Chapter 1
Brief Summary
Agravaine becomes an alcoholic; Mordred did not change over the years. There is a description of the birds in the Orkney palace in Camelot. Mordred truly hates Arthur and Agravaine hates Lancelot so Mordred plans a rebellion against Arthur but Agravaine shoots down his idea by saying no one would follow them because it is a rebellion based on personal reasons. Agravaine wants revenge over Lancelot. They plan to split up Arthur and Lancelot by using Lancelot and Guenever’s affair that way Arthur and Lancelot will be weaker. Explanation of how Mordred came to be.
Chapter 2
Brief Summary
All Orkney brothers are gathered around including Mordred. Mordred and Agravaine get into a fight with Gawaine, Gareth, and Gaheris. Mordred and Agravaine threaten to expose Lancelot and Guenever in front of the King so he is forced to have them killed. Gawaine stands in their way and Agravaine draws his sword, all is mayhem until the Page announces the Kings arrival.
Chapter 3
Brief Summary
Description of love in the Middle Ages and descriptions of England before Arthur and during Arthur’s reign. Men literally loved the buildings that they constructed. Description of the people and their stories. The Medieval scientists were referred to as magicians. Names of cocktail drinks, description of the different types of knights and people you might see pass by your window.
Chapter 4
Brief Summary
Lancelot and Guenever are sitting by a window singing, they stop singing and Lancelot asks her to run away with him but she patiently tells him no because Arthur would have to declare war on them and then they would fight and one or both of them would be killed and there was no sense to it. Arthur comes in but leaves and tells a Page to announce him so that Lancelot and Guenever won’t think he was eavesdropping. Arthur then enters and sits with them and tells them the story of Mordred and how he tried to get Mordred killed by having him and a bunch of other babies sent out to sea in a boat but miraculously Mordred survives and comes back. Lancelot says that Arthur did not do anything wrong, Arthur tells them to be careful because if anything bad about them is proven then he will be forced to behead Lancelot and burn Guenever at the stake.
Chapter 5
Brief Summary
Agravaine and Mordred are in the courtroom waiting for Arthur to come in and Gawaine, Gareth and Gaheris are trying to stop them from accusing the Queen and her lover. Gawaine, Gareth and Gaheris ask Arthur for permission to be left out of any accusations and they leave. Mordred and Agravaine make the accusation and Arthur tells them that they have permission to try to prove it when he goes hunting but that he hopes that if they can prove it that Lancelot kills them before they can prove it and if they can not then he will have Mordred and Agravaine killed anyways.
Chapter 6
Brief Summary
Gareth comes to warn Lancelot about Mordred and Agravaine’s plan to catch him and Guenever together and he begs Lancelot not to go to the Queen. Lancelot does not think that they will do it or that Arthur would let them set that trap for him so he goes anyways but forgets his sword in his room.
Chapter 7
Brief Summary
Lancelot is brushing and braiding Guenever’s hair and they are talking about all kinds of stuff, Lancelot tells Guenever what Gareth told him and she wonders if Mordred and Agravaine might have forced Arthur to let them do it, she tries to get Lancelot to leave before they trap them but it is too late. Lancelot opens the door enough for one knight to come in and he kills him. Lancelot then sees that it is Agravaine, and he takes off Agravaine’s armor and sword. He tells Guenever that if they live through this that she must run away with him but she tells him that she will stay and if she needs him that she will call for him, they exchange rings and Lancelot opens the door to fight off the other 13 knights.
Chapter 8
Brief Summary
The Queen is to be burned at the stake but Lancelot got away. Gawaine, Gareth, and Gaheris believe that Lancelot will appear just to rescue her; Mordred is out raged that the King is not trying to prevent that from happening and is accused of being a coward because he was the only survivor of the trap because he ran away. Mordred is crying. Arthur enters and tells Mordred that he wishes that he had never been born; he then asks Gawaine, Gareth and Gaheris to be part of the guard so that Lancelot will not come rescue the Queen although he really wants Lancelot to save her. Gawaine flat out says no. Gareth and Gaheris say that they will but they will not wear armor. Mordred goes to get the executioner and Gareth and Gaheris go down to the guard. Arthur breaks down crying when they leave and Gawaine comforts him telling him that he did what was right and that everything will come out right. People start preparing Guenever for her execution. Arthur and Gawaine watch from the window and then Lancelot shows up and saves Guenever. Arthur and Gawaine celebrate but then Mordred comes and tells them that Lancelot killed Gareth and Gaheris when he was saving Guenever.
Chapter 9
Brief Summary
Description of Lancelot’s castle. Arthur is besieging him, Lancelot is ashamed of accidentally killing Gareth and Gaheris, Lancelot and Guenever send a message to the Pope to ask him to stop the war.
Chapter 10
Brief Summary
Mordred is convincing Gawaine that Lancelot killed Gareth and Gaheris on purpose. The court decides to forgive Guenever, and banish Lancelot and declare war on his French castles.
Chapter 11
Brief Summary
Guenever is in one of Arthur’s northern castles but she would rather be in the London castle where there is so much to do. Guenever reads a letter she received from Arthur to her lady Agnes that is about the fight between Arthur and Gawaine, Lancelot had the chance several times to kill Gawaine and end this war but he did not. Mordred is left as Lord Protector. Agnes and Guenever are both scared of Mordred and think he is listening to their conversation. Agnes opens the door to check and Mordred is standing in the doorway. Agnes leaves the room and Mordred comes in to tell Guenever that he plans to tell everyone that Arthur and Lancelot killed each other and that he is now the new King and will marry her.
Chapter 12
Brief Summary
Gawaine is thinking about quitting this war and forgiving Lancelot when a letter from Guenever arrives for Arthur and it tells about Mordreds plan. She tells Arthur that she ran away to the Tower of London and that Mordred has her under siege with cannon.
Chapter 13
Brief Summary
Lancelot receives a letter from Gawaine that he wrote a few hours before dying of a wound on the head that he received from Lancelot. In the letter he asks for forgiveness and forgives Lancelot, he also asks Lancelot to come to England to save Arthur and Guenever and defeat Mordred.
Chapter 14
Brief Summary
Description of Arthur’s tent, Arthur is worn out because of all of the fights and obstacles he has had to surpass. Arthur thinks about all of the ways he has tried to channel Might for Right and realizes that he should have gotten rid of Might altogether. Arthur begins thinking about the different reasons for war (possessions, fear) Arthur calls for his Page and gives him a letter to deliver to the Bishop but then calls the Page back and asks him how old he is, what his name is, and where he is from. He then tells the Page that he is to not fight in the war tomorrow and that he must leave that same night to go back to his town and spread Arthur’s story about a King that had a good idea about chivalry and a Round Table but it failed, and he was in a war where no one survives except a young Page. The Page, Thomas, tells the King that he is wrong, that the King wins the war, but Arthur tells him that he knows what he is saying and that only that Page lives and that he must tell this story to everyone that will hear. The Pages name was Thomas Malory. After the Page leaves Arthur remembers his lessons with Merlyn and everything is clear all of a sudden. War is fought for nothing. Absolutely nothing. Arthur knows that one day he will return with a new Round Table so he was at peace in his heart when he went out to fight the next morning. It was time for King Arthur of England to die.
~*~ Thoughts ~*~
I think that Arthur prosecutes Lancelot and Guenever because he believes in justice so much that he lets it control him. I think that Arthur knew that Lancelot would succeed in rescuing Guenever so he prosecuted them because he wants everyone to see how serious he is about doing what is fair.
I think that the ultimate cause for the fall of Camelot is Might. Arthur channeled Might throughout his reign and so at the end he discovers he should have just gotten rid of it altogether instead of using it.
I think that Gawaine was really a good guy even though he made a mistake by listening to Mordred. Arthur was an amazing King as well as friend and husband. Lancelot was an honest and faithful man. Guenever was just extremely real to me, and Mordred was just a conniving rat.
I think that it was very sad that Arthur dies but I think that the way that the book makes it sound like he will return one day really gives me hope that overpowers the sadness.
I think that Arthur prosecutes Lancelot and Guenever because he believes in justice so much that he lets it control him. I think that Arthur knew that Lancelot would succeed in rescuing Guenever so he prosecuted them because he wants everyone to see how serious he is about doing what is fair.
I think that the ultimate cause for the fall of Camelot is Might. Arthur channeled Might throughout his reign and so at the end he discovers he should have just gotten rid of it altogether instead of using it.
I think that Gawaine was really a good guy even though he made a mistake by listening to Mordred. Arthur was an amazing King as well as friend and husband. Lancelot was an honest and faithful man. Guenever was just extremely real to me, and Mordred was just a conniving rat.
I think that it was very sad that Arthur dies but I think that the way that the book makes it sound like he will return one day really gives me hope that overpowers the sadness.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Ill-Made Knight
Chapter 1
Brief Summary
Lancelot is a 15 year old prince from France whose father has taken him to England to help Arthur. Lancelot has only spoken to Arthur once but already loves him and his ideals. Arthur offers him to be a knight of the round table and Lancelot, of course, accepts. