The Death of King Arthur: An Anglo-Saxon legend embodying the archetypes. Recorded in writing by Sir Thomas Mallory as Le Morte de Arthur. The story takes place about 400 ad and is passed on by minstrels and storytellers until finally written down about 1000 ad. Uther, Arthur’s father, had a daughter by another mother, and this daughter's name is Morgan. She studies the black arts and resents the fame of her half brother while she is unknown. His son, Morgan Le Fays half brother is taken by Merlin. Merlin hides the young Arthur with foster parents and sees to his upbringing, finally showing him the sword in the stone. King Arthur pulls the sword from the Stone and becomes the King of Camelot. The sword in the stone is not Excalibur. It has been confused as the same in some movies. Excalibur is a different sword, given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake during a meeting between Arthur and her arranged by Merlin. Camelot is a small kingdom on the Island of Britain. The threat of Roman invasion is very great, so King Arthur rallies the many little Kingdoms of Britain to his side and goes to Gaul. There, with the Lord of Joyous Gard, he leads the Brits and Gauls who drive the Romans out of Gaul. Upon returning to Camelot he is a great hero as well as a King, and the other Kingdoms of Britain swear allegiance to Arthur, and Camelot becomes the center for Britain. Britain is unified under one King. He is engaged to Guenevere, and is given a Round Table as a dowry. The Round Table comes to symbolize a new form of rule, where there is no head, but many leaders who act by consensus: everyone has equal status at the Round Table. The Island of Britain is united in an egalitarian rule by law under King Arthur. One central theme of the legend is the perplexities Arthur must deal with subjecting himself to the same rules as all other people. The Golden Age of Camelot ensues. Knights are defenders of the weak and of justice. Lancelot, who is a very spiritual Knight (as are Tristram and Percival) who practices celibacy. He is always the gentleman and never has any relationship with Guenevere. Morgan Le Fay uses a magic spell to enchant Lancelot. This incident is a bane to Lancelot who believes his lack of spiritual clarity stems from his encounter with Morgan Le Fay. She meets Lancelot and using her magic appears to him as Guenevere, gets him drunk, and seduces him. Lancelot and her have a son named Galahad. She also has a son by another man, and this son is named Mordred. Merlin removes Galahad to an adopted family, while Morgan raises Mordred. The son born to Lancelot by Mordred, becomes the embodiment of purity and truth, known as the White Bull. Gareth was very special. Gareth was one of Sir Gawaine’s younger brothers. Gawaine was the closest thing Arthur had to a brother growing up. Gareth would not allow his connections to high and mighty people to be the cause for his fame, so he poses as a servant for a year and wins the love and respect in that time of the King and all the Knights of the Round Table. Upon being knighted, he reveals who he truly is and explains that he concealed his identity so that he would not receive favoritism. Here again we see the basis of an egalitarian philosophy where all people are equal under the law. We also see the individuals to whom such a system is more important than their own self gain. Now Galahad fully grown also becomes one of the Knights sitting at the Round Table. One day he is at the round table with Lancelot, Arthur, Percival, Tristram, Gawaine and others when an apparition of the Holy Grail appears before them. This is taken as a omen, and the Knights of the Round Table vow to go on the search for the Holy Grail. The omen however marks the end of the Round Table. King Arthur and Guenevere are very sad to see the Knights of the Round Table break up and leave on quests for over a decade. No one has any fear for Camelot, for Camelot is safe at this time. Arthur spends most of his time in Camelot, but the Round Table is not the same with all of his knights gone. Many years pass. Many Knights never return, others straggle in. Lancelot is sorely wounded in a jousting tournament and nearly dies. Elaine, a princess, nurses Lancelot back to health and falls in love with him. Elaine falls deeply in love with Lancelot, but he does not love her. She cannot accept his refection of her love and she refuses to drink or eat until she dies. Lancelot had left to Camelot but once there is greeted by her funeral procession as a boat with her body and flowers in it sails past Camelot into the sea. To many he is a hero, but the body of Elaine floating on a boat down the river with the proclamation of her death as a result of Lancelot’s failure to return her love casts a shadow over his return. Many wonder at how Lancelot could have rejected this beautiful princess and his charisma and fame become tainted among the populus. Tristram and Percival also return with news that Galahad found the Grail and was taken from the earthly world unto the heavens and disappeared from the face of the Earth. Things look grim for all Camelot with the death of so many Knights during the quest, the death of Elaine and the disappearance of Galahad. Gawaine is very unhappy. Raised as King Arthur’s brother, he has never received the recognition that Lancelot received. Many have misgivings that the Round Table will never be the same. Many people fault Lancelot for much of this and rumors of him and Queen Guenevere abound. With all this and the tragic impact of Elaine’s death, Lancelot leaves the Round Table and goes to Joyous Gard. The book often deals with Lancelot's meditations, his psychedelic experiences while hallucinating during recovery from serious injuries. Lancelot is in his own world pursuing spiritual growth and cannot be bothered by being the center of gossip for people who have nothing better to do with their life. The law says that an adulterous queen must be put to death by being burned at the stake. With Lancelot gone, the rumors become more inflamed rather than dying away. Gawaine convinces Arthur that he must set an example and abide by the law as do his subjects. Gawaine insiste there be a trial to try the queen and determine if she was unfaithful. Gawaine tells the King that suspicions will destroy Camelot if they are not resolved. It is unclear who instigated these slanders against Guenevere, or with what agenda’s, although it is suspected that Morgan Le Fay, the evil half sister to King Arthur might have been behind this. The trial is held and Guenevere is judged by a jury to be guilty. King Arthur fears that to set-aside her sentence of death by fire would undermine the principles of equal justice embodied by Camelot, so, to his incredible anguish, he orders her burned at the stake. A messenger is sent to Joyous Gard telling of the evils going on, and Lancelot returns as the pyre is being prepared to burn Guenevere alive. Two knights try to stop him as he approaches the condemned queen, and he knocks one down and smites the other dead. The two knights are Sir Gawain’s brother, and the knight killed is Sir Gareth, beloved by all including the Queen and Sir Lancelot. Sir Lancelot does not realize that the two knights he killed are Sir Gawaine's brothers and his dear friends. All his is concerned with is rescuing the queen, unfairly condemned because of his love for her. Sir Lancelot rescues the queen and removes her to Joyous Gard, preventing her unjust execution. There they abide. Sir Gawaine, outraged by now, insists to King Arthur that he go to war with Joyous Gard. Sir Gawaine is bent on vengeance against Lancelot for the death of his brothers and tirelessly rabble rouses for a consensus to go to war against Joyous Gard in Gaul. The King is glad Guenevere was saved and does not want to go to war. Pressure from the remaining knights however forces the King to give in. Again we see the principle of consensus win out over despotism, but the victory is hollow and bitter. Camelot musters all remaining knights who take to their ships and sail to war against Joyous Gard. The war is fruitless and many die. King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, and Sir Gawain do not. To prevent further deaths of good men, King Arthur and Sir Lancelot agree to fight each other alone. For three days King Arthur and Sir Lancelot fight alone while their armies watch, and each time Sir Lancelot spares the life of King Arthur after long duels lasting the entire day. Lancelot tells the King each day that he has sworn allegiance to him and cannot kill him. Here we see Lancelots contempt for war and needless deaths as he willingly makes his life the one on the line. King Arthur is also unwilling to see his subjects die killing those who have fought by their side and been their friends for so long, so, too, King Arthur is willing to die rather than suffer seeing the slaughter of his friends. Then, while King Arthur and his armies are camped outside Joyous Gard, in the evening of the third day of their personal battles, a messenger from Camelot informs the King and his Knights that Mordred, the King’s Sister’s son, has invaded and taken over Camelot. King Arthur and his army leave Joyous Gard that night to return to Britain. As they set ground on the shores, they are met by the armies of Mordred. Already exhausted, dwindled and wounded, the knights of the Round Table fight valiantly. King Arthur and his army are anihilated, but the evil Mordred and his minions fare no better. Sir Lancelot hearing what has happened, and despite the recent war waged on him by the Knights of the Round Table, takes his armies and departs Joyous Gard for Camelot to defend the King. When Lancelot arrives there is little left. Mordred is dead at the hand of King Arthur, and King Arthur is wounded and about to die. Camelot is secured and Mordred’s remaining legions driven off. The remaining Knights return to their own castles and the Order of the Knights of the Round Table is disbanded. Dying, King Arthur charges Lancelot to take Excalibur and return the sword to the lady of the Lake. King Arthur then dies and Sir Lancelot fulfills his dying request. Sir Lancelot returns to Joyous Gard and tells Queen Guenevere of the evils befallen Camelot. Queen Guenevere leaves Joyous Gard and lives out the rest of her life in a nunnery. Sir Lancelot lays down his sword forever and moves into a monastary where he lives out his life as a monk. Such is the Legend. Known as "Le Morte de Arthur", meaning the Death of Arthur. This legend was passed down by word of mouth until finally written down in French by Sir Thomas Mallory, and later translated into English. 4/28/1998
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