The collection of stories of King Arthur, and his Knights, of his wife Guinevere,
Camelot and the Holy Grail have become a part of Western culture permeating
narrative structures of everything from children’s stories to films
and computer games. The ideals of knightly chivalry and courtly love influence
human relationships today; and the promise of the King’s returnremains
a strong thread that inspires even in the present. More than this the stories
are so much a part of our psyche that they are essential to our social and
cultural identity.
These stories do not just reflect our culture, they re-create the culture
with every re-telling. And, more and more, we are understanding the inseparability
of our personal and social identities .Works that re-create the beliefs and
attitudes of our culture for a child are powerful agents for shaping our collective
identities, for they generate and disseminate the ideological paradigms by
which individuals constitute themselves” (Kellogg, 1993, p. 65)
Summary:
The stories of King Arthur explore the rise of a boy born to be king. The
details vary as these stories are prone to do, being told and retold many
times, throughout the European continent.
The legend is set in a time when there are many warring factions and England
is divided. The wizard Merlin casts a spell that tricks Igraine into believing
she is with her husband when she is really sleeping with Uther Pendragon.
The son who is born of the union is Arthur. Unaware of his heritage he is
brought up by foster father, Sir Ector. Arthur pulls the sword from the stone
when all the others could not and is therefore proclaimed king. The Lady of
the Lake gives him the wondrous sword Excalibur, when he breaks this original
one fighting Lancelot. Arthur travels the countryside winning many battles
and establishing a united kingdom, ruled from Camelot. He establishes a brotherhood
of knights around the Round Table where no man is greater than another. The
knights pursue the ideal of chivalry where they fight for the rights of the
oppressed. The knights are also constrained by the rules of courtly love.
Arthur marries the young and beautiful Guinevere. Arthur has been tricked
into sleeping with his step sister, Morgan Le Fey (Morganna) a witch. This
sows the seeds of destruction. Guinevere and Lancelot fall in love. Lancelot
is Arthur’s best friend, favoured knight and Guinevere’s champion.
The explosion which follows the discovery of Guinevere’s love is inflamed
by Mordred and causes the beginning of break-up of the Round Table. Arthur
and his knights are sent on a quest for the Holy Grail. His nephew/son, Mordred,
leads a revolt in Camelot. In a final battle, Mordred deals Arthur a mortal
wound though Arthur’s army has won the battle. The dying King Arthur
sails to the island of Avalon with the promise from the Ladies of the Lake
that he will return when his country needs him.
Origin:
The debate as to whether there was a real Arthur, either as a very early
Celtic leader or one in mediaeval times, (Green, 2001, p.1), still rages today
(Ashe, 1999, p.1). Whatever the historical debate, the stories of the legendary
British king are very old.
References to a figure of King Arthur appear as early as late 5th century
AD, and then in 9th Century Welsh literature. In the mid 12th century further
details were added. Walter Map’s prose version appeared in late 12th
century France.(Malcor, 1999, p.1).
Gildas in AD 545; the Welsh poems Godaddin in AD 600; Nennius’ Historia
Brittonum in AD 800; The Annals of Wales AD 960-980 all have fragmentary stories
of King Arthur and his knights. The story grew up in the time between AD 600
and AD 1100. William of Malmesbury wrote “Deeds of the English Kings”
in 1125.However, it is in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings
of Britain written in about 1136 that we hear a more complete chronicle of
the deeds of King Arthur.
Many mediaeval romances dealt with Arthur. The poets, Chretien de Troyes and
Robert de Boron created further stories. The sequence called the Vulgate Cycle,
complete before 1240 tells a completed and well developed story. In England,
Sir Thomas Malory (circa 1460) in his Le Morte d’Arthur, translated
and transformed the earlier stories for his generation. (Hopkins, 1993, p.6-9)
It is this version on which most present day stories are based.
Tennyson's Idylls of the King; and Arnold, Morris and Swinburne in the 19th
century re-tell the story in poetic form (Berry et al, 2000. p.1).
There are thousands of versions of the legends re-told every day in every
media. An Arthuriana Chronology maintained by Dr. Christopher A. Snyder, Associate
Professor of History, Marymount University (1999, p.1) lists a multitude of
books and films and sources.
The original sources of Arthur’s story are lost in the past: the legend
lives today.
Entertainment:
The entertainment value of the legends of King Arthur is indisputable. From
the first, the story captured the minds and hearts of the hearers. The story
of a small child who is strong enough to pull out a sword when older men have
failed is wonderful, appealing to the feeling of powerlessness most children
feel in a world made for “giants.” Combine this great beginning
with the magic of Merlin, the fierce and triumphant battles, the camaraderie
of the Round Table and the wonder of Camelot and we have an obviously winning
combination! Add to this wonder, the tragic love of Guinevere and Lancelot,
the trickery and treachery of Morgan le Fey and Mordred, the magnetism of
the Holy Grail and finish with the promise of the hero’s return and
we have a story that is told and re-told in a myriad of combinations. Here
we have the ingredients of a story that permeates the stories of the Western
World, and enthrals the imagination of adult and child alike.
