Sir Thomas Malory
Life
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Soldier
Loyalist
Rebel
Criminal
Fugitive
Life
• Born ~1403-1413
• 1445 Member of Parliament in
Warwickshire
• 1462 Campaigned in Northumbria w/ Earl
of Warwick
15th Century
• Wars of the Roses (1455-1487)
– York (white rose)
– Lancaster (red rose)
– Over throne of England
• Earl of Warwick sided with Lancaster
– Malory probably went with him
Imprisonment
• 1450-51 charged with
– ambushing and attempted murder of Duke of
Buckingham
– stealing from abbey of Blessed Mary of
Coombe
– insulting the abbot
– stole property and raped wife of Hugh Smyth
– cattle raiding
– extortion
Imprisonment
• Imprisoned 8 times
– escaped on 27 July 1451
– escaped in October, 1454
• Probably died in prison
– 14 March 1471
– wrote Le Morte d’Arthur in prison
Le Morte Darthur
• Printed by William Caxton in 1485
• Was only edition known until 20th century
• Winchester Manuscript discovered in 1934
– seems to be closer to Malory’s text
– illustrates Caxton’s edits
Winchester Manuscript
IN Arthurs dayes whan he helde þe
Rounde table moste plenou
re hit fortuned the kynge
commaunded that þe hy3e feste of
Pen
tecoste sholde be holden at a cite and
a castell In tho dayes that
was called Kynke Kenadonne vppon
þe sondys þat marched ny3e wa
lys
Caxton
Whan Arthur held his round table moost ple//
nour/ it fortuned that he commaunded that the
hyhe feest of Pentecost shold be holden at a cy
te and a Castel the whiche in tho dayes was
called kynke kenadonne vpon the sondes that
marched nyghe walys
King Arthur
And the Knights of the Round Table
Sir Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory
• Ca. 1405-1471
• Arrested in 1451 for a variety of criminal acts
including brawling, escaping from prison,
plundering the Abbey of Combe, extorting money,
and committing rape.
• Strong evidence exists, then, that the book from
which Arthurian legends were passed to the world
was written in prison by a man whose violent
career is at odds with the chivalric ideals he
professes.
Morte Darthur
• The title given by printer William Caxton to Sir
Thomas Malory’s work about the legendary King
Arthur
• Described in the preface as “the noble histories of
King Arthur and of certain of his knights.”
• Translated by Malory from a series of long prose
romances in French.
• Although somewhat historical, the Arthurian
world is strictly fiction.
• Malory’s style is terse and direct; he and
his characters are masters of
understatement.
• Although professedly dedicated to the
service of women, Malory’s chivalry is
primarily devoted to the fellowship and
competitions of aristocratic men.
• A code of honor is cherished in which men
win or lose “worship” through their actions
in war or love. (Lancelot)
Background
• The volume
begins with the
mythical story of
Arthur’s birth.
• The majority of
the work records
the separate
adventures of the
knights of the
Round Table.
• The volume ends with the
destruction of the Round
Table and the deaths of
Arthur, Queen Guinevere,
and Sir Lancelot.
• Malory loves the idea of
chivalry, yet Lancelot’s
“worship” is
compromised by his fatal
liaison with Arthur’s
queen. He is then torn
between his loyalties to
Arthur, as his king, and
his lady.
Sources
• Alliterative Morte Arthur (14th c)
– Tale of King Arthur
• Various French works
– prose Arthurian cycle (including Lancelot)
• Stanzaic Morte Arthur