Ask Jot

Chosen Answer by joseph_d_II

First let me appluad you for choosing one of the greatest literary works of all time to do a monologue on, however the characters you have choosen are vast in the Le Morte D'Arthur, as it is a collection of the books of Malory about Arthur these books are: Book I: "From the Marrage of King Uther unto Kyng Arthure that Regned Aftir Hym and Ded Many Batayles" Book II: "The Noble Tale Betwyxt Kynge Arthure and Lucius the Emperor of Rome" Book III: "The Noble Tale of Sir Launcelot Du Lake" Book IV: "The Tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney" Book V: "The Fyrste and Secunde Boke of Syr Trystrams de Lyones" Book VI: “The Noble Tale of the Sankgreal” Book VII: "Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere" Book VIII: "The Death of Arthur" Here is a brief description about each character you have chosen: Mordred - is a character in the Arthurian legend, known as a notorious traitor who fought King Arthur at the Battle of Camlann, where he was killed and Arthur fatally wounded. Tradition varies on his relationship to Arthur, but he is best known today as Arthur's illegitimate son by his half-sister Morgause. Morgan Le Faye - Is a powerful sorceress and antagonist of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in the Arthurian legend. In Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and elsewhere, she is married, unhappily, to King Urien of Gore and Ywain is her son. Though she becomes an adversary of the Round Table when Guinevere discovers her adultery with one of her husband's knights, she eventually reconciles with her brother, and even serves as one of the four enchantresses who carry the king to Avalon after his final battle at Camlann. Merlyn/Merlin - Is best known as the wizard featured in Arthurian legend. Merlin's traditional biography casts him as born of mortal woman, sired by an incubus, the non-human wellspring from whom he inherits his supernatural powers and abilities. Merlin matures to an ascendant sagehood and engineers the birth of Arthur through magic and intrigue. Later, Merlin serves as the king's advisor until he is bewitched and imprisoned by the Lady of the Lake. Arthur - While there are several orgins and story of Arthur here is the just from Le Morte d'Arthur. The development of the medieval Arthurian cycle and the character of the 'Arthur of romance' culminated in Le Morte d'Arthur, Thomas Malory's retelling of the entire legend in a single work in English in the late 15th century. Malory based his book on the various previous romance versions, in particular the Vulgate Cycle, and appears to have aimed at creating a comprehensive and authoritative collection of Arthurian stories. Seeing as how the entire collection is about the life and trials of Arthur you can find him in every story (practically) of Le Morte d'Arthur. Lancelot - He is typically considered to be one of the greatest and most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories. He is perhaps most famous for his affair with Arthur's wife Guinevere (in other stories this affair is actually with Mordred) and the role he plays in the search for the Holy Grail. Guinevere - She is the daughter of King Leodegrance and is betrothed to Arthur early in his career, while he is garnering support. When Lancelot arrives later, she is instantly smitten, and they soon consummate the adultery that will bring about Arthur's fall. However, Arthur is not aware of their romance for quite a while, until at a feast when he realizes that neither Lancelot nor Guinevere is there. Their affair is exposed by two of King Lot's sons, Agravain and Mordred, and Lancelot flees for his life while Arthur reluctantly sentences his queen to burn at the stake. Knowing Lancelot and his family will try to stop the execution, Arthur sends many of his knights to defend the pyre, though Gawain refuses to participate. Lancelot arrives and rescues the queen, and in the course of the battle Gawain's brothers Gaheris and Gareth are killed, sending Gawain into a rage so great that he pressures Arthur into war with Lancelot. When Arthur goes to France to fight Lancelot, he leaves Guinevere in the care of Mordred, who plots to marry the queen himself and take Arthur's throne. In some versions Guinevere assents to Mordred's proposal, but in others, she hides in the Tower of London and then takes refuge in a convent. Hearing of the treachery, Arthur returns to Britain and slays Mordred at Camlann, but his wounds are so severe that he is taken to the isle of Avalon. I know this description is long but she plays such a vital role in the story of Arthur. Galahad - Sir Galahad is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Carbonek, and is renowned for his gallantry and purity. He is perhaps the knightly embodiment of Jesus (remember this is literary work and often uses someone people can relate with as insperation) in the Arthurian legends. King Mark - The uncle of Tristan and husband of Iseult, who engage in a secret affair behind his back. In Le Morte d'Arthur he rapes his niece and then murders her when she produces his son, Meraugis, and he murders his brother Baldwin as well. In earlier versions of the story Tristan dies in Brittany, far away from Mark, but in the Prose Tristan Mark stabs Tristan while he plays the harp under a tree for Iseult. Most of the character you have listed appear quite frequently in all books of the Le Morte d'Arthur with the exception of King Mark. I know this a long answer but I hope this helps you with your choice.