Moral and Religious Lessons
Children, like adults, do not like to be taught lessons explicitly, but
much can be accomplished incidentally, and with entertainment. Much of the
teaching of myths and legends comes not from overt instruction, but from the
implicit and intrinsic guidance contained in the best stories.
Arthur’s story contains within it many such lessons. We can highlight
many of them for children by re-telling a great story. We learn the lesson
of power not being related to strength or size with the sword from the stone.
We see many working together equally for peace as the Knights of the Round
Table. Arthur’s mistake in sending Lancelot to meet Guinevere, and not
taking his own responsibility is paid for by her infidelity. The tension between
competing claims of friendship and love can be explored.
The lessons of infidelity are many. Tennyson is very definite in “tying
the destruction of Camelot to the Queen's infidelity” (Berry, 2000,
p.1). Although both Igraine and Arthur’s adultery are caused by trickery,
the sins nevertheless bring destruction. The incidents raise questions we
can discuss: If we don’t know we are sinning, is it wrong?
Other lessons centre on the chivalric code that permeates the legends and
the behaviour of Arthur and his knights. Many of the precepts of the chivalric
code are ones we would like children to emulate, with the exception of making
war on the Infidel (and even that has a modern parallel in Afghanistan), we
would endorse these lists or rules for moral conduct wholeheartedly.
From Chivalry by Leon Gautier
Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its
directions.
Thou shalt defend the Church.
Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender
of them.
Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born.
Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary
to the laws of God.
Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good
against Injustice and Evil.
The Code of Chivalry
From the Rifts: England Supplement
Live to serve King and Country.
Live to defend Crown and Country and all it holds dear.
Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor.
Live for freedom, justice and all that is good.
Never attack an unarmed foe.
Never use a weapon on an opponent not equal to the attack.
Never attack from behind.
Avoid lying to your fellow man.
Avoid cheating.
Avoid torture.
Obey the law of king, country, and chivalry.
Administer justice.
Protect the innocent.
Exhibit self control.
Show respect to authority.
Respect women.
Exhibit Courage in word and deed.
Defend the weak and innocent.
Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms.
Crush the monsters that steal our land and rob our people.
Fight with honor.
Avenge the wronged.
Never abandon a friend, ally, or noble cause.
Fight for the ideals of king, country, and chivalry.
Die with valor.
Always keep one's word of honor.
Always maintain one's principles.
Never betray a confidence or comrade.
Avoid deception.
Respect life and freedom.
Die with honor.
Exhibit manners.
Be polite and attentive.
Be respectful of host, women, and honor.
Loyalty to country, King, honor, freedom, and the code of chivalry.
Loyalty to one's friends and those who lay their trust in thee.
(Marshall, 2002, p.1).
Some of the notions of courtly love which were also promulgated by Arthur’s
legend are ones we would also endorse, dealing as they do with such precepts
as to be polite and courteous, not to lie, not be arrogant and such guidance
as ”Good character alone makes any man worthy of love.” (Marshall,
2002, p.1).
The powerful knights who fought so well, believed in these rules. This may
help us to teach those rules to children who hear the stories.
And one of the powerful lessons of Arthur’s time is connected to these
knights. The author of this quote is speaking of T.H White’s novel,
but what he has to say applies to many re-tellings of the story.
“the true subject matter of the saga is not of a great king, nor of
love triangles and betrayal, nor even of a great war, as I had expected. The
Once and Future King is about the immorality and self-destructive nature of
institutionalized force in society.” (Tiggre, 1996, p.1)
Might does not provide the solution to the country’s future, the warlike
knights cannot attain the Holy Grail: it is those who take the path of Christian
love who reach the end of their quest.
But it never is simple: “in the romances as in real life there is a
constant tension between the Christian advocacy of peace and the heroic warrior’s
insistence on the resort to war” (Stone, 1992, p 100).
I feel that Arthur dies not so much because of a wound from a sword, but because
of his knowledge that the knights are no longer brothers. Mordred’s
sword thrust is not so painful as Lancelot’s betrayal and the collapse
of the brotherhood
The overtly religious dimension is contained in much of King Arthur, especially
the influence of stories about the Holy Grail. People cannot find redemption
or forgiveness on their own; they need God’s love for that.
Lancelot “sees the paradox that humanity, good as it is, in itself is
not good enough. It lacks the dimension of the best. And the best cannot be
demanded, cannot be taken by sheer force; for the best comes from that ultimate
ennobling grace, that, as is all grace, a gift of supernatural redemption.”
(Fritscher, 1967, p.1).
Ideas such as these are throughout the story as so many of the versions were
retold by members of the church. Arthur’s world is a religious one where
the concept of God being involved in every decision and everyday life is very
strong. We can talk to students about what difference that might make to every
day life. Did it really make a difference or are people so caught up in their
own wants they are not able to see Christ’s real vision?
