Medieval Bunqilannd (1066-1485) i BACKGROUND ‘The medieval period saw the development of the ballad, a short narrative poem, simple in plot and intended to be sung. All anonymous, the ballads dealt with subjects that appealed to the popular imagination: deeds of violence resulting from jealousy, heroic deeds and battle, relationship between man and supernatural beings, and sometimes humorous domestic incidents. Quite a number of ballads dealt with the exploits of Robin Hood, a legendary bandit, depicted as a man who robbed the rich to give to the poor. ‘The metrical romance also developed during this period, The best among them were those that gave wonderful accounts of deeds and exploits of King Arthur and his knights: ‘The most outstanding work of the period is Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Through this work, Chaucer painted a picture of contemporary English life by gathering a motley company of people together and letting each class of society tell its own favorite stories. Though it was never finished, Canterbury Tales has remained unequaled to this day. William Langland, another outstanding poet of the period, whose protest against social injustice and other evils of the period, found expression in his work, The Vision of William Concerning Piers the Plowman. In the 15th century, Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur appeared. This is a compilation of all the legends and stories about King Arthur and his Knights. It is also at this time—the 15th century—when books had become entertain- ing to read and William Caxton had set up the first printing press. This was the status of English literature at the time Columbus set out on his historic voyage in 1492. BRIEF HSTORY OF flow ARTHUR BECAME A KING i. King Arthur was one of the greatest kings of Britain. His father was -King Uther. His mother was Queen Ygraine. 2. When he wasa mere child, his father died. He left Arthur in the charge of Merlin. Merlin was a great magician. 3. Arthur grew up a fine, brave. strong young man. Merlin knew that he had to have Arthur recognized as the king of Britain. He had te devise a plan to do it. 4. One Sunday morning the knights and ladies of the court and the people were coming out of the church. They saw a big rock in the churchyard. 5. Imbedded in the rock was a sword. The handle of the sword glittered with precious stone: its blade flashed in the sunlight. 6. On the sword was the name Excalibur. On the rock was an inscripuion. The inscription said: “He who can pull out this sword is the rightful king of Britain.” 7. Many of the knights were strong and brave. One by one they tied to pull the sword out. They wanted to be king of Britain. But no one ‘was strong enough to pull out the sword. 8. At last the knights grew tired. Arthur came forward and pulled out the sword with great ease. 9. The people looked at him, His yellow hair shone in the sunlight. He waved the sword over his head. The sword glittered in the morning sun. 10. The people knelt before Arthur. They shouted. They called him their king. They knew that he was the son of King Uther. 11. King Arthur gathered twelve brave knights around him. These knights were called the Knights of the Round Table. 12. They lived by a code of honor. Each made a vow to love God. They vowed to respect women. They also vowed to right all wrongs. 13. The knights came from various countries. They were attracted by the fame of King Arthur. They wanted to join the code of chivalry. This code was founded by King Arthur. 4 214. The bravest of the knights was Sir Lancelot. He was also the strongest. He won many prizes in knightly combats. These combats were called Jfousts. 15. Sometimes the prizes were diamonds. Sometimes they were rubies and emeralds. These were all precious stones. Sir Lancelot gave his prizes to Queen Guinevere. THE ARTHURIAN ROMANCES ‘The perfection of knighthood as well as the mystic element was represented in the Arthurian romances, King pod had a ysteniouinaie! magic birth; his career was a marvelous one, He surrounded himself with twelve knights who came from different lands. Among the Knights of the Round Table, as they were called, were Sir Gawain. famous for his adventure With the Green Knight; Sir Percival, the pure of heart, Tristram, the mighty hunter and gifted musician who had a fatal love for the beautiful Iseult: and towering above them all, the French knight Lancelot, the model knight and perfect lover, who betrayed the trust of King Arthur because of his sinful love for Guinevere, the queen. About the Author: 9) Sir Thomas Malory (1430?