Le Morte D’Arthur

1. Le Morte D’Arthur Sir Thomas Malory

2. Who was Malory? • Thomas Malory of Hatton in Yorkshire • Thomas Malory of Newbold Revel, Warwickshire • Born about 1415; died in 1470 • 1450: crime spree (murder, theft, extortion, rape) • 1460: released from prison; active in civil war • 1467: back in prison for being on the losing side • Wrote Le Morte D’Arthur in prison, and it was published by William Caxton in 1485

3. 15th Century England • Wars of the Roses (1399-1485) • Lancastrians vs. Yorkists • Decades of civil war • Changes in battle technology • Longbow • Man in armor on horse no longer defensible • Kings would no longer lead followers into battle after Richard’s defeat

4. Who was King Arthur? • Celtic origins: • Arthwyr as general term for a prince • Name may also derive from the Celtic word “art,” meaning bear (Arturus the Bear) • Others argue that he was Octha, son of Hengest, who moved south and united much of the area • Earliest stories represent him as a god-like creature interacting with other deities in Welsh mythology • Welsh claims also based on his birth at Tintagel and burial at Glastonbury • Alternately, High King of Britain with his origins in Brittany (Geoffrey of Monmouth)

5. Why would Malory choose King Arthur? • Arthur brought order out of chaos • Warfare as form of sport vs. warfare as technology aimed at widespread devastation • Men heroically die in single combat, but are not slaughtered as they lie in the mud • Imaginary past in which nobles had absolute power over contented peasants • Hero/King who will return to bring peace

6. Le Morte D’Arthur: Cultural Conflicts • The stability of the society as a whole • Government by contract between ruler and community of nobles and commons • Rule of law within class system • The motivations of individuals • Personal goals • Courtly love • The will to power