Deeper Understandings:
The discernment that scholars have brought to our readings of myths and legends
can give us a background to deepen our understanding and so be more effective
in teaching.
Jung has a psychoanalytic view. He thought “myths are a direct expression
of the collective unconscious” (Fordham, 1966, p. 27). In a series of
collected essays written by Jung and others about Man’s symbols, the
Arthur story provides a rich vein to mine. The hero’s guardian, Merlin,
illustrates a section on archetypal heroes (Henderson, 1964, p. 110) and provides
an example “the wise old man” representation of Self (1964, p.
196, 198). Whereas Jaffe’s discussion on the symbol of the circle can’t
help but remind us of the Round Table as she says the circle “always
points to the single most vital aspect of life — its ultimate wholeness”
(Jaffe, 1964, p240), Von Franz says, “The Grail itself symbolizes the
inner wholeness for which men have always been searching” (1964, p.215)
and is also an image for the Last Supper. No wonder we feel a special fondness
for the Arthur legend with so many symbols of wholeness!!
The symbolism people find in the King Arthur legends is manifold. The Quest
itself of course is a potent symbol that is present from the very beginning.
The quest for dragons to slay and damsels to rescue; and the weightier quest
for the Grail are both images of the journey through life we all take, searching
for our selves and our identity and our souls. The symbol of the Quest has
even been used to describe the way we can transform our schools. (Brown and
Moffett, 1999, p 1):
”The heroic struggle to realize a vision greater than ourselves is as
old as the human species... In reality, the hero's quest is the never-ending
story of all of us, struggling to realize who we are and why we are here.
The quest is a universal journey toward self-realization, mirrored in the
lives of the archetypal figures of myth and legend...”
The Holy Grail on its own is a symbol redolent of many connections. Chris
Thornborrow (1999, p1) discusses; The Cup of Christ: the search for enlightenment
and the divine; the Bloodline of Christ (San Greal) involved in world affairs;
the Celtic Cauldron capable of restoring life; the Emerald of Lucifer which
fell from his crown as he was expelled from heaven; the Philosopher’s
Stone of spiritual oneness; the Grail as knowledge of how to use The Spear
of Destiny and finally the Aquarian or new age Grail which symbolises union
with God on Earth.
The most common interpretation is that of the “religious element of
the quest for the Holy Grail, the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper...whether
or not the chalice actually existed it remains a symbol of purity and love”
(Huck, 1976, p 226).It is this picture we see mostly when we think about the
Holy Grail. The object is out of reach of all except the very good. Even those
who were the best knights were unable to see the Grail, for they were ruled
by might. Their killing power is rejected: the greater good is peace and love.
Feminist discussion of the legends often focuses on the perceived passiveness
of the female characters as contrasted to the more active roles played by
the males.
”the characteristics of Arthurian heroines… she is an instrument
and not an agent: the still point around which the real action (of the male
universe) turns. Her virtues are those universally recommended to medieval
women in real life: chastity, obedience, silence…her chief virtue, however,
is always her beauty” (Fries, 1996, p 64)
However, this is not always the case. The Ladies of the Lake, for example
are especially powerful. (See Matthews, 1992 for a full discussion of one
author’s view of their power.)
Guinevere is not merely passive. Certainly she has a husband chosen for her,
as did all of her contemporaries, but she chooses to take action over her
love for Lancelot when the traditions of courtly love spoke of platonic passion
and later chooses to enter a nunnery when she could have gone with him, even
if it is an “male-inspired” heroic mould that she follows (Fries,
1996, p 66).
In fact, you could say Arthur is just as passive. Merlin arranges his birth,
fostering and the sword in the stone. Morgan le Fey arranges his adultery.
Guinevere and Lancelot betray him. The law has more power than he. His attempts
to save Guinevere bring down a kingdom. The collapse of Camelot happens around
him. But this is in the heroic mould. The hero’s weakness leads to his
own downfall. This is a common part of the hero cycle (Dominguez, 2000 p 1).
The symbolism that has been created by the Arthur story has infiltrated much
of our world view. The sword in the stone as the sign of power beyond strength;
the sign of the Round Table as wholeness and democracy; the Holy Grail as
attainable but elusive holiness: these symbols that many recognize. Some of
the code of chivalry has come down to us; but the concepts of courtly love
have infiltrated the ideas of Western romantic love in ways that influence
our relationships (whether for bad or good) even today. “It has overwhelmed
our collective psyche and permanently altered our view of the world”
(Johnson, 1983, p. xiv) The leader who unites and the King who will come when
he is needed in the time of trial is also a potent symbol of expectation,
perhaps less believed in than hoped for.
Conclusion:
The legend of King Arthur is a compelling group of stories which enable us
to entertain and engross children. The power of the stories is incredible,
touching as it does the deepest longings and highest striving. From the depths
of despair to the heights of hope, we thrill to tales that echo the yearnings
of our hearts. With such material we cannot fail to find lessons to teach.
References
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