Stanzaic Morte Arthur
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The Stanzaic ''Morte Arthur'' is an anonymous 14th-century
Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...
poem in 3,969 lines, about the adulterous affair between
Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...
and
Guinevere Guinevere ( ; cy, Gwenhwyfar ; br, Gwenivar, kw, Gwynnever), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First ment ...
, and Lancelot's tragic dissension with
King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
. The poem is usually called the Stanzaic ''Morte Arthur'' or Stanzaic ''Morte'' (formerly also the Harleian ''Morte Arthur'') to distinguish it from another Middle English poem, the Alliterative ''Morte Arthure''. It exercised enough influence on
Thomas Malory Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author of '' Le Morte d'Arthur'', the classic English-language chronicle of the Arthurian legend, compiled and in most cases translated from French sources. The most popular version of '' Le Morte d' ...
's ''
Le Morte d'Arthur ' (originally written as '; inaccurate Middle French for "The Death of Arthur") is a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Rou ...
'' to have, in the words of one recent scholar, "played a decisive though largely unacknowledged role in the way succeeding generations have read the Arthurian legend".


Synopsis

King Arthur holds a tournament, which Sir Lancelot attends in disguise. He stays for one night at the castle of the Earl of
Ascolat Astolat (; French: Escalot) is a legendary castle and town of Great Britain named in King Arthur, Arthurian legends. It is the home of Elaine of Astolat, Elaine, "the lily maid of Astolat", as well of her father Sir Bernard and her brothers Lavain ...
, and there the earl's daughter falls in love with him, even though she knows Lancelot loves someone else. Lancelot is injured at the tournament, and is invited by the earl to recuperate at Ascolat. Lancelot leaves when he has recovered, giving the earl's daughter his armour as a memento. Ascolat is then visited by
Gawain Gawain (), also known in many other forms and spellings, is a character in Arthurian legend, in which he is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table. The prototype of Gawain is mentioned under the name Gwalchmei in the earliest ...
, who has come from
Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...
to search for Lancelot. The earl's daughter, still not knowing Lancelot's name, shows Gawain the armour, which he recognises. On his return to Camelot Gawain tells Arthur that Lancelot loves the earl's daughter. When Lancelot arrives at Camelot he receives so little welcome from his lover, Guinevere, that he leaves again in confusion. Guinevere then finds herself falsely accused of murdering a Scottish knight, and must find a champion to defend her in a
trial by combat Trial by combat (also wager of battle, trial by battle or judicial duel) was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of the ...
. The body of the maid of Ascolat is discovered in a boat, floating down the river into Camelot, along with a note in which the maid bewails Lancelot's refusal of her love. Lancelot returns to successfully defend Guinevere, and since she now knows that he is true to her she is reconciled with him. The two are surprised in bed together by several of Arthur's knights, but Lancelot escapes, killing in the process all of the knights except
Mordred Mordred or Modred (; Welsh: ''Medraut'' or ''Medrawt'') is a figure who is variously portrayed in the legend of King Arthur. The earliest known mention of a possibly historical Medraut is in the Welsh chronicle ''Annales Cambriae'', wherein he ...
. Guinevere is sentenced to death, but Lancelot again rescues her and takes her to his castle,
Joyous Gard Joyous Gard (French ''Joyeuse Garde'' and other variants) is a castle featured in the Matter of Britain literature of the legend of King Arthur. It was introduced in the 13th-century French Prose ''Lancelot'' as the home and formidable fortress ...
. Arthur besieges Joyous Gard, but without effect. The Pope now orders Lancelot to send Guinevere back to Arthur, and Arthur to accept her. Both comply, but Lancelot goes into exile. Arthur takes his army abroad to levy war against Lancelot, leaving Guinevere behind in the custody of Mordred. Gawain, now an inveterate enemy of Lancelot, fights a single combat with him, and is defeated. Word comes that Mordred has crowned himself king and plans to marry Guinevere. Arthur returns home and defeats Mordred's army in two battles, but Gawain is killed. Before a third battle can be fought Arthur dreams that he is cast down from the high point of the
Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Art * ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...
. In a second dream Gawain warns him he must call a truce so as to give Lancelot's army time to join him. The next day Arthur and Mordred, each accompanied by fourteen knights, meet to discuss peace terms. The truce is broken by mistake when one of the knights draws his sword to kill an adder. Battle is joined and the armies are so equally matched that both are exterminated, with the exception of Mordred, Arthur, and Arthur's knights
Bedivere Bedivere ( or ; cy, Bedwyr; la, Beduerus; french: link=no, Bédoier, also Bedevere and other spellings) is one of the earliest characters to be featured in the legend of King Arthur, originally described in several Welsh texts as the one-hand ...
and
Lucan Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November 39 AD – 30 April 65 AD), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba (modern-day Córdoba), in Hispania Baetica. He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial ...
. Arthur kills Mordred, but is himself mortally wounded. At Arthur's command, Bedivere throws
Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
into the sea. Three ladies come to take Arthur to
Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...
to be healed, but they fail in this purpose, and the next day Bedivere comes across Arthur's newly erected tomb. Guinevere, repenting of her adultery, takes the veil at
Amesbury Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settle ...
. Lancelot arrives on the scene belatedly and visits Guinevere. They renounce each other in favour of a life of penance, and Lancelot accordingly becomes a monk. The poem ends with their death and burial seven years later.


