King Arthur: Historical Roots and Literary Evolution
Historical and Literary Sources of King Arthur
The town from which the legend of Arthur originates is Brython, a Celtic people invaded by the Romans between the 1st and 5th centuries AD. From the 5th century, they were besieged by tribes like the Angles and Saxons. In the 6th century, a Brython military leader named Arthur emerged.
A story of Latin origin states that Arthur was a war chief who fought in 14 battles against the Saxons. For his part, in Cambrial, where oral dialects were collected, it is mentioned that Arthur died fighting against Mordred. These are the only historical references.
From the 12th century, the literary figure Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote The History of the Kings of Britain. It consists of 12 books, three of them dedicated to Arthur.
Troubadours arose in France who created an idealized version of Arthur and his knights. In the 12th century, Chrétien de Troyes wrote Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, and Perceval, the Story of the Grail.
In the 15th century, Thomas Malory wrote Le Morte d’Arthur. Thus, the versions of the legends changed and even took on other formats; for example, in the 20th century, films were made as recreations.
The Roman Courtois
The Roman Courtois (Courtly Romance) sprang up in France in the mid-12th century. These are extensive fictional stories in octosyllabic verse composed to be read. There are two groups:
- Those that collect old themes of classical antiquity
- The Arthurian, which takes place in Britain around Arthur and his knights
The focus of these stories is associated with two elements: the feat of chivalry (the adventure) and intrigue designed according to the codes of courtly love.
Roman Courtois and Epic Poetry
Similarities
Both nest the story of clashes between opposing camps that are resolved by fighting and are starred by heroes conceived within an ideal of perfection and excellence.
Differences
Roman literature emerges as written text without room for improvisation and is intended for individual reading or to a small group of listeners. Therefore, it has no marks of orality and possesses the reflections characteristic of a narrator. The epic presents austerity, focusing on a feat that involves the whole social group.
The Roman recounts the adventures of a gentleman in an elegant world, who launches onto the road to face monsters and spells, gain fame in front of a refined group of peers, and win the love of his lady. Thus, we observe the passage from the collective heroism of the chansons de geste to the singular adventure of the courtly gentleman.
These differences are not just a change in narrative mode but a transformation in the social and cultural life of the 12th century:
- End of the permanent state of war
- Consolidation of major principalities
- Emergence of new economic forms (monetary)
- Alliance between the monarchy and the bourgeoisie against feudalism, which threatened the cohesion of the nobility
The Roman is the literary embodiment of the need to unite the feudal nobility. The notion of adventure arises, together with the ideal of moral perfection through successive tests on the way, to help restore order. The noble class sought to make sense again with knighthood. It also includes the legend of the quest for the Holy Grail and the literary idealization of the Crusades. The hero will add to the warrior virtues the proper courtly life: elegance, refinement, generosity (both moral and material). He must master the rules of war and the palace: rides, tournaments, parties, and banquets.
War and poetry are the means to get fame and the love of the lady.