INTO THE WORLD OF
BOOKS - LITERATURE
MS30214 Euijung Lee
MS30215 Jungwon Lee
MS30231 Hyunsoo Kim
MS30232 Junghyun Sung
• A literature presentation
• Delving into the theme of…
GREEK TRAGEDY
MEDIEVAL
ROMANCE
“ANTIGIONE”
Jungwon
&
Euijung
“The Crowning of
Arthur”
Hyunsoo
“Sir Lancelot du Lake”
Euijung
“The Acts of King
Arthur and his noble
knights”
Euijung
“Don Quixote”
Junghyun
“Man of La Mancha”
Junghyun
BASIC BACKGROUND
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Ancient Greek
Temples, gods, marble, theatres…
Greek plays – tragedies and comedies
Arose from Athens in religious rituals and
ceremonies, honouring the gods and their might
over the mortal world
• Human weaknesses, virtues…
• FATE
BASIC BACKGROUND
• Medieval Europe (post-Roman, Byzantine)
• Castles, wars, knights
• During the medieval era, mythical elements
such as magic and dragons influenced the
literature of the time, turning to supernatural
themes
• CHIVALRY
ANALYSIS WORKSHOP
• TRAGIC DRAMA of the downfall of a PROTAGONIST
• TRAGEDY – The downfall of a dignified, superior main
character
• Explored subjects such as suffering and duty, in order to
identify human relationships to the gods and their power
• Subjects of myth and legends
• Central belief – FATE
The Greeks believed in a predetermined path from the
gods in everyone, under whatever circumstances
Tragic Hero
The PROTAGONIST
Faces and accepts his/her
downfall
Tragic Flaw
ERROR or FLAW in the protagonist
that ultimately leads to his/her demise
Is noticed, but by then is far too late
Catastrophe
DISASTROUS
CONCLUSION
Death or complete fall of
protagonist
Observers and responders
on the play
Chorus
The Chorus – a group of usually 15 people that sing and
comment on the events of the plot or the actions of the
characters, providing insights and reflections on the play.
The chorus wore masks as the actors did. They sing and
dance to the music, communicating beliefs and virtues of
the common Athenian. The leader is called the choragus,
who occasionally participates in the dialogue as well.
The Actors – men, wear costumes and masks to identify
character, changed attire for different characters.
• The Greek theatre
ANALYSIS WORKSHOP
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ROMANCE of “Knights in shining armour”
ROMANCE – love, exotic places, fantastic characters…
First appeared through Medieval French literature
Honour, Medieval beliefs, Christian ideas
• Central belief – CHIVALRY
People of the Medieval Era believed in chivalry, a
concept of honour and dignity among esteemed people
such as knights
ROMANCE HERO
Knight of superhuman strength,
virtue, intelligence and abilities
Follows the code of chivalry
QUEST
A difficult journey motivated by
love, religion or adventure. The hero
must overcome the obstacles to
prove his worth
EXOTIC SETTING
Imaginary kingdoms with magic,
enchantments and creatures
SUPERNATURAL
Magicians, mysterious evil, foretell
of the future etc.
HIDDEN
IDENTITIES
EPISODIC
STRUCTURE
Unaware of each others’ true
identities
Revealed at climax
Not under tight structure;
One adventure to next
Antigone
MS30214 Euijung Lee
MS30215 Jungwon Lee
• Born few years before the
marathon
• One of three Greek
Tragedians
• Wrote`123 plays but
survives only 7
• The starting point of
addition of a third actor
• deeper development of
characters than earlier
period
• First prize in Dionysia
theatre competition beating
Aeschylus
• DIED at the age of 90 or 91
in the winter of 406/5 BC
Tragic Hero: Antigone
Tragic Flaw: Creon’s decision to neglect the corpse of Polyneices
Catastrophe: Antigone kill herself and because of that Haemon and
Ismene suicides. In the end, the wife of Creon, Eurydice, also kills herself
because of the shock from her son’s death
Setting
Place : Palace of Cre
on, king of Thebes
Time : Dawn of the d
ay after the edict of k
ing Creon
Summary
Antigone buries her slain brother, contravening the decree of her u
ncle, king creon. When he learns of her action, his rage leads him t
o bury her alive, despite the pleas of his son, antigone's fiance.
After a warning from the seer teiresias, the king repents, but he's t
oo late to prevent the suicides of antigone, his son, and his wife.
Characters
Antigone - Tragic heroine of the play. In the first mome
nts of the play, Antigone is opposed to her radiant sister I
smene. Unlike her beautiful and docile sister, Antigone is
sallow and recalcitrant.
Characters
Ismene - Blonde, radiantly beautiful, laughing, and talka
tive Ismene is the good girl of the family. She is reasonab
le and understands her place. She bows to Creon's edict
and attempt to dissuade Antigone from her act of rebellio
n.
Characters
Creon - Antigone's uncle. Creon is powerfully built,
but a weary and wrinkled man suffering the burdens o
f rule. He firmly distances himself from the tragic aspi
rations of Oedipus and his line. As he tells Antigone, h
is only interest is in political and social order.
Characters
Haemon - Antigone's young fiance and son to Creon. Haemon a
ppears twice in the play. In the first, he is rejected by Antigone;
secondly, he begs his father for Antigone's life. He refuses the h
appiness that Creon offers him and follows Antigone to a tragic
demise.
Characters
Eurydice - Creon's kind, knitting wife whose only funct
ion, as the Chorus declares, is to knit in her room until it
is her time to die. Her suicide is Creon's last punishment
. This left him entirely alone.
Characters
Chorus - The Chorus appears as narrator and commentator.
The Chorus frames the play with introducing about the actio
ns and characters under the sign of fatality. The Chorus also
attempts to intercede throughout the whole play, whether on
the behalf of the Theban people or the horrified spectators.
Play
• Prologue
• Antigone tries to persuade Ismene
Plot Diagram
Climax
Creon is slow to act on Teiresias' warnin
g
Falling action
1. Creon reconsiders his dec
ree
2. Creon buries Polyneices
3. Creon goes to free Antigo
Rising action
ne
1. Creon decrees that Polyneices shall not be b
uried
2. Antigone declares decision to bury Polyneic
Resolution
es
Messenger reports death
3. Antigone caught, appears before Creon
of Antigone and Haemon
4. Haemon Pleads for Antigone
5. Antigone put in valut
Vocabularies
 Auspicious : adj. promising success; favorable
 Anarchist : n. a person favoring the overthrow of government
 Contempt : n. an attitude of regarding sbd or sth as worthless
or inferior
 Defile : v. to make dirty, unclean, or impure
 Impassively : adv. in a way that shows no emotion or feeling
 Insolence : n. rudeness and disrespect
 Lamentation : n. an expression of grief
 Perverse : adj. willfully determined to go against what is expec
ted or desired
 Reverence : n. awe and respect
 Sate : v. to satisfy fully
 Sententiously : adv. in a pompous, moralizing manner
 Transgress : v. to violate or break a law, command, or moral c
ode
Thank you, and the next is king
Arthur, HYUNSOO KIM!!!
with EuiJeong Lee
MEDIEVAL ROMANCE
the King Arthur stories
“The Crowning of Arthur”
“Sir Lancelot du Lake”
“The Acts of King Arthur and his
noble knights”
King Arthur???
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Legendary King and Knight of England
The Celts ruled England during the time
Son of King Uther Pendragon
Claimed heir as taking out a magic sword
from a stone
Reigned as king in Camelot
Married to Lady Guinevere
The Round Table
The Holy Grail
Excalibur
From Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur” (the
Death of Arthur in French)
Author Analysis
Sir Thomas Malory
 English knight (1405? ~ 1471)
 Fought in the Hundred Years’ War
 After the end of the war, accused of highway robbery and
murder, imprisoned many times
 Rebelled against Edward IV in War of the Roses, failed
 Imprisoned for life in London Newgate Prison, wrote “Le
Morte d’Arthur” there.
 Said to have added a prayer for his release after the
completion of “Le Morte d’Arthur” in 1469 or 1470
Characters
King Uther Pendragon – King of Britain and father of Arthur.
Falls in love with Lady Igraine and conflicts with the Duke
of Tintagil over her. He took Merlin in as his advisor, and
put his son under the care of Sir Ector after his death.
Lady Igraine – wife of the Duke of Tintagil and Arthur’s
mother. She is a beautiful, faithful woman to her husband
the Duke, but after bearing King Uther’s child and the
Duke’s death, she turns her marital allegiance to the King.
Merlin the Prophet – the magician that advises King Uther.
He arranges almost all of the King’s plans and actions, and
using his magical abilities, make them completely flawless.
He disguises as a beggar when he needs to avoid attention.
Arthur – son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine, and the rightful heir
to the throne of Britain. He was brought up by Sir Ector,
oblivious to the fact he was of royal blood. After taking the sword
out of the stone he realized this, and he proved himself and
honourable, dignified young man fit as the new king.
Sir Ector – brought up Arthur under the request of the King.
He and his wife brought him up as his own son.
Sir Kay – Sir Ector’s real son. He left his sword for the
tournament over the throne, so he sends Arthur to fetch it
for him. During this, Arthur discovers the fateful sword in
the stone.
Duke of Tintagil – original husband of Lady Igraine. He
battles against King Uther over his wife, and continuously
remains loyal to his wife. He is later killed during a surprise
attack on the King.
Sir Ulfius – friend and co-operator of King Uther. He finds
Merlin for King Uther and aids in the King’s causes.
Archbishop of Canterbury – proclaims the sword in the
stone and the true heir to the throne. Later crowns Arthur
king.
PLOT
 King Uther falls in love with Lady Igraine, so he battles the Duke of
Tintagil
 Igraine denies Uther’s request
 Ulfius finds and brings Merlin to Uther, to whom he asks to help him claim
Igraine. Merlin agrees at the exchange of the arrangement on how the child
of Uther and Igraine’s will be brought up
 Merlin uses his magic to change Uther’s form into the Duke, and arranges
him to enter Igraine’s castle and earn her. The Duke himself died three
hours before this.
 Igraine, widowed, becomes married officially to Uther. When Igraine was
ashamed of bearing another’s child, Uther reveals that he is the father of
that child.
 Arthur is born, and Merlin takes him to the care of Sir Ector, there to be
brought up until the time has come. Uther faces a series of invasions, and
under Merlin’s guidance, he crushes them all.
 Uther falls sick, and facing death, he announces his son Arthur as the
rightful heir to the throne after him.
 The Archbishop reveals on Christmas Day a sword stuck in an anvil upon a
stone, and the legend arousing it.
 “Whoso pulleth oute this swerd of this stone and anvyld is rightwys kynge
borne of all Brytaygne”
 Many have tried but failed, so the knights and nobles arrange a tournament
to win the succession. Sir Ector and his son Sir Kay join in the tournament.
 Kay has left his sword in their lodging, so he asks Arthur to retrieve
it for him. Arthur finds the lodging locked for the tournament, when
he notices the sword, unguarded at the time, in the stone.
 Unknowing of the legend, he pulls out the sword with ease and gives
it to Kay. Ector notices this and Kay at first tells that he is the
rightful heir. He soon admits that Arthur has pulled it out.
 Arthur makes a second demonstration in front of the suspicious and
disbelieving nobles, who refuse an ordinary, young boy take their
prize.
 After a series of failed tournaments, the nobles finally give in and
beg Arthur for forgiveness. Arthur, a dignified and chivalric young
man, forgives them and is crowned King, with Kay as his Royal
Senschal from the request of his foster father Ector.
ROMANCE HERO
Arthur – chosen one to pull out sword,
dignified and forgiving.
King Uther – esteemed king of Britain,
faithful to only one woman
QUEST
Uther’s quest for love – King Uther
endeavours to earn Igraine and have her
as his wife
EXOTIC SETTING
An imaginary version of Britain
SUPERNATURAL
Merlin’s impersonation magic, the
sword of the stone, prophecies
HIDDEN
IDENTITIES
EPISODIC
STRUCTURE
Igraine did not know the father of her
child (Uther);
Arthur was hidden as the true heir
One adventure to next –
Naturally flows from Uther’s episode to
Arthur’s story chronologically
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A match between Sir Tarquine and Launcelot
Morgan le Fay & 3 other queens
Sir Belleus
Tournament (line 170~212)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Romance Hero: Sir Launcelot
A Quest: Sets out for adventure (Line 7~10)
Exotic Setting: Castle of Sir Tarquine (Line 36~42)
Supernatural Elements: Spells [Instead, I will cast a spell over him(Line
74~75)]
5. Hidden Identities: Launcelot accidentally wounds Sir Belleus (Line
138~140)
6. Episodic Structure: Escape from Morgan le Fay => Conflict between Sir
Tarquine
conflict