-1471) is a figure about whom little is known He was a knight who fought in the Hundred Years War in France. Recently, evidence has been uncovered concerning a “Thomas Malory, Knight of Warwickshire,” who was several es arrested for robbing and assaulting his neighbors, Malory apparently undertook his great work while serving a twenty-year sentence. He died in 1471, one year after completing Le Morte d’ Arthur, Fifteen years after the book was finished, it was published by the famous medieval printer, William Caxton, who introduced printing into England. i Thomas Malary Sir Thomas Malory (1449-1471) grew up in the finest ideals of chivalry. He lived and died a knight in the service of the Earl of Warwick, the “father of courtesy Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur is considered a complete story of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The name Round Table came from the table used by the knights, a wedding gift to Arthus, so shaped as to prevent quarrels over the right to sit at the head of the table. Arthur formed this fellowship on the advice of Merlin, a magician who was Arthur's friend and adviser. At the beginning the knights were noted for their nobility and loyalty. But later, evil crept into thelz hearts, resulting in terrible fighting among themselves and the breakup of their brotherhood. The selection which follows relates the throwing away of Arthur's famous sword Excalibur and the death of King Arthur. Sir Thomas Matory 2As the passage opens, King Arthur has gone abroad on a military expedition and left his Kingdom in the hands of his son, Mordred. What features in the story justify calling it a romance? As Sir Mordred was ruler of all England, he had letters written as though they came from beyond the sea, and the letters specified that King Arthur was slain in a battle with Sir Lancelot. Wherefore Sir Mordred made a parliament,” and called the lords together, and there he made them to choose him king; and so he was crowned at Canterbury, and held a feast there for fifteen days; and after- ward he drew him unto Winchester and there he took the Queen Guenevere, and’ said plainly that he would wed her. So then he made ready for the feast, and set. a day that they should be wedded; wherefore Queen Guenevere was sorrowful. Yet she dared not discover her heart but spoke fair and agreed to Sir Mordred’s will.” ‘Then she asked Sir Mordred to allow her to go to London to buy all manner of things that belonged unto the wedding. And because of her fair speech, Sir Mordred trusted her well enough and gave her leave to go. And so when she came to Lon- don she took the Tower of London, and suddenly in all haste possible shé filled it with all manner of victuals, and well supplied it with men, and so kept it Then when Sir Mordred understood how he was beguiled, he was angry out of measure. He went and laid a mighty siege about the Tower of London and made many great assaults thereat, and threw many great engines unto them and shot great guns. But all might not prevail Sir Mordred, for Queen Guenevere would never trust for fair speech nor for foul to come in his hands again. - And so as Sir Mordred was at Dover with his host, there came King Arthur with a great navy of ships, and galleys, and large vessels. And there was Sir Mordred ready awaiting upon his landing, to let his own father to land upon the land that he was king over. Then there was launching of great boats and small, and full of noble men of arms; and there was much slaughter of good knights, and many a full bold baron was laid full low, on both parties. But King Arthur was 50 courageous and his knights fiercely followed him; and so they landed in spite of Sir Mordred and all his power, and put Sir Mordred aback, that he fled and all his people. So when this battle was done, King Arthur caused to be buried his people that were dead. Then it was told the king that Sir Mordred had prepared for battle on a new field upon Barham Down. And upon the morn the king rode thither to him, and there was a great battle between them and many people were slain on both parties; but at the last King Arthur's party stood best, and Sir Mordred and his party fled unto Canterbury. And then the king caused to be searched all the towns for his knights that were slain, and interred them; and salved them with soft salves and so sore were wounded. Then much people came unto King Arthur. And then they said that Sir Mordred warred upon King Arthur wrongfully. And then King Arthur marched with his host down by the seaside, westward toward Salisbury; and there was a day set betwixt King Arthur and Sir Mordred, that they should meet upon a hill beside Salisbury, not far from the seaside. So then King Arthur and his army departed, and came to Sir Mordred, where he had a grim host of a hundred thousand men. And there they