What is the legend of King Arthur?

What is the legend of King Arthur?

The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table makes us think of an age of heroism and romance. For a thousand years, stories about them have been passed down from generation to generation, across Europe and the rest of the world. We even encounter them today, in books, on television, and in the movies. In all these stories, King Arthur and his knights fight bravely for justice and truth. Of course, they always win.

The legendary King Arthur was known as the greatest king that ever lived. His magnificent castle was called Camelot, and his wife, Guinevere, was the most beautiful woman in history. Arthur had the greatest knights at his court. They were all equal and sat at a round table to show that no one had a higher rank than other. The most famous knights were Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot. The knights did many good deeds and went on adventures. They saved young women in trouble and searched for a precious cup called the Holy Grail. They were all heroes, although they had faults like all people do.

In the legend, Arthur is the perfect king. He has a wizard by the name of Merlin who helps him defeat his enemies. He also has flashing swords and wears a fine suit of shining armor. Arthur has two magic swords. At the beginning of his reign, he pulls one from a block of stone, proving that he is the true king. The other sword appears in the middle of a lake and has powers that make Arthur immortal. At the end of his reign, Arthur returns to the lake and disappears into the mist.

Are these stories? Did King Arthur really exist? Was his wife, Guinevere, real? Did Camelot exist? How true to fact are some of these stories? Historians don’t know. For the last few hundred years, people thought that the legend about Arthur had been invented. However, historians have realized recently that Arthur really may have existed. Most historians believe that he probably did. They think that he was a king or a great leader somewhere in Great Britain. Most believe that Arthur lived around the end of the fifth and beginning of the sixth century. They also believe that he led an army against the Saxons who invaded Britain a very long time ago, that he won this great battle, and that he was the character who inspired hundreds of stories.

The stories about Arthur may have some truths in them, but they also have a lot of exaggerations. It seems difficult to separate fact from fiction. Some people question how a man could win so many battles and sword fights without getting wounded or killed. And some of the things that Arthur’s adviser Merlin says and does are too fantastic to be real. For example, he made predictions of strange and amazing things that would happen in the future, and many stories claim that he could change himself into different objects and animals. He could change into a boy or a deer, for example, and he could change the appearance of others and even make them invisible. However, there are other parts of the stories we accept more easily, such as the magnificent castle of Camelot with its many towers.

There have been various theories about where Camelot was located and whether it even existed. In the late 1960s, historians dug at a site in southeastern England (Cadbury Castle) where Camelot could have been located, but they found nothing. Some historians say that big stone castles didn’t exist in the time of Arthur. Castles during his time were made of dirt and stone, and they were nothing like castle described in the stories.

Still, the idea of Camelot as a wonderful, perfect place continues. In the 1960s, there was a popular musical show called Camelot that said that life was perfect in Arthur’s castle. Today in the English language, the word Camelot has come to mean an ideal place. It is often associated with President John F. Kennedy’s White House years, because his presidency started a new “golden age” of prosperity in the United States.

Most of the stories about King Arthur were written in the ninth century and later. The stories tell us about the people and values of these times. Most of them talk about a code of honor, or chivalry. King Arthur and his knights were all chivalrous. They respected others. A chivalrous person did not kill his enemy after surrendered. Arthur and his knights were expected to show respect for the church and pity for the poor, as well as bravery and courtesy.

The mosy famous version of King Arthur’s legend, a book called Morte d’Arthur (Death of Arthur), was written by Sir Thomas Malory in the fifteenth century. In his work, Malory creates a story of extraordinary bravery and emphasizes the triumph of good over evil. This work inspired kings all over Europe. King Henry VIII of England saw himself as the new Arthur reuniting the country after civil war, and even naming his eldest son Arthur.

