Characters Source 1
King Arthur and
Merlin
King Arthur- Legendary King who draws the sword from the
stone and unites Britain under his brief rule of peace.
Merlin- A great enchanter who helps Arthur come to the throne.
Knights
Sir Lancelot- Son of King Pant of Gwynedd, foster-son of Lady
Nimue, and greatest knight of the Round Table. His only flaw is a
fatal passion for Queen Guinevere.
Sir Mordred- traitorous son of Queen Morgana le Fay
Queens and Ladies
Queen Guinevere- Arthur’s queen and daughter of King
Leodegraunce, one of Arthur’s vassals
The Lady of the Lake- mystical figure that gives Arthur his great
sword Excalibur and, at the end of his life, enchants Merlin into
an eternal sleep.
Queen Morgana le Fay- Arthur’s half-sister and wife of Sir
Urience. She tries to overthrow Arthur many times with her
dark arts.
Info 2 People and Things
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He became king by pulling the sword out of the stone
King Arthur was King Uther’s only son
King Arthur married Guinevere
After defeating Emperor Lucius, King Arthur became
emperor
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Arthur killed Morderd, but was majorly wounded
Some say he never died
Carleon
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Carleon was the chief city
It was where King Arthur was crowned
2 churches
200 scholars that had skills in art, astrology and prediction
It is said that the round table once stood there
The Round Table
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The round table was a gift from Guinevere’s dad
Where King Arthur and his knights sit
Could sit 1600 men
It was 18 feet across, 3 feet thick, 1.25 tons and made of oak
Excalibur
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Given to Arthur by Lady of the Lake
When King Arthur last battle was over he told one of his
knights to return it to the lake
King Arthur
Source 3
Effects on Society
True or False
Knights
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They have changed our thoughts about knight in shining
armor
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They story helped us create the love triangle
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No it is not but there might have been a someone important
named Arthur in British History but he was probably a
military leader
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In that period in History there is no such thing as knights in
shining amour, knights were intortudesed much later
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Arthur is identified as a legendary king
Many different types of people have interoperated Arthurian
Legend
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King Arthur and his knights will always be figures of fantasy,
and Arthurian legend should be appreciated for what it is: a
large and unique body of wonderful early European
literature.
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The image of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
appeals to the imagination and has become an accepted one,
if only in literature and legend.
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Medieval knights were usually of noble birth
Knights were formed into religious or other 'Orders of
Chivalry' - like the Round Table
Round Table
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The consensus is that Merlin the Wizard created the
legendary Round Table - in a shape symbolising the
roundness of the universe - for Uther Pendragon, Arthur's
father. When Uther died, it passed to Guinevere's father, King
Laudegraunce, and then to King Arthur when he married
Guinevere. Real or symbolic, the Round Table for the
fellowship of knights has remained a powerful and appealing
concept for several hundreds of years.
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The Sangreal is another name for the Holy Grail, a legendary
sacred vessel associated with divine revelation, whose
origins go back to the Last Supper. In Arthurian legend, the
Grail quest represented a heroic and mystic adventure
attempted by the Knights of the Round Table and was
achieved by Sir Bors, Sir Percival, and Sir Galahad.
Holy Grail
Source 4 History
History
When Roman troops got pulled out of Brittan in AD
410, and the Roman government lost power the kings
fought for the land. In 449 King Vortigern invited the
Saxons and the Angles to settle in Brittan, but
Vortigern was betrayed when the Angles and Saxons
killed 460 of the kings knights. This was called the
Night of the Long Knives. When Ambrosius Aurelianus
became king he consulted Merlin, a wizard, to help
him select an appropriate monument for the dead
men. Merlin said the King’s Ring, which was in
Ireland. The King’s Ring was taken apart and brought
to Brittan. The King’s brother, Uther (Arthurs Father)
lead an expedition to bring the stones to Brittan.
Merlin uses his magic to put the stones back together.
Uther later becomes king and marries Igraine. But
Merlin had to help him win Igraine over, because she
was already married. They had Arthur. When Arthur
was still a child a civil war broke out and his father
was killed. Arthur was taken away and many years
later drew the sword from the stone and became
king. The sword Excalibur was his second sword. It
was made just for him and was given to him by the
lady of the lake. Arthur has three half-sisters. Arthur
falls in love Morgan le Fay (not knowing she was his
half-sister), and has a son named Mordred. When he
found out that his wife was his half-sister he was
horrified. He fell in love again to Lady Guinevere and
marries her. In Camelot the knights practiced chivalry
and had feats of heroism. Unfortunately, Guinevere
betrays Arthur with his knight Sir Lancelot. Arthur's
son, Mordred, discovers Guinevere and Lancelot and
brings the news to his father. Arthur must condemn
Guinevere to death, but at the last minute Sir
Lancelot saves her. Arthur chases them to France,
and in the meantime Mordred claims Arthur's throne.
Source 5
Legend
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Arthur was the first-born son of King Uther Pendragon and heir to the
throne. However these were very troubled times and Merlin, a wise
magician, advised that the baby Arthur should be raised in a secret place
and that none should know his true identity.
As Merlin feared, when King Uther died there was great conflict over who
should be the next king. Merlin used his magic to set a sword in a stone.
Written on the sword, in letters of gold, were these words: "Whoso pulleth
out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England." Of
course all the contenders for the throne took their turn at trying to draw
the sword, but none could succeed. Arthur, quite by chance, withdrew the
sword for another to use in a tournament. Following this he became King.
