The+Legend+of+King+Arthur

Allie Sisson, Lauren Reeder, and Teresa Barros-Bailey present to you the //__**epic**__// tale of King Arthur: King Arthu r: A Summary.



Arthur was the first born son of King Uther Pendragon and heir to the throne. However these were very troubled times and Merlin, a wise magician, advised that the baby Arthur should be raised in a secret place and that none should know his true identity. As Merlin feared, when King Uther died there was great conflict over who should be the next king. Merlin used his magic to set a sword in a stone. Written on the sword, in letters of gold, were these words: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England." Of course all the contenders for the throne took their turn at trying to draw the sword, but none could succeed. Arthur, quite by chance, withdrew the sword for another to use in a tournament. Following this he became King. He gathered Knights around him and fought back against the Saxons who, since the Romans left Britain, were slowly but surely taking the country over. After many great battles and a huge victory at Mount Badon the Saxons' advance was halted. Arthur's base was at a place called Camelot. Here he built a strong castle. His knights met at a Round Table. They carried out acts of chivalry such as rescuing damsels in distress and fought against strange beasts. They also searched for a lost treasure, which they believed would cure all ills - this was the 'Quest for the Holy Grail'. Under the guidance of Merlin, Arthur had obtained a magical sword from The Lady Of The Lake. This sword was called 'Excalibur" and with this weapon he vanquished many foes. Queen Guinevere, Arthur's beautiful wife brought romance to the story while his equally beautiful half sister Morgan le Fay added a dark side.  Unfortunately, as peace settled over the country things turned sour within the court of Camelot and civil war broke out. In the final battle at Camlan both Arthur and Mordred, Arthur's traitorous nephew, were mortally wounded. Arthur was set upon a boat and floated down river to the isle of Avalon. Here his wounds were treated by three mysterious maidens. His body was never found and many say that he rests under a hill with all his knights - ready to ride forth and save the country again.



media type="youtube" key="lfGpVcdqeS0" height="315" width="420" align="center"

Tip-Offs:
__Test of strength/test for kingship:__ pulling of the sword from the stone. __Hero grows up in relative obscurity, but has royal background:__ Arthur growing up with a knight as a "normal" boy, doesn't know his heritage. __Hero is betrayed by his best friend:__ Sir Lancelot falls in love and runs off with King Arthur's love Guinevere. __Love triangle:__ King Arthur, Guinevere and Sir Lancelot in the epic tale. __Magical water references:__ Like The Lady in the Lake who gives King Arthur the magical sword.

Background:
The exact origins of the King Arthur legend are unknown, but scholars speculate that the first myth may be based upon a Romano-British war leader who defended the British isles from Roman invaders in 410 AD. Other theories proposed the legend is based upon the British king Riothamus who lead the British army into battle in France. But the most important versions of this story were told by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the //History of the Kings of Britain,// a detailed tale of King Arthur's life and court, and //Le Morte d'Arthur// by Sir Thomas Malory which became the most well known of the King Arthur legends. Modern King Arthur is based upon Malory's version of the story, but even to this day the legend continues to shift and grow.

Modern Novel based on King Arthur:
//Avalon High// by Meg Cabot is a novel published in 2005 that is very popular and was turned into a movie by the Disney Channel in 2010. The plots goes as follows: Elaine "Ellie" Harrison has just moved. Avalon High, seems like a typical high school with the stereotypical students: Lance the jock, Jennifer the cheerleader, Marco, the bad boy/desperado, and Will, the senior class president, quarterback, the student every girl wants and all around good guy. But not everyone at Avalon High is who they appear to be, not even Ellie herself. Throughout the book, certain characters turn out to correspond to King Arthur (Will), Guinevere (Jennifer), Mordred (Marco), and Sir Lancelot (Lance).

How the story functions within a specific text:
The story of King Arthur usually functions within a specific text as a plot line or a specific event within a story. For example, in all classic fairy tales, the archetypes of heroes usually correspond to ones that show up in the tale of King Arthur. In //Sleeping Beauty//, the princess grows up in the forest away from all civilization, without knowing that she is of royal heritage. In //Mulan//, Fa Mulan's strength is tested physically and emotionally while fighting against the Hun army. In terms of betrayal, in the //Lion King//, Mufasa is betrayed by his own brother, Scar, who then takes over his kingdom.

References and Examples:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (parody), The Fisher King (tale of survival and healing) , The Lady in the Lake (parallel), The Sword at Sunset (rise of a war lord), The Hero with a Thousand Faces (book of heroism), Avalon High by Meg Cabot (story that alludes to the tale of King Arthur).