Chosen Answer by Jallan

The first printed version of “Le Morte d’Arthur” was published by William Caxton in 1485. Caxton’s text is available in a facsimile edition on the web at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=cme;cc=cme;view=toc;idno=MaloryWks2. There were numerous later editions, which tended to introduce errors. The introductions sometimes claimed that the text had been re-edited, but scholars find that these claims were untrue. There are various more modern corrected editions which modernize the spelling and occasionally change the grammar and vocabulary. There are numerous current editions in with modernized spelling and punctuation. On commonly found example is the Everyman edition, based on an earlier modernized Dent edition of 1897. There is the Macmillan edition of 1903, edited by A.W. Pollard, the text corrected from an earlier bowdlerized Macmillan edition of 1868 by Sir Edward Strachey. This edition can be found at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1251 . Most modern editions seem to be based on the Pollard edition, but it would take much work to go through and find the very minor differences between an edition based on Pollard and one that is not. Tthe text is more identical than you will find with editions of Shakespeare. So, it matters little which text you read. But a strange flaw in these texts is that while English spelling is standardized to the language of the day, French spelling, in epithets of the knights, is generally left as found in the text. Names of characters are sometimes left unnormalized or only partly normalized. For example, Palamides the Saracen becomes Palomides the Saracen halfway through the book. Such changes are normal enough in a medieval manuscript, and would hardly be noticed. But in a modern book where the language is regularized, the reader is likely to be confused, at least for a while, and think that Palomides is a different character from Palamides. In the Everyman’s edition, in Book VIII, chapter XX and following, the editor blunders badly and modernizes Caxton’s “child” as “child”, though it actually should be rendered in modern English as “shield”. At least this is so in my copy. John Matthew’s edition is the most recent example of a deluxe hardcover version that mostly follows the Pollard edition. It is lavishly illustrated. See http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morte-DArthur-Sir-Thomas-Malory/dp/1844030016 . I have not seen any standard editions that are abridged. Where I have seen such, they have also been renamed. The Winchester manuscript version was discovered in 1934, and is a superior text to Caxton’s text. Unfortunately, the copyright fell in to the hands of the scholar Eugene Vinaver who seemingly protected it strongly. So generally you could read the Winchester manuscript version in one of Vinaver's editions, or you could not read it. Vinaver also pushed his own idiosyncratic ideas about Malory's works in his notes and articles, including the idea that the various sections of the manuscript were completely independent works. He named his published manuscript “Works”, which has not caught on. Nor has his theory. The three-volume edition appears to be currently out of print though reprints seem to be widely available. The one-volume edition (which lacks the notes) can be checked out at http://books.google.com/books?id=OWn3mDp4Q4kC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Thomas+Malory+Works&ei=ALQkSe2IE4SUzATl18SaCw . These editions follow the original spelling save for replacement of obsolete letters and abbreviations and introduction of modern usage for the letters “i” and “j”, “u” and “v”, and the addition of modern punctuation. It has been criticized, correctly, for not following the layout in the original manuscript but modifying it to fit with Vinaver's theories. It has a small selection of notes and a glossary. “The Winchester Malory'' is a photographic black-and-white facsimile edition of the Winchester manuscript. See http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Winchester-Malory/Thomas-Malory/e/9780197224045/?itm=1 , Helen Cooper has released an edition of the Winchester manuscript text which can be previewed here: http://www.amazon.com/Morte-DArthur-Winchester-Manuscript-Classics/dp/0192824201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227142492&sr=8-1 . Spelling is modernized. Unfortunately, it is an abridged edition, the only one I am aware of. Stephen H. A. Shepherd’s edition attempts to more closely follow the Winchester manuscript than did Vinaver. See http://www.amazon.com/Morte-Darthur-Norton-Critical-Editions/dp/0393974642/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227143075&sr=1-1 . Spelling is only minimally modernized just as in Vinaver’s edition and punctuation is similarly modernized. The Winchester manuscript rubricates most names, that is has them inked in with red ink. This edition attempts to reproduce the effect by rendering the names in black-letter text. Also included are some critical articles, a glossary, a guide to the names, a chronology as part of the introduction, and (wonderful!) footnotes at the bottom of the page instead of the horrible endnotes that most scholarly books inflict on us. This is my favorite edition. It does not take a great deal of time to get used to the different spelling, especially with the numerous footnotes and the glossary at the back. See http://www.wwnorton.com/COLLEGE/titles/english/nce/darth/contents.htm . Ignore the modernized purported translation of Malory by Stephen Baines. It is bland, somewhat inaccurate, and abriged.