Composition and metre

The poem is the work of an anonymous writer who lived during the 14th century in the north
Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
. His source was the French prose romance '' La Mort Artu'', but he compressed it to a romance only about one fifth of the ''Mort Artu''s length. He probably intended his work for a wide and relatively unsophisticated audience.Weinberg p. 100 He cast his work in the metre of a minstrel romance ballad, each
stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
containing eight lines
rhyming A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic ...
''ABABABAB'', and each line having four beats. As the poem has come down to us there are seven places where the stanza is two lines short, but the original poem may not have had that fault. The poet took many liberties with his rhymes, and also used more alliteration than is common in a Middle English rhyming romance.


Manuscript and early descriptions

It survives in one manuscript only,
British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
Harley Harley may refer to: People * Harley (given name) * Harley (surname) Places * Harley, Ontario, a township in Canada * Harley, Brant County, Ontario, Canada * Harley, Shropshire, England * Harley, South Yorkshire, England * Harley Street, in L ...
2252, a collection of texts compiled in the early 16th century by a London bookseller called John Colyns. Close study has shown that the section containing the Stanzaic ''Morte'' was originally a separate commercially produced booklet. One leaf, dealing with the burial of the Maid of Astolat, is now missing. By 1570, the manuscript had passed into the possession of one Robert Farrers. The manuscript was studied by
Humfrey Wanley Humfrey Wanley (21 March 1672 – 6 July 1726) was an English librarian, palaeographer and scholar of Old English, employed by manuscript collectors such as Robert and Edward Harley. He was the first keeper of the Harleian Library, now the Har ...
, keeper of the Harleian Library, who in 1759 catalogued it with the notation, "This I take to be translated from the French Romance of K. Arthur"; also "I know not who this Poet was, but guess that he lived about the time of K. Henry VII, and that he might have been a Northern man. He useth many Saxon or obsolete Words, and very often delighted himself (as did the Author of '
Piers Plowman ''Piers Plowman'' (written 1370–86; possibly ) or ''Visio Willelmi de Petro Ploughman'' (''William's Vision of Piers Plowman'') is a Middle English allegorical narrative poem by William Langland. It is written in un-rhymed, alliterative v ...
') in the Chime of words beginning with the same letter." Thomas Percy, mentioning the Stanzaic ''Morte'' in his widely influential ''
Reliques of Ancient English Poetry The ''Reliques of Ancient English Poetry'' (sometimes known as ''Reliques of Ancient Poetry'' or simply Percy's ''Reliques'') is a collection of ballads and popular songs collected by Bishop Thomas Percy and published in 1765. Sources The basis ...
'' (1765), suggested that it could be older than Wanley thought, since the first line was, he believed, quoted in the Middle English romance of ''
Beves of Hamtoun Bevis of Hampton ( fro, Beuve(s) or or ; Anglo-Norman: ; it, Buovo d'Antona) or Sir Bevois, was a legendary English hero and the subject of Anglo-Norman, Dutch, French, English, Venetian,Hasenohr, 173–4. and other medieval metrical chivalr ...
''.Bruce p. viii
Thomas Warton Thomas Warton (9 January 172821 May 1790) was an English literary historian, critic, and poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1785, following the death of William Whitehead. He is sometimes called ''Thomas Warton the younger'' to disti ...
's '' History of English Poetry'' (1774–81) includes a short extract from the ''Morte'', and dates it to the early 14th century. In ''Observations on the Three First Volumes of The History of English Poetry'' (1782), and again in '' Ancient Engleish Metrical Romanceës'' (1802), the antiquary
Joseph Ritson Joseph Ritson (2 October 1752 – 23 September 1803) was an English antiquary who was well known for his 1795 compilation of the Robin Hood legend. After a visit to France in 1791, he became a staunch supporter of the ideals of the French Revo ...
ridiculed Warton's and Percy's views of the poem's date, and asserted that Wanley was correct in assigning it to the reign of Henry VII. He noticed the similarities with
Thomas Malory Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author of '' Le Morte d'Arthur'', the classic English-language chronicle of the Arthurian legend, compiled and in most cases translated from French sources. The most popular version of '' Le Morte d' ...
's ''
Le Morte d'Arthur ' (originally written as '; inaccurate Middle French for "The Death of Arthur") is a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Rou ...
'', but believed that the poem was based on Malory rather than ''vice versa''. A lengthy but rather facetious synopsis of the ''Morte'', with quotations, figured in the ''Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances'' (1805) by George Ellis. Ritson's late date for the poem was there rejected. A complete edition of the ''Morte'' by Thomas Ponton was published by the
Roxburghe Club The Roxburghe Club is a bibliophilic and publishing society based in the United Kingdom. Origins The spur to the Club's foundation was the sale of the enormous library of the Duke of Roxburghe (who had died in 1804), which took place over 46 days ...
in 1819.


