.
KEYWORD: HML10-1142
4. retaliation, reprisal, revenge

1142 unit 10: greek tr agedy and medieval romance

Language
grammar and style: Vary Sentence Beginnings L 1b Use various types of
phrases and clauses to convey
Review the Grammar and Style note on page 1135. In the selection, Steinbeck specific meanings and add
uses a variety of sentence beginnings that help to enliven his work. Your writing, variety and interest to writing.
W 9a (RL 9) Draw evidence from
too, will be more interesting if you use an assortment of phrases, clauses, and literary texts to support analysis;
words to begin sentences. In the following examples, notice how Steinbeck analyze how an author draws on
and transforms source material in
starts one sentence with a series of prepositional phrases and another sentence a specific work.
with an adverbial clause:
In the great hall of the castle on the hill the king sat high . . . while at the long
trestle boards the people were as fitted as toes in a tight shoe. (lines 13–16)
Then while the glistening meat dripped down the tables, it was the custom for the
defeated to celebrate the deeds of those who had overcome them. . . . (lines 17–18)
Note how the revisions in blue make the following draft less repetitious. Revise
your responses to the prompt by varying your sentence beginnings.

student model
In Le Morte d’Arthur, His
Malory portrays Launcelot as the true gallant knight. Malory’s Launcelot

clanks swords with sworn enemies before dramatically riding off across
While , he
the countryside. Steinbeck’s knight is just as brave as Malory’s. Steinbeck’s

Lancelot is much more distracted by thoughts of Guinevere, though.

reading-writing connection


YOUR Broaden your understanding of the selections by responding to this
prompt. Then use the revising tip to improve your writing.
TURN

writing prompt revising tip

Extended Constructed Response: Comparison Review your response.
Launcelot, or Lancelot, is an archetypal hero. How Have you varied your
does Malory’s portrayal of the knight differ from sentence beginnings
Steinbeck’s? What aspects of the archetypal hero do to make your writing
Launcelot and Lancelot have in common? Compare interesting? If not,
and contrast the way the two authors depict revise to begin your
this famous knight in a three-to-five-paragraph sentences with Interactive
response. What about him is not heroic? different phrases, Revision
clauses, and words. Go to thinkcentral.com.
KEYWORD: HML10-1143

the acts of king arthur and his noble knights 1143