SCHEDA DEL LIBRO - Le Morte d'Arthur, William Caxton

SCHEDA DEL LIBRO

TITLE : Le Morte d'Arthur

AUTHOR William Caxton

GENRE : Medieval Romance

WHEN PUBLISHED :

SETTINGS

THE PLOT : Arthur is the child of Igrayne and Uther. Arthur was promised to Merlin as payment for his father's pact with the magician. After his birth, Arthur was placed in the care of Sir Ector and his son, Kay. When he was able to remove the sword from the stone, Arthur become king of Britain because the legend said that who can remove this sword from this stone will be the King of Britain. He is wise and strong and is able to restore peace and tranquility to the kingdom. One day unfortunately knew that Guinevere, his wife, betrayed him with his best knight Lancelot. Arthur ordered to capture the traditor and kill his wife. Then sir Lanceot ran away with the queen and some traditors knight in a castle in Bretagna. There there was a dramatic battle against Sir Lancelot's knights and the royal army. After that Arthur negotiated the freedom of the queen look promising her safe. Arthur didn't respect the pact and decided to condemn the queen. During the execution came out and beside oneself, took the queen and killed two knights that kept guard and ran away. Then Arthur and Sir Mordred ,the brother of knight killed, returned to the castle to besiege it. Lancelot didn't want to fight but the Mordered's rage forced him to fight. At the and Sir Morderd was killed and Arthur while fought with Lancelot fall to the ground wounded . So he ordered to the last knight to take his sword Excalibur and throw it in into the water then the knight take the king to the lake. There they saw an arm came out of the water and caught the sword, after that a boat caming towards  them across the water; inside it there were several ladies and a queen. Then the knight put the king into the boat and disappeared.

Some people, however, do not believe that King Arthur died of his wounds. They think he was taken to the vale of Avelon and was successfully cured of his injuries there Other people say that he died, but that the words written on his tomb promised that he would return.

CHARACTERS

- Merlin : is a master manipulator, who masters Arthur's conception and who, unseen, directs much of the action. As a great sorcerer, he is responsible for the creation of the Round Table. Merlin is both prophet and magician. Merlin arranges a truce between Kings Lot, Nantres, and Uriens, but then betrays the kings when he orders Arthur to attack. When Arthur loses his sword in battle, Merlin takes Arthur to the Lady of the Lake to retrieve it.

- Guinevere : she is the queen and betrayed Arthur with Lancelot

- The knights of the round table : some of them remained faithful to the King , the other followed and defeated Sir Lancelot