King Arthur’s popularity is ongoing. In 1986, it was estimated that 13,500 books, articles, and reviews had been written about him. The success of recent movies and books shows that the popularity of the legend of King Arthur is still strong today. Why is this? The story of Arthur is and adventure story. There are sword fights and wars that make the story exciting. There is also romance, and the settig is far away and exotic. The themes in the stories are universal: the fight between good and evil, the conflict between love and duty. Another theme in the stories shows that although Arthur is a king, he makes mistakes and, like all people, he is not perfect. He is, in fact, like us in many ways. Maybe it is this combination of greatness and humanness that has made King Arthur a popular figure around the world and throughout history.

1. Circle the letter of the answer that is closest in meaning to the underlined word.

1. Arthur returns to the lake and disappears into the mist.

1. Rain
2. Fog
3. Water
4. storm

2. In the late 1960s, historians dug at a site in southeastern England.

1. Country
2. Place
3. Cave
4. city

3. The setting is far away and exotic.

1. Familiar and like home
2. Similar to the way things always are
3. Hard to undrstand
4. Different from the usual

4. There have been various theories about where Camelot was located.

1. Facts
2. Questions
3. Stories
4. ideas

5. We even encounter them today in books, on television, and in the movies.

1. Discuss
2. See
3. Carry
4. like

6. He was the character who inspired hundreds of stories.

1. Was the force behind
2. Caused not to happen
3. Took away from
4. Helped to write

7. They saved young women in trouble and searched for precious cup.

1. Having great value
2. Being very beautiful
3. Containig lots of decorations
4. Lacking importance

8. One of the items in the stories is the conflict between love and duty.

1. Agreement
2. Understanding
3. Struggle
4. change

9. His presidency started a new “golden age” of prosperity.

1. Peace
2. Happiness
3. Pleasure
4. wealth

10. The themes in the stories are universal.

1. Different in every country
2. Common to afew areas
3. The same everywhere
4. Unlike anything else

2. Find words in the reading that go together with the words below to make phrases.

1. ________________ predictions
2. Combination _____________
3. Known ________
4. ______history
5. ______deeds
6. Passed_________from
7. ________trouble

3. Complete the sentences with the phrases from ex.2.

1. If you knew someone who _____, she could tell you what is gong to happen in the future.
2. Important items and stories that are given by elders to the children in a family are _______ one generation to another.
3. If you take two ar more things and put them together, you have a ____those things.
4. If something is _____ having a certain quality or being a certain way, it means that many people are aware of that fact or characteristic.
5. When something is a certain way over many, many years, it is that way_______.
6. If you are having a serious problem or difficulty, you are_____.
7. To do____ means to do things that help others.

4. Reread the passage and answer the questions. Write complete sentences.

1. What is the most famous version of King Arthur’s legend?
2. What are three things that were expected of a chivalrous knight?
3. What did many legends ckaim about Marlin?
4. Why did the knights sit at a round table?
5. What do historians believe that castles were made from during the time of King Arthur?
6. What is probably one of the reasons why King Arthur has always been such a popular figure?
7. Where did Arthur get his second magic sword?
8. During what time do most historians believe that Arthur lived?

5. The answers to these questions can be inferred, or guessed, from the reading. Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. The reading implies that____.

1. Merlin most likely did exist
2. Merlin’s actions are based in fact
3. Merlin is not a believable character
4. Merlin did not live in Camelot

2. It can be inferred from the reading that people many centuries ago _______.

1. Liked stories about love and adventure
2. Didn’t believe their heroes should have any faults
3. Were tired of stories about knights and kings
4. Didn’t have much imagination

3. From the reading, it can be concluded that Arthur was probably______.

1. A person who never really existed in history
2. A military leader whose real life became exaggerated
3. Several different people who became one charater
4. One of the most famous knights in all of British history

4. The reading implies that the legends of King Arthur ______.

1. could only be understood by the royalty of their day
2. Caused a civil war during the time of King Henry VIII
3. Showed only the good side of the king and his knights
4. Touched everyone, from kings to ordinary people