The Legend of King

Arthur
(in 20 minutes or less)
What is an archetype?
A recurring pattern of
characters, symbols, and themes
Characters: knight in shining
armor, damsel in distress, good
king
Themes: Honor and bravery
Symbol: The Holy Grail
Arthurs childhood
Arthur is the
son of King
Uther
Pendragon, but
is taken at a
young age,
unaware of his
royal heritage
Arthurs childhood
Merlin places the sword Excalibur
in a stone containing a spell that
only the rightful king could remove
it from the stone
In need of a sword for his adoptive
brother, Arthur pulls Excalibur
from the stone, proving himself the
rightful king of England
The New Kings First Challenge
Creates the Knights of
the Round Table
,where each city state
is represented by a
knight. No one knight,
including King Arthur
himself, has more
power than another.
Guinevere
Arthur decides to marry
the lovely young
Guinevere. She does
not see him before they
are married. Arthur
sends his most trusted
knight Lancelot to fetch
her.
Mysteries and Evil Plots
Arthur unknowingly had a half
sister, Morgan de Fey.
In an attempts to usurp the
throne, she slept with him and
conceived a son. Her son,
Mordred, threatened Arthurs
marriage and his throne.
A Country Religiously Divided
Arthur was a member of the Old
Religion, known as Celtic (as evident by
keeping a Royal wizard, Merlin)
However, a new religion, Christianity
was beginning. Guinevere, Arthurs
wife was a member of this religion.
Arthur established the crusades.
Crusades and the Holy Grail
Arthur sends his knights on a quest
for religious artifacts, more
commonly know as the crusades.
The Holy Grail
King Solomons Temple
Brazintine Crown of Thorns
Holy Rod
Trouble At Home
During the search for the Holy Grail
Arthurs life begins to fall apart. Gone
10-20 years on his quest.
Mordred has been raised to hate Arthur
and upon his return, Arthur unknowingly
knights his own son and invites him to
the round table.
Guinevere loves Lancelot.
The Most Famous Affair in Literary History
Mordred discovers Guinevere and
Lancelots affair and convinces the rest
of the Round Table to capture Lancelot
in the act.
Lancelot escapes but Guinevere is
captured and is to be burned at the
stake for her treachery against the king.
Arthur
The Fall of Camelot
There are many versions
of the story; all end with
Arthurs glorious death in
battle.
True History and Themes
Most scholars believe that a King
named Arthur did defeat the Saxons
in the 5th or 6th century, medieval
times.
Theme: Chivalry: A knights code of
conduct that includes bravery,
courtesy, honor, and being a
gentlemen toward women.
Legends
Traditional stories
about the past that
are based on
historical fact.
Characteristics of Legends
Have heroes who are
larger-than-life
Concern for right and
wrong
Support for national pride
Sentence Corrections- May 7
Legends are not based on history.
Sir Ector is Arthurs biological
father, and Uther is his adoptive
father.
Arthur becomes king when he
pulls a spatula from a stone.
Activator, May 9
Create a chivalric code of
conduct for THS students:
Have 5 sentences

Start each sentence with Thou

shall or shall not
Activator, May 8
Six sentences- Write
your version of Arthurs
death.