Le Morte D'Arthur, vol 1

Review of Le Morte d’Arthur, Vol 1: King Arthur and His Noble Knights of the Round Table by Sir Thomas Malory

Sir Thomas Malory considers Le Morte d'Arthur to be a masterpiece of 15th-century English literature. Based on what this book retells the legendary tales of Arthur, Sirs Knihts, and their quests. Thus, in volume 1 Malory concentrates on the setting – the presentation of Arthur as a king and the introduction of the most famous characters of the British legends, such as Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere, and the Knights of the Round Table. There are themes of knighthood, nobility, love, treachery, and the pursuit of the great and glorious.

In essence, Le Morte d’Arthur tells the history of how a virtuous kingdom was created by King Arthur. Later, Arthur being son of Uther Pendragon is anointed as a rightful king when he draws the sword, Excalibur, from a stone. It is the starting point of this king and also the formation of the Round Table which comprises knights who have taken an allegiant to fight for justice, protect the oppressed, and serve their king. The kingdom of which Arthur's king is the sovereign is represented as a kingdom of honor and justice in which immerged nobility is extolled, and knights are always in search of something or looking for something bigger than themselves.

In my opinion, the greatest strength of the book is that the knights have responsibility and commitment to both Arthur and each other. Other characters include Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, and Sir Tristram: all are fine knights and men of chivalry, as well as excellent businessmen, and men who have a high degree of morality. They all will war for the king, for the honor, and for the love they have in their breasts. These same feelings bring about their demise and as Malory incorporates lose stories of contamination and sorrow. This first volume is comeback enhanced by the first hints at the love triangle involving Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot which leads to the destruction of the kingdom.

Le Morte d’Arthur would also pose challenges to the modern reader because Sir Malory uses Middle English in writing the language. Nevertheless, in many contemporary versions, one comes across the more faithful translations that succeeded in making the text more comprehensible. As with the original stories, the tales have been made more contemporary but still have that magical and heroic system. There are high-risk fights, magical swords, magical characters like Merlin, and magical tests for the knights.

What makes this volume very interesting is that there is a rich exploration of characters. That is perhaps why, rather than painting the knights as stripped-down heroes, Malory complicates the picture. They are not perfect. All of them are very realistic, they are not perfect – they have their weaknesses, sexual urges, and fears. For example, Lancelot is the best and the noblest knight who nevertheless has an affair with his fellow knight Guinevere. There are showings of this aspect of the rule in this animation; Arthur, a noble king, cannot control his knights and kingdom; there is an implication that something disastrous is yet to happen.

Thus, it can be stated that Le Morte d’Arthur Volume 1 is a narrative that is full of all the elements that are capable of making a modern reader interested and delivering the legend to the reader comprehensibly. Issues of heroism, honor, love, and betrayal remain some of the most popular issues of contemporary cultures hence making it a classic book. For those who are interested in adventurous, chivalrous, and characters with many unforeseen dimensions, this book is a great find.

Yep this book is actually boring. The old language makes it hard to read.

I agree with Mr.Alex.

This book is so boring, it might as well be a history book for how boringly it is written. Also the old language makes it hard to read