The Story of King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary king of Britons, who led Celtic resistance against the invading Saxons. There are numerous stories which describe the exploits of Arthur, his Knights of the Round Table, and the search for the Holy Grail. These stories are still popular and King Arthur is regarded as a folk hero. The legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table is the most powerful and enduring in the western world.
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According to legend, Arthur became king of the Britons when he was only a boy. He was the son of King Uther Pendragon of Britain. When King Uther died, all the knights went to Church to pray that God would help them find a new king. As they left the church, they saw a huge stone in the churchyard. An anvil was on top of the stone, and a sword was stuck fast in the anvil. Golden letters on the sword said that whoever could pull out the sword would be king. All the knights tried to pull it out, but no one could move it.
Months later, the knights were having a tournament. But Sir Kay, one of the knights, forgot to bring his sword. So he sent Arthur, his squire, home to get it. When Arthur could not find it, he pulled out the sword in the anvil instead and brought it to Sir Kay. At first the knights did not want to have a king who was only a boy. But Arthur had pulled out the sword and so he became king.
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| http://www.all-wallpapers.net/wallpapers/2012/12/Stones-Excalibur-Fantasy-Art-Artwork-Swords-1536x2048.jpg |
Later Arthur married Guinevere, the daughter of the king of Carmalide. He had helped her father to defeat the Irish. Arthur and Guinevere lived in a castle at Camelot, where the bravest knights also stayed. Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world.
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| Guinevere by Henry Justice Fordc.1910 |
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| Gustave Doré’s illustration of Camelot from “Idylls of the King”, 1868. |
All the knights had places around the Round Table, which had been made by Merlin, the magician, Arthur’s tutor and advisor. Because the table was round, there was no head and no foot and all the knights were equal.
The most famous knights were Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Tristan, Sir Galahad, and Sir Percival. The knights rode out from Camelot on horseback to their many adventures. They killed wicked knights and saved many beautiful ladies. They have superhuman strength and abilities, and consort with giants and other mythological creatures. Sir Lancelot was the strongest knight of all. No one was able to defeat him. Sir Galahad, his son, was the purest knight. He was allowed to see the Holy Grail.
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| King Arthur presides at the Round Table with all of his Knights. |
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| The Enchanter Merlin, by Howard Pyle from The Story of King Arthur and His Knights. (1903) |
The most famous knights were Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Tristan, Sir Galahad, and Sir Percival. The knights rode out from Camelot on horseback to their many adventures. They killed wicked knights and saved many beautiful ladies. They have superhuman strength and abilities, and consort with giants and other mythological creatures. Sir Lancelot was the strongest knight of all. No one was able to defeat him. Sir Galahad, his son, was the purest knight. He was allowed to see the Holy Grail.
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| Sir Lancelot |
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| Sir Gawaine |
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| Sir Tristram |
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| Sir Galahad |
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| Sir Percival |
King Arthur was killed by his nephew, Sir Mordred, who rebelled against him. The two armies met at a place called Camlan, and Mordred was defeated. But as Mordred was dying, he struck Arthur over the head with his sword. Arthur knew that he was dying too. He gave his magic sword, called Excalibur, to Sir Bedivere. Arthur had been given this sword by the Lady of the Lake and promised to return it when he died. He told Sir Bedivere to throw the sword into the lake beside the battlefield and then return and tell him what he had seen. But Sir Bedivere didn’t want to throw away such a beautiful sword, and hid it. On returning he told Arthur that he had thrown the sword into the lake and had seen it fall into the water. Arthur did not believe him and sent him back. Again Bedivere could not bring himself to throw away the sword, and an enraged King Arthur sent him for a third time back to the lake. This time Bedivere threw the sword as far as he could out onto the water. A hand came out of the lake, waved the sword three times in the air, and pulled it below the surface. Bedivere was able to tell Arthur this, at which he died peacefully.
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| How Sir Bedivere Cast the Sword Excalibur into the Water, by Aubrey Beardsley (1894) |
Arthur was carried away on a boat by three fairy queens in black hoods. They carried him away to the magic island of Avalon. Many legends around the country attest to Arthur's immortality. He is said to be sleeping in one of numerous caves waiting to return and lead his people. Because of the belief that he will return, he is sometimes called "the once and future king".
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| La Mort d'Arthur (The Death of King Arthur) by James Archer (19th century) |
The legends of Arthur may have originated with and actual chieftain named Arthur who lived in Wales in the 6th century, but the many retellings have taken the story far away from its original place and time. According another version, a prototype of King Arthur was Artorius Castus, a Roman cavalry officer, the son of a Roman father and a Celtic mother, who commands a unit of Sarmatian auxiliary cavalry in Britain at the close of the Roman occupation in 467 A.D.
No one knows the identity of the real King Arthur, but in British culture he is regarded as a hero who is the epitome of good against evil, light against darkness, and that eternal, never-ending struggle between what is right and that which is wrong.
The best-known works on Arthur are the 15th century book Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, and the 19th century series of poems Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
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| Statue of King Arthur,Hofkirche, Innsbruck, designed by Albrecht Dürer and cast by Peter Vischer the Elder, 1520s |
The best-known works on Arthur are the 15th century book Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, and the 19th century series of poems Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
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| Gustave Doré's illustration of Arthur and Merlin for Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King, 1868 |
Sources:
1. The Story of King Arthur. Children’s
Britannica, 1995.
2. Томахин, Г.Д. Великобритания: Лингвострановедческий словарь. / Г.Д. Томахин - М.: ООО "Издательство Астрель", 2001. - 336 с.
You can see different films and series about King Arthur. There are some of them:
Merlin
It is a British fantasy-adventure television programme. It
was broadcast on BBC One from 20 September 2008 to 24 December 2012.
Here Arthur appears as a king, who is willing to give his life up to his people. He is smart and brave, and he is ready to die for his ideals. In this series Camelot is a strong and inaccessible castle. Kingdoms around accept power of Camelot and want to kill Arthur and his knights to occupy Camelot. Merlin appears as a young servant who has incredible magical power. But Arthur doesn’t know about his power, and magic isn’t allowed in Camelot. Merlin all the time saves Arthur’s life using his magic and risking his life. The knights of Camelot are the best knights in whole Britain. As Arthur they are ready to give their lives up to people.
Here Arthur appears as a king, who is willing to give his life up to his people. He is smart and brave, and he is ready to die for his ideals. In this series Camelot is a strong and inaccessible castle. Kingdoms around accept power of Camelot and want to kill Arthur and his knights to occupy Camelot. Merlin appears as a young servant who has incredible magical power. But Arthur doesn’t know about his power, and magic isn’t allowed in Camelot. Merlin all the time saves Arthur’s life using his magic and risking his life. The knights of Camelot are the best knights in whole Britain. As Arthur they are ready to give their lives up to people.
The Sword in the Stone
Arthur (aka Wart) is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for Wart beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give Wart an education (whatever that is), believing that once one has an education, one can go anywhere. Needless to say, it doesn't quite work out that way.
Written by Tim Pickett <quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au>
Written by Tim Pickett <quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au>
King Arthur
Based on a more realistic portrayal of "Arthur" than has ever been presented onscreen. The film will focus on the history and politics of the period during which Arthur ruled -- when the Roman empire collapsed and skirmishes over power broke out in outlying countries - as opposed to the mystical elements of the tale on which past Arthur films have focused.