Chosen Answer by Spunky Captain

Le Morte d'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory, is written in a more traditional manner; whereas, The Once and Future king has a more modern sound. For help, try these sites: http://www.arthurian-legend.com/summary-mort-darthur-00.php http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/futureking/

Chosen Answer by Michael B

There is some sense in what Ammianus writes, but I must differ from his first point. Malory's Arthurian tales (he wrote more than one, not just the 'morte d'Arthur') are consciously archaic, set in a fanciful quasi-mediaeval world. It is a never-never land of giants and enchanters, where knights fight single combats with lances and where gunpowder, massed infantry tactics in battle with the longbow a decisive weapon, effective rule over a unified kingdom and bureaucracy (all features of the real world Malory inhabited) are not heard of. A real date (so many AD) for these stories seems to have been the last thing on Malory's mind.

Chosen Answer by Jallan

What exactly is “the code of chivalry”? Can you find it on the web? No such thing exists. That said, there is the idea that knights ought to be honorable, keep their word, be courteous, and be merciful to the vanquished, and be an obedient servant to the church. The author of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is a very religious author, presuming he is identical to the author of “Pearl”, as most commentators believe. A lot of this poem has to do with Gawain giving his word and keeping it, mostly, and also maintaining his reputation for courtesy to both his host and his host's wife. But Gawain does break his word by keeping the green girdle and not telling his host about it. Even the best of knights may sometimes fail to live up to his ideals. In Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur”, the Gawain material is mostly the “Prose Lancelot” and the “Prose Tristan”, the “Quest of the Holy Grail”, the “Death of Arthur” and the “Post-Vulgate Arthurian Cycle”. In the “Prose Lancelot”, Gawain plays his usual role as the best of Arthur’s knight, equally or surpassed only by the hero of the romance, in this case Lancelot. Well ... actually Gawain is perhaps also surpassed by Lancelot’s cousin Bohort/Bors, by Lancelot's half-brother Ector, and perhaps by Percival, and of course he is also surpassed by Lancelot's son Galahad, who surpasses all other knights. And Gawain is equaled by his brother Gaheriet (who is mostly equivalent to Malory’s Gareth). His reputation as a womanizer is still maintained in the story of how he deflowers the daughter of the King of North Wales. The girl has vowed to give up her virginity only to Gawain, and Gawain is always ready to help a lady in distress. This motif appears in other earlier romances applied to Gawain. But Gawain differs from Lancelot in that Lancelot is in intent faithful to one single woman, Queen Guenevere, with whom he has an adulterous relationship, while in no medieval text does Gawain enter into an adulterous relationship, although he is sometimes wrongly suspected of it by jealous husbands. But in the “Quest of the Holy Grail', Gawain is condemned as an evil knight, though the exact reasons aren't given. Presumably Gawain’s reputation for promiscuity is one reason. The author of this romance also blames Gawain and most of the other Knights of the Round Table for not going to confession, even when entering the Quest of the Grail, and has an episode in which Gawain, quite courteously, evades confessing to the hermit Nascien. In the later “Prose Tristan” and the “Post-Vulgate Arthurian Cycle” Gawain is much degraded. Supposedly his reputation in the Arthurian world is about the same as in earlier texts, but it is a false reputation. In fact Gawain is envious, treacherous, a liar, and, in Malory's words, “a murderer of good knights”. In the earlier part of his work, Malory, borrowing from the Post-Vulgate Cycle, tells how Gawain refused mercy on his first quest, and by accident slew a damsel. Gawain then breaks his promise to Sir Pellias in respect to Pellias’ love Ettarde. Gawain is also blamed for the death of King Pellinor and in part for the death of Pellinor's son Lamorak, though Malory here somewhat excuses Gawain by assigning the death blow to Mordred, something not found in the sources. In Malory Gawain and his brothers unchivalrously gang up on Lamorak, instead of fighting him one on one. Note also the passage here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/mart/mart194.htm . Gawain is an abductor and a bully, while Lamorak, despite misgivings, attempts to support Gawain and kills the damsel’s consort. This is clearer in Malory's source, the “Prose Tristan'', and is typical of many passage in that work in which Gawain is caught out in his evil deeds, often by Lamorak. The knight may feel that he must support Gawain, because Gawain is his fellow Knight of the Round Table. Whether abducting maiden who is being protected by a knight is against a supposed code of chivalry is dubious. In the original romances, again and again it is indicated that a true knight should never do anything to an unaccompanied damsel against her will, but is quite within his rights to take a damsel in fair battle from a knight who is accompanying her, regardless of the feelings of the damsel. Bluntly, Malory’s Gawain, though perhaps not so bad as the Gawain of the “Prose Tristan” or the “Post-Vulgate Arthurian Cycle” is not a very nice person. I believe that T. H. White, author of “The Once and Future King”, once commented , I believe, that Malory’s Gawain was a very unusual character, coming across as a likable cad. One problem is that there are different codes of morality present in “Le Morte d'Arthur”. Gawain according to one code of conduct, ought to take vengeance on the man who slew his father. But since that man is also a fellow Knight of the Round Table, Gawain should not lay a hand on him.