For a millennium, tales of Arthur and his knights have inspired remarkable works of literature, visual art, opera, film, and comics — and not just in the English-speaking world, but everywhere. Even the wildest legend may be rooted in historical fact. And despite their fantastical elements, Arthurian legends position him in a real historical and political milieu: southern Britain, around Wales and Cornwall, in the 5th century A.
Roman occupation had brought peace and prosperity to Britannia; their departure created a power vacuum that homegrown warlords scrambled to fill, while leaving the island newly vulnerable to conquest by the seafaring Saxons. Although the details vary across accounts, Arthur is always portrayed as a fierce combatant who rose to power while fighting off invaders, as in the Battle of Badon in the year , where he is credited with personally slaying as many as Saxons.
These deeds are attested in a number of ancient manuscripts. But sorting out fact from fiction is tricky, because of both the manner in which these texts were preserved and the medieval frame of mind in which they were composed.
Tales and poems about Arthur date back as far as the 9th century A. Precise dating is impossible. Medieval manuscripts were periodically recopied by hand, and it was not uncommon for later scribes to revise and update the material, making no distinction between the original content and later additions. The only surviving copy, though, is a transcription made six centuries later. We cannot know whether the relevant stanza is part of the original poem or a later insertion.
This issue recurs with all ostensible primary sources. The Annals of Wales , compiled by the scholarly community of St. Yet with the work originally shared orally as opposed to being written down, it is impossible to ascertain if Arthur was part of the original story. Another poet, Teliesin, mentions a valiant Arthur in his work as well. There has also been another suggestion circulated that references to Arthur were actually a way of honoring via myth a Celtic bear deity with a similar name.
During the s, Nennius of Wales wrote History of the Britons , which became a core Arthurian text in that it listed a dozen battles in which the warrior fought, though it would have been logistically impossible for him to have done so. Due to cultural intermingling in Europe, political influences and writers' imagination, the Arthurian story developed into a full-fledged legend and complex story, with an emphasis on a noble kingdom called Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table and the queen, Guinevere, who has an affair with the knight Lancelot.
Other aspects of the tale include the king's deadly conflict with his nephew or son, Mordred, and the knights' quest for the Holy Grail. Thomas Malory was the first to provide an English prose retelling of the legend in his Le Morte D'Arthur , published in Centuries later, Alfred Tennyson published his Idylls of the King throughout the latter half of the s, telling the story of Camelot in the form of an epic poem.
The story of Arthur has continued to be interpreted by a variety of writers, including children's authors, comic-book scribes and novelists such as Marion Zimmer Bradley, whose Mists of Avalon looks at the legend from the female characters' perspectives.
In the 20th century, King Arthur also found his way to stage and screen. During the s, the myth found a home on Broadway with the musical Camelot , which starred Richard Burton as Arthur. Later revivals would see Richard Harris — who starred in the movie version as well — and Robert Goulet portray the monarch. He claimed to have based much of his writing on the translation of an ancient work given to him by a fellow cleric, but he was unable, or unwilling, to show the materials to others.
All the main character and plot points are here, including the romance, rivalry and in-fighting that would nearly bring Camelot to collapse. Kennedy , whose youthful presence had inspired millions around the world. Theories suggest the writer did not compose his famous works like 'Hamlet' and 'Julius Caesar. More than a century after her execution on espionage charges during World War I, the debate over the guilt or innocence of the legendary Mata Hari continues.
For centuries, generations of royals have endured many ups and downs with their children. The famed explorer was always searching for new places, but his lasting legacy has people searching for his true nationality.
Ever mine.
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