King Arthur Legends: Knights, Camelot, and Excalibur
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
The Original Text
The legends of King Arthur belong to the oral tradition. They were put in writing by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136. In the Middle Ages, French writers like Chrétien de Troyes also wrote about them. In 1470, Sir Thomas Malory wrote a long book in English called The Death of Arthur.
Summary
King Arthur and his knights are Britain’s greatest legendary figures.
Chapter 1
With the help of Merlin’s magic, King Uther marries the beautiful Igraine on condition that Uther gives him their firstborn. When Arthur is born, Merlin hides him. On Uther’s death, civil war breaks out. One day young Arthur travels to London with his stepfather, Sir Ector, and Arthur pulls a sword out of a stone. The stone has words on it: ONLY THE KING CAN TAKE THE SWORD FROM THE STONE, so Arthur becomes the next king.
Chapter 2
Arthur quickly gathers around him the bravest and best knights in the kingdom and marries Guinevere, the most beautiful woman in Britain. Merlin makes a round table for the knights at Camelot, the most important city in Britain.
Chapter 3
Arthur comes across Queen Annoure’s castle on a journey. Annoure wants him to marry her. As Arthur escapes, she orders Sir Pellinore to kill him. Unaware that he is fighting Arthur, Pellinore wounds him lightly but then realises who he is. Since Arthur’s sword breaks in the fight, Merlin takes Arthur to the Lady of the Lake, who hands Arthur a magic sword called Excalibur.
Chapter 4
Morgan le Fay hates Arthur and tricks him and one of his knights into a fight in which neither knows the other’s identity. This time Arthur is severely wounded and goes to a nunnery to be healed. Morgan follows him, steals his magic scabbard and throws it into a lake.
Chapter 5
Lady Vivien wants to be the greatest magician in the world and tricks Merlin into getting into a cave he cannot get out of. Legend says Merlin is still trapped in this cave.
Chapter 6
When Sir Meligrance kidnaps Guinevere, Sir Lancelot rescues her. Meligrance is forgiven by Guinevere but he locks Lancelot into a room and tells Arthur that Guinevere has run away with him because she loves him. When Lancelot escapes, he kills Meligrance for being a liar.
Chapter 7
Tristram gets poisoned in his fight against the King of Ireland’s son and travels to Ireland to get cured. Without knowing Tristram is his son’s murderer, the king asks him to teach his daughter, Isolt, to play the harp. Tristram and Isolt fall in love but Isolt has to marry King Mark, Tristram’s uncle, and Tristram becomes a Knight of the Round Table. When Sir Tristram learns Isolt has been kidnapped, he fights Sir Palamides, her captor, and takes her to King Mark who suspects Tristram and Isolt are in love and kills Tristram. Isolt dies of sadness and King Mark is killed by one of Arthur’s knights.
Chapter 8
An old man sits Galahad, Sir Lancelot’s son, at the only vacant place on the Round Table, reserved for the best knight. Once dubbed a knight, Galahad takes a long journey in search of the Grail which, according to an apparition, is in the country. As many knights accompany him, the brotherhood of the Round Table is practically dissolved. They finally find the Grail on a ship at sea which takes them to a city. In the city, the old man makes Galahad king and foretells the latter’s imminent death. When the other knights return, Arthur can sense the end of the Round Table is near.
Chapter 9
In Arthur’s absence, Sir Mordred attempts to kidnap Guinevere. Arthur returns and one of Mordred’s men kills Sir Gawain, Arthur’s knight. In Arthur’s sleep, the dead Gawain advises him to wait for Sir Lancelot’s help. The fight against Mordred’s men starts by accident. As many knights die, an enraged Arthur kills Mordred and gets a deadly wound. Arthur asks Sir Bedivere to throw Excalibur into the lake. When Bedivere finally does so, the Lady of the Lake takes it. Arthur’s last wish is to be taken to the lake. A boat with five ladies in black is waiting for him. Before leaving, Arthur promises to return whenever his country needs him and asks Bedivere to tell his story.