Sir Thomas Malory

1. SIR THOMAS MALORY

2. ABOUT THOMAS MALORY
Son of prosperous parents
Native of Warwickshire in England
Fought in Hundred Years’ War;
knighted; served in Parliament
Supported the Lancaster family
during the War of the Roses; was
imprisoned by the York family, the
ruling government
Wrote Le Morte d’Arthur while in
prison

3. MALORY’S BOOKS OF LE MORTE
D’ARTHUR
1. The Tale of King Arthur
2. The Tale of the Noble King Arthur and the Emperor Lucius
3. The Noble Tale of Sir Launcelot du Lac
4. The Tale of Sir Tristram de Lyomes
5. The Tale of Sir Gareth
6. The Quest of the Holy Grail
7. The Book of Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere
8. The Tale of the Death of King Arthur

4. LE MORTE D’ARTHUR
 Considered to be a
Romance
1. Noble Heroes
2. Code of Chivalry
3. Passionate Love
4. Daring Deeds
5. Supernatural Events
6. Idealized heroes/era
7. Lighthearted tone
(optional)
8. Loose structure
(episodes)
King Arthur, the boy king,
is crowned.

5. THE CHIVALRIC CODE
 Heroes must be…
1. Honorable
2. Chaste
3. Loyal
4. Courageous
5. Truthful
6. Courteous
Launcelot was considered the best
of all knights.

6. THE GOLDEN AGE
King Arthur ruled during
a “golden age,” when there
was peace and prosperity
throughout the kingdom.
His knights went forth on
many epic quests to right
wrongs or to pursue holy
relics.
King Arthur made England safe
for all.

7. THE GREAT TRAGEDY
King Arthur’s favorite knight,
Sir Launcelot, betrayed the king
and took Queen Gwynevere as his
lover.
This led to a great civil war
between Arthur and Launcelot,
and the destruction of Arthur’s
kingdom by his own son, Mordred.
Launcelot and Gwynevere
became lovers.

8. THE DEATH OF ARTHUR
With the passing of Arthur,
the great kingdom he brought
into being came to an end.
Centuries after he
supposedly ruled, he became
an incredibly popular topic for
French, English and German
writers.
It’s impossible to separate
truth from fiction in
Arthurian stories.
Arthur slays his own son,
Mordred, in the final battle.