Influence on Malory

It is now generally agreed that the last two stories of Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur'', "The Book of Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere" and "The Most Piteous Tale of the Morte Arthur", derive from his reading of the Stanzaic ''Morte Arthur'' and of the Stanzaic ''Morte''s source, the ''Mort Artu''. Some of the high points of those last stories are certainly taken from the Stanzaic ''Morte'', such as the final renunciation scene between Lancelot and Guinevere at Amesbury, and the final truce between Arthur and Mordred being accidentally broken by a knight killing an adder. In places he even reproduces the exact words of the Middle English poem. According to Jennifer Goodman, "Malory owes to the stanzaic ''Morte Arthur'' an important share of the drama of the closing books of his work."Goodman p. 41


Scholastic reception

Brian Stone thought that "with its swiftly moving narrative and realistic clash of character" it is more like an extended tragic ballad than a romance. He preferred its ending to that of the ''Morte Darthur'', and considered the poem to be "of prime importance in our culture". Dieter Mehl referred to "The by no means simple, but skilfully handled metrical form"; to "a rare balance in the structure of the plot, a strict subordination of details to the theme of the poem, and a notable lack of digressions which could slow down the tempo of the narration"; and to a "conscious simplicity and detachment that distinguish ''Le Morte Arthur'' from most other romances and make it so particularly attractive and appealing to modern taste."
Rosemary Woolf Rosemary Estelle Woolf (27 December 1925 – 13 April 1978) was an English scholar of medieval literature, known especially for her work on medieval English religious lyrics, ''The English Religious Lyric in the Middle Ages''. Biography Wool ...
called the Stanzaic ''Morte'' "the finest example of the English treatment of central Arthurian subject-matter before Malory's ''Morte Darthur''." Praise from some others has been more measured. Jennifer Goodman wrote that "The verse is workmanlike: an acute sense of character and action allow the poet to focus in on the essential elements of fate and personality that combine to create Arthur's tragedy." Lucy Allen Paton complained of the ''Mortes poet that "his supply of rhyme-words is extraordinarily limited", and that "he lacks the vigour of imagination, the intensity of feeling and the originality in description that the poet of the lliterative''Morte Arthure'' possessed", but went on "he manifests real power as an easy and agreeable story-teller…Perhaps his most noticeable characteristic is his facility in bringing before us by a few direct dramatic words the human interest of the scenes that he is describing." Robert W. Ackerman judged that "Though marred by faults typical of the minstrel style, it tells a moving story vividly and swiftly." George Kane's opinion was that "Never once in its four thousand lines does it attain to brilliance, yet its effect is so unmistakably one of fulfillment and of harmony between intention and result that it must be regarded as a success."


Bibliography


Editions

*Thomas Ponton (ed.) ''Le Morte Arthur. The Adventures of Sir Launcelot du Lake''. Roxburghe Club 25. London: Bulmer, 1819. *
Frederick James Furnivall Frederick James Furnivall (4 February 1825 – 2 July 1910) was an English philologist, best known as one of the co-creators of the ''New English Dictionary''. He founded a number of learned societies on early English literature and made pione ...
(ed.) ''Le Morte d'Arthur: edited from the Harleian MS. 2252''. London: Macmillan, 1864. *J. D. Bruce (ed.) ''Le Morte Arthur''. Early English Text Soc., Extra Series 88. 1903. *Samuel Burdett Hemingway (ed.) ''Le Morte Arthur: A Middle English Metrical Romance''. Boston/New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1912. *L. A. Paton (ed.) ''Morte Arthur: Two Early English Romances''. London: Everyman, 1912. *Larry Dean Benson (ed.) ''King Arthur's Death: The Middle English Stanzaic Morte Arthur and Alliterative Morte Arthure''. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1974. *P. F. Hissiger (ed.) ''Le Morte Arthur: A Critical Edition''. The Hague/Paris: Mouton, 1975. *Larry Dean Benson (ed.) ''King Arthur's Death: The Middle English Stanzaic Morte Arthur and Alliterative Morte Arthure''. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 1986. Revised by Edward E. Foster, Kalamazoo, MI: Western Michigan University for TEAMS, 1994. *Shunichi Noguchi (ed.) ''Le Morte Arthur''. Tokyo: University of Tokyo, 1990.


Translations

*Sharon Kahn (trans.) ''The Stanzaic Morte''. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1986. *Brian Stone (trans.) ''King Arthur's Death: Alliterative Morte Arthure and Stanzaic Le morte Arthur''. London: Penguin, 1988.


References


Sources

* * * * * * *{{cite book , last1=Weinberg , first1=Carole , editor1-first=W. R. J. , editor1-last=Barron , title=The Arthur of the English: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval Life and Literature , year=1999 , publisher=University of Wales Press , location=Cardiff , isbn=0708314775 , chapter=The Stanzaic Morte Arthur


External links


Standardized spelling edition by Larry D. Benson, revised by Edward E. Foster


14th-century poems Arthurian literature in Middle English Middle English poems Romance (genre) Works of unknown authorship