Legend: anonymous traditional stories
that reflect the attitudes and values of
the society that created them
 You may remember the story about the
(Sword in the Stone, Merlin’s Magic,
Excalibur)

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.
Chivalry
Love
Total
Devotion
Adventures
Medieval
Romance
Supernatural
Kings
(setting/qualities)
Damsels
in
Distress
Do we see this happening today?
Code of Chivalry
• Started from the 12th century – Medievel /Middle
Ages
•Medieval literature glorifies the valor, tactics and
ideals of ancient Romans.
• Understood to be a way of living among the
knights who protected the King’s people or
commoners
• Knighthood Ceremonies: Knights took sacred
oaths and made vows
Feudalism
Feudalism was
a set of legal
and military
customs in
medieval
Europe that
flourished
between the
ninth and
fifteenth
centuries
•The Arthurian legend revolves around the
Code of Chivalry which was adhered to by
the Knights of the Round Table.
• Restricted to nobility, The Medieval knight was
bound to the chivalric code to be loyal to God,
his lord, & his lady
* It was a moral, religious, and social code of
knightly conduct that went beyond combat.
• The codes would emphasize qualities idealized
by knighthood, such as loyalty, bravery/valor,
courtesy, honor, honesty, and gallantry toward
women.
•Sir Gawain is an example

Foreshadow (n): hints of what is to
come in a story or play
 Symbolism (n): The practice of
representing things by means of
symbols or of attributing symbolic
meanings or significance to objects
 Alliteration (n): a pattern of sound that
includes the repetition of consonant
sounds.

Irony (n): the use of words to convey a
meaning that is the opposite of its
literal meaning: the irony of her reply
› 2 types of irony
› Situational Irony: involving a situation in which
actions have an effect that is opposite from
what was intended, so that the outcome is
contrary to what was expected. (ex: the knight
is polite when we expect him to be mean )
› Dramatic irony: the audience knows
something that characters do not (keeps us
engaged) (ex: Sir Gawain is dishonorable by
lying to King Birtalik)






chivalry (n): bravery and courtesy; Medieval
system of knighthood
righteous (adj): just; virtuous; good; honest
largesse (n): gift; donation
feigned (v): pretended
entreated (v): ask earnestly; pleaded
peril (n): Exposure to harm or injury
Copy the questions and answer the following
1. On a date a man should always pay for the
woman. Agree or Disagree. Explain.
2. A man should always confront another man for
hitting on his girlfriend. Agree or Disagree.
Explain.
3. A man should always protect his woman, even if
it means impending doom or death. For
example; a bear attack. Agree or Disagree.
Explain.
4. It is always the man that must pursue the woman.
Agree or Disagree. Explain.