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FUNDAMENTOS CULTURAIS DE LITERATURA EM LÍNGUA INGLESA
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur 
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Conteúdo Programático desta aula
-to know about the legend of king Arthur
-to understand the origins of king Arthur´s stories
-to analyze the historical and cultural roots of the Chivalry Romance
-to identify historical, social and cultural characteristics in Morte D’Arthur
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
In this class, we are going to discuss that King Arthur is the figure at the heart of the Arthurian legends.  Arthur is a near mythic figure in Celtic stories such as Culhwch and Olwen. In early Latin chronicles he is presented as a military leader, the dux bellorum. In later romance he is presented as a king and emperor. One of the questions that has occupied those interested in King Arthur is whether or not he is a historical figure. The debate has raged since the Renaissance when Arthur's historicity was vigorously defended, partly because the Tudor monarchs traced their lineage to Arthur and used that connection as a justification for their reign. Modern scholarship has generally assumed that there was some actual person at the heart of the legends, though not of course a king with a band of knights in shining armor--though O.J. Padel in "The
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Activity
Mark the right options in relation to the ´Morte D’Arthur`:
	We know many facts about Malory´s life.
Yes
No
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
 ‘Morte D’ Arthur is an example of an excellent Romance of Chivalry: 
Yes
No
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Malory uses 13th century French versions of Arthurian legends.
Yes
No
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
	Nature of Arthur" argues that "historical attributes of just the kind that we find attached to Arthur can be associated with a figure who was not historical to start with." We will also study the characteristics of the Chivalry Romance and analyze cultural traits in Morte DÁrthur.
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Why are the stories about King Arthur so fascinating?
There was a story that an abbot, in 1200, in a monastery was talking about God in a meeting. He noticed that the monks and nuns were sleepy and that some of them even snored. All of a sudden the abbot announced: ”Listen, my brothers, once upon a time there was a king called Arthur..” Everyone who was already sleeping, woke up to listen to Arthur´ s stories. The abbot, then, concluded that his audience needed higher spiritual teachings because they were much more attentive to Arthur´ s stories than to his preaching about God.
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
What are Arthur´s historical roots?
Arthur was born as a symbol of hope to the British people. After the Roman legions left Britain to defend Rome against vast groups of invaders in the beginning of century V, the Bretons had to fight their own invaders, the German, called the ‘Saxons’.
Over a century , the British soldiers fought against the Saxons, having victories and defeats, up to 577 A.C when the Germanic conquest was achieved in the Battle of Deorham. With the Germanic conquest, the major part of Bretons mixed with the invaders; some others, however, went to Wales, and another part crossed the channel to the province of Britain.
Let´s watch a video about the legend of King Arthur
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLATxHGRqFg&feature=related 
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
What are the cultural roots of Arthur´s legends?
Many characters and elements surround the stories of King Arthur have their roots in legends, beliefs and habits of the peoples who invaded Britain. Let´s tale a look at some of them.
Arthur- ‘Arthur’ is the welsh form of the roman name Arthorius and that suggests that he has appeared when Britain was under the influence of the Roman Empire. Another story links the origin of the name ‘Arthur” from the legend, to a chivalry officer from the century II called Lucius Artorius Castus, who was a leader for the Bretons against the invaders in a number of battles.
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Avalon- In the year 1998, archeologists found in Cadbury Hill British military chiefs buried in coffins in the shape of boats. The ancient people believed that the soul traveled from one world to another which was found I lakes and seas. The coffins were pointing the hill of Glastonbury Tor, a religious place. During the flooding times, Glastonbury was isolated as an island. People wonder if that ritual is behind the legend that Arthur was taken to the magic island of Avalon to heal his wounds.
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Excalibur- It was common during the Middle Ages to give names to swords. According to recent researches, the famous scene of the sword withdrawn from the rock comes from the fact that the Bretons forged their swords in rock moulds. It is important to make clear that the sword withdrawn from the rock was not Excalibur. King Arthur´s famous sword , called in the first reports ‘Caladfwich’ ( it comes from the welsh word caladbolg- duro corte) and after, in century XII of Caliburn, was given by him to the Dame of the Lake and it was forged by fairies. The fact that the sword came from water and returned to it after Arthur’s death comes from the habit of the first Celtic communities to throw in the water swords, shields and objects from the dead warriors. As time went by the two swords became into a single one.
Video: Excalibur http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwqOn8b2IVo 
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
The Graal- The origin of the Holy Grail comes probably from the word gradalis which means grail or dish. Indeed, a theme always mentioned in the Celtic legends is the search for a magical pot. From the century XVIII on it started to be associated with the Arthurian cycle, but only as a supernatural symbol without Christian connections. Around the century XV, it turned into the Holy Grail, the grail employed by Jesus.
Merlin-Merlin is the mixing of a welsh legend about a British noble in the ending of century VI. He was famous for becoming crazy in a battle and for raiding for the south of Scotland telling prophecies under the name of Myrddin, as the character Ambrosius Merlinus by Geoffrey de Monmouth.
The Round Table- A famous round table created by Merlin with the purpose of getting together 150 knights to celebrate king Arthur´s deeds. The shape of the table has its origins in the Celtic belief that the circle is a symbol of coherence and totality.
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
How was the code of chivalry?
According to code of chivalry, the perfect knight fought for his good name if insulted, served God and the King, and defended any lady in need. These ideas were
expressed in the legend of the Round Table, around which King Arthur and his knights sat as equals in holy brotherhood.
Why was Chivalry useful?
Chivalry was a useful way of persuading men to fight by creating the idea that war was a noble and glorious thing. War could also, of course, be profitable. But in fact cruelty, death, destruction and theft were the reality of war, as they are today. The Black Prince, who was the living example of chivalry in England, was feared in France for his cruelty.
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
What are the characteristics of a Romance of Chivalry? 
The world depicted in these romances is unreal, a world in which daily life is irrelevant, where action dominates reflection and exaggeration rules (the hero is the best, the greatest, the lady the most beautiful, the enemy the cruelest etc.).   We have to suspend our disbelief as we enter the black and white world of heroes and villains, virtuous women and immoral women, giants and dwarves and so on.
Chivalric romance looks constantly to the future, as the knight moves from adventure to adventure.  This active life contrasts significantly with, for example, with that of pastoral literature which is typically static, with the shepherd seated on a river bank comparing his past joy-through-love with his loveless present.  For the shepherd there is no future; the knight-errant, on the other hand, constantly propels himself forward (unless he is enchanted, in which case he awaits release).
 
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Romances of chivalry have a universal, timeless quality. The adventures are variations on the eternal struggle between good and evil, order and disorder, requited and unrequited love, and happen in some vague time in the past (but after the birth of Christ) and in exotic and distant places. The world of romance is still with us, but transformed. We have only to look, for example, at Western (cowboy) movies and novels,  the highly popular James Bond novels and films (set in present time but exotic locales), the television series Xena: Princess Warrior (female “knight” and “squire”) and the Star Wars movies (which take us into a distant future). 
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
What is Morte D´Arthur about?
Malory´s Morte D´Arthur is a gathering of the main body of legends about King Arthur into one narrative, it is the best-known work of fifteenth-century English literature. His simple, forthright telling of Arthurian lore is still enjoyed by modern readers, and the work has long inspired other writings, such as Tennyson´s Idylls of the king.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjjsoCeGUVw –Morte D´Arthur
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Extract from MORTE D’ARTHUR
Book XXI, Chapter IV
Therefore for God´s sake, my lord, leave off by this. For blessed by God ye have won the field, for here we be three on live, and Sir Mordred is none on live. And if ye leave off now this wicked day of destiny is past. Tide me death, betide me life, saith the king, now I see him yonder alone he shall never escape mine hands, for at a better avail shall I never have him. God speed you well, said Sir Bedivere. Then the king gat his spear in both hands, and ran toward Sir Mordred , crying: Traitor, now is thy death day come. And when Sir Mordred heard Sir Arthur, he ran until him with his sword 
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
drawn in his hand. And there King Arthur smote Sir Mordred under the shield, with a foin of his spear, throughout the body, more than a fathom. And when Sir Mordred felt that he had his death wound he thurst himself with the might that he had up to the bur of king Arthur´s, with his swod holden in both his hands, on the side of the head, that the sword pierced the helmet and the brain-pan, and therewithal Sir Mordred fell stark dead to the earth. And the noble Arthur fell in a swoon to the earth, and he swooned oft-times.
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Portanto, pelo amor de Deus , meu senhor, deixá-lo estar. Pois , graças a Deus, fostes o vitorioso no campo, visto que aqui ainda vivemos três, e com Sir Mordred não há mais ninguém com vida. E, se agora deixardes as coisas como estão, terá passado este dia cruel do destino. Traga-me a morte, leve-me a vida, brada o rei, agora que o vejo sozinho acolá não há de escapar-me das mãos, pois oportunidade melhor nunca terei. Deus vos proteja, ajuntou Sir Bedivere. Então o soberano agarrou a lança com ambas as mãos e correu para Sir Mordred, gritando.Traidor, chegou o dia de tua morte. E quando Sir Mordred ouviu Sir Arthur, correu para ele com a espada desembaiada na mão. E ali o 
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
Rei Artur feriu Sir Mordred por baixo do escudo, com um golpe de lança, perfurando-lhe o corpo de lado a lado. E quando Sir Mordred sentiu que fora ferido de morte , arremessou-se sobre o Rei Artur, com o que ainda lhe restava de forças, até o punho da lança. E assim, segurando a espada com ambas as mãos, feriu seu pai Artur em um dos lados da cabeça, de modo que a lâmina atravessou o elmo e o crânio; e com isso Sir Mordred tombou morto ao solo. E o nobre Artur veio ao chão num desmaio, e lá desfaleceu seguidas vezes
 Fundamentos Culturais de Literatura em Língua Inglesa
Historical, cultural and literary sources about the King Arthur – Aula 03 
The selection above occurs near the end of the Morte D’ Arthur, when the unity of the Round Table has been disrupted by the ambitions of Arthur´s nephew , Mordred. Rallying a band of knights around him, the traitor attempts to seize Arthur´s crown. Ultimately the two factions meet in a battle which brings about the death of all the knights of the kingdom except the loyal Sir Bedivere. Mordred is killed by Arthur, who is himself mortally wounded. It is left to Bedivere to carry out his king´s last wishes.