entreated Sir Mordred a long time; and at the last Sir Mordred agreed to have Cornwall and Kent, during Arthur's days; all England, after the days of King Arthur. (In another encounter both Sir Mordred and King Arthur wounded each other mortally. As King Arthur lay dying, he called for Sir Bedivere, his trusted knight.) “Therefore,” said Arthur unto Sir Bedivere, “take thou Excalibur, my good © sword, and go with it to yonder waterside, and when thou comest there Icharge thee throw my sword in that water, and come again and tell me what thou there seest.” “My lord,” said Bedivere, “your commandment shall be done; and I will quickly bring you word again.” So Sir Bedivere departed, and by the way he beheld that noble sword, that the pommel and the haft was all of precious stones; and then he said to himself: “IfI throw this rich sword in the water, nothing will come of it but harm and loss.” 3And then Sir Bedivere hid Excalibur under atree. And so, as soon as he could, he came again unto the king, and said he had been at the water, and had thrown the sword in the water. “What saw thou there?” said the king. “Sin” he said, “I saw nothing but waves and winds.”“That is untruly said by thee,” said the king, “Therefore go thou quickly again, and do my command- ment; as thou art to me beloved and so dear, spare not, but throw in the sword.” Then Sir Bedivere returned and took the sword in his hand; and then it seemed to him a sin and shame to throw away that noble sword, and so again he hid the sword and returned once more and told the king that he had been at the water, and done his command. “What saw thou there?" said the king “Sir,” he said, “I saw nothing but the waters and waves become dark.” “Ah, traitor untrue,” said King Arthur, “now hast thou betrayed me twice Who would have believed that, thou that hast been to me so beloved and dear? And thou art named a noble knight, and would betray me for the richness of the sword. But now go again quickly, for thy long tarrying puts me in great danger of my life, for I have taken cold. And unless thou do now as I bid thee, if ever I’ may see thee, I shall slay thee with mine own hands; for thou wouldst for my rich sword see me dead.” Then Sir Bedivere departed, and went to the sword, and quickly took it up, and went to the waterside; and there he bound the girdle about the hilt, and then he threw the sword as far into the water as he might, And there came an arm and a hand above the water and met it, and caught it, and so hooked it thrice and brandished, and then vanished away the hand with the sword in the water. So Sir Bedivere came again to the king, and told him what he saw. “Alas,” said the king, “help me hence, for I fear I have tarried too long.” Then Sir Bedivere took the king upon his back, and so went with him to that waterside And when they were at the waterside, there came a little barge with many fair ladies in it, and among them all was a queen and all had black hoods, and all wept and shrieked when they saw King Arthur. “Now put me into the barge,” said the king. And so he did softly; and there received him three queens with great mourning; and so they set them down, and in one of their lapa King Arthur Inid his head. And then that queen said: “Ah, dear brother, why have ye tarried so long from me? Alas, this wound on your head hath caught over-much cold.” And so then - they rowed from the land, and Sir Bedivere beheld all those ladies go from him. ‘Then Sir Bedivere cried: “Ah, my Lord Arthur, what shall become of me, now ye go from me and leave me here alone among mine enemies?” “Comfort thyself,” said the king, “and do as well as thou mayest, for I will into the vale of Avilion to heal me of my grievous wound; and if thou hear never more of me, pray for my soul.” . But ever the queens and ladies wept and shrieked, that it was pity to hear. More of the death of King Arthur could I never find, but that ladies brought him to his burials. Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but taken by the will of our Lord Jesus into another place; and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross. shou ig Insights: what was the blood relationship between Sir Mordred and King Arthur? ef Why did the two declare war against each other? 8. Do you like Sir Mordred? Explain your answer. 4. What errand did King Arthur give to Sir Bedivere? 5. Why did Sir Bedivere not carry out the errand? 6. How did King Arthur know that Sir Bedivere had not carried out the errand? 7. What happened after Sir Bedivere obeyed the king at last? 8. What features in the selection might lead the reader to believe that the events described were historical rather than pure fiction? What makes it seem like a fairy tale? 4