He gathered Knights around him and fought back against the Saxons who,
since the Romans left Britain, were slowly but surely taking the country
over. After many great battles and a huge victory at Mount Badon the
Saxons' advance was halted. Arthur’s base was at a place called Camelot.
Here he built a strong castle. His knights met at a Round Table. They
carried out acts of chivalry such as rescuing damsels in distress and fought
against strange beasts. They also searched for a lost treasure, which they
believed would cure all ills - this was the 'Quest for the Holy Grail'.
Under the guidance of Merlin, Arthur had obtained a magical sword from
The Lady Of The Lake. This sword was called 'Excalibur" and with this
weapon he vanquished many foes. Queen Guinevere, Arthur's beautiful
wife brought romance to the story while his equally beautiful half sister
Morgan le Fay added a dark side. Unfortunately, as peace settled over
the country things turned sour within the court of Camelot and civil war
broke out. In the final battle at Camlan both Arthur and Mordred, Arthur's
traitorous nephew, were mortally wounded. Arthur was set upon a boat
and floated down river to the isle of Avalon. Here his wounds were treated
by three mysterious maidens. His body was never found and many say that
he rests under a hill with all his knights - ready to ride forth and save the
country again.
Camelot
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The place name 'Camelot' does not occur in early versions of the story of
Arthur. However, Geoffrey of Monmouth (1133AD) tells how Arthur held
court at 'The City Of The Legions' and leaves us in little doubt that this was
Caerleon. Certainly Caerleon would have been a most impressive location
for Arthur to hold court for important rulers, with its splendid roman
remains. Equally, we can be sure that only a professional army could
defend the Roman fortress ruins. If Caerleon was more than just a meeting
place for Arthur we must look to the surrounding hilltops for the location
of his 'castle'. Sure enough such a site exists less than a mile North of the
village - a fortification known as 'Belinstocke'.
Caxton, in his preface to one of the first printed books (Le Morte d'Arthur),
refers to Camelot being in Wales and describes the ruins of a city which
sounds very much like Caerleon, "in Camelot, the great stones and the
marvelous works of iron lying underground, and the royal vaults which
many now living have seen." The author of this book (Mallory 1485)
however locates Camelot at Winchester. He does though make many
references to Caerleon, including stating that this is where Arthur's
coronation took place.
Cadbury Castle in Somerset has long been associated with the legend of
Arthur and there are good reasons for supposing that this could be the
location of Camelot. Coins minted on the site in the eleventh century are
marked 'CADANBYRIC' which does sound much like 'Cadbury'. Excavations
by Leslie Alcock revealed that the ancient site was massively refortified
around the year 500AD by a leader of great wealth and power - Arthur
maybe?
Opinions
Opinions
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King Arthur and the Knights of the Round
Table is the most powerful story
EQ’s
Research Question: What are the different components and why are they
important?
Knowledge:
Who was King Arthur?
A legendary king who pulled the sword from the stone.
Where did the Legend take place?
Camelot. England
When did the Legend take place?
The 550’s AD
Why did he become king?
He pulled the sword from the stone.
What was Avalon?
A legendary land of mystery.
Who were the Saxons?
The people who King Arthur wanted to drive out of Britain.
Who is Merlin?
An enchanter that helps raises King Arthur.
What were the gifts that the people of Avalon gave Arthur?
To live longer than anyone will ever know, to be the strongest knight, and
the best king of Britain.
Who were Arthur’s wife, and the best of his knight?
Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot.
Who were Arthur’s half sister and nephew?
Morgana Le Fay, and Morderd.
Comprehension EQ’s
Compare King Arthur to King George.
King Arthur is to fiction as King George is to fact.
King Arthur is to 550 A.D. as King George is to 1700 and 1800.
Match the different elements to character.
Characters to all characters.
Royalty to King Arthur and Queen Quenivere.
Magic to Merlin.
Why was King Arthur taken to Avalon.
When he was young his father died and he had no mother so Merlin took him
away to Avalon because that is where Merlin lives.
Who put the sword in the stone and did he know Arthur was going to pull it
out?
Merlin put the sword in the stone and yes he knew that Arthur was going to
pull it out.
Application EQ’s
Show what Camolot might have looked like.
Choose what you think is the most important element.
Magic
What question do you think other people have when they first hear the name
King Arthur?
Is he real?
What solution do you think there is about if King Arthur is real or not?
A solution is that he was not a real king. But there is some truth to it. So
that why they both know they were partly right, but also people who want to
know have a easy solution for finding out.
Analysis EQ’s
By surveying people what is the most important element in the King Arthur
story?
Magic
For each element what percent of the class thinks it is the most important?
Royalty- 36.84%
Magic- 42.11%
Characters- 21.05%
Synthesis
Create a web showing all the different things Merlin has influenced.
Web is in binder.
Write the story as if Guinevere was never part of it.
Product. In binder
Develop a power point talking about the different elements.
In binder.
Evaluation EQ
How would our world be different in there was never King Arthur?
If there were never a King Arthur we would not have the love triangle. King
Arthur has shaped our prospective on knights in shining amour. It has
influenced us so much. We would not have fairytales where a knight is
shining amour comes and saves the girl, or the evil villain who uses he
magic to try to hurt the princess. It has changed the world so much. We
should really thank the legend because with it we would not have the same
world.