Adaptations of the King Arthur Legends

_Source

Even in the Middle Ages, the King Arthur legend was popular enough to be rewritten by multiple authors in many languages, including English, Latin, French, and German. This popularity has carried over through the ages in both literature and cinema.

The brief descriptions below are meant to show teachers how Arthurian legends have be adapted to reflect cultural interests over time.

King Arthur Legends in Medieval Literature

King Arthur makes his first detailed appearance in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain) in 1135. He provides the story of Arthur’s birth, early life, reign as king, and death, focusing on the connection between Arthur and the development of Britain as a nation.

These details are the basis for later medieval versions of the Arthurian legend.

Chretien de Troyes wrote four Arthurian romances (1170-1185) in French. He introduced one of the more famous Arthurian characters, Sir Lancelot, and promoted the idea of courtly love in The Knight of the Court (Le Chevalier de la Charrette) through Lancelot’s relationship with Guinevere.

Additionally, Chretien developed the quest for the Holy Grail in Le Conte du Graal, a spiritual quest rather than a traditional secular adventure, although he left this romance unfinished.

The most complete rendition of Arthur’s life and adventures is Sir Thomas Malory’s La Morte Darthur (1485). Malory used earlier cycles of Arthurian tales to develop his own versions. His extensive treatment of Arthur and his knights portrays chivalry in a way that demonstrates the conflicting demands it places on his characters.

As the knights struggle to live up to the chivalric ideal, their behavior reflects the complexity behind their code of conduct.

King Arthur in Nineteenth Century Literature

The nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in Arthurian literature on both sides of the Atlantic. Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote a collection of twelve poems, Idylls of the King (1859-1885), which focused on the romantic notions that were so popular in the Victorian era.

Tennyson was attracted to the idealism so prominent in Arthur’s world of chivalry but could not escape its impracticality in his portrayal of the end of Arthur’s kingdom.

Mark Twain also based his novel, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889), on Arthurian lore but applies his unique humorist approach. Twain uses time travel to place Hank Morgan, a nineteenth-century resident of Connecticut, in Camelot, where Morgan uses his knowledge of modern machinery, firearms, and natural science to gain control in Arthur’s kingdom.

Twain uses satire to critique the ideals at the root of chivalric romances. He favors rational reasoning over romanticized sentimentality.

King Arthur in the Modern Age

In the most recent century, King Arthur has maintained a presence in popular literature and moved into the cinematic realm as well. T.H. White published several novels that were later published as one volume, entitled The Once and Future King (1958).

White takes the framework of the traditional Arthurian stories and adds a greater depth to the characters and their relationships, making them more accessible to the modern reader.

_Source

King Arthur has also made a prominent appearance on stage and screen. Modern films include First Knight (1995), starred by Sean Connery and Richard Gere which focuses on the love triangle between Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot; and King Arthur (2004), starred by Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd and Keira Knightley which approaches Arthur as a historical character.

The latest adaption was King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, starred by Charlie Hunnam, the movie entails of how the young Arthur rose into a legend. The film is directed by multi-awarded director, Guy Ritchie.

Popular spoofs on the Arthurian legend include movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and a musical version of the same called Spamalot (2005).

King Arthur and his knights provide their readers with both entertainment and instruction. Moreover, each author's approach demonstrates that though the tales are grounded in fantasy, they can be adapted to address pertinent social issues, even if those issues vary from one time period to the next.

Thanks for reading guys.

_{Collage images are grabbed from Google}

Sources

_{Legends of King Arthur
King Arthur and His Knights
King Arthur}

Check our other awesome stuff

_{Spices in the Middle Ages
Famous Walls in History
The Knights Templars: A Quick Look
The Roman Empire and the Barbarians
Legendary Assassins of Medieval Japan - Ninja
The Roman Gladiators
The Roman Legion
Genghis Khan and His Mongol Army
Mongol History, Rise of Genghis Khan and Impact on Civilization}

Increasing the Visibility of Original and Engaging Content

_{Like @Curie? Support by voting Curie as Witness! https://steemit.com/~witnesses
Join us in Discord https://discord.gg/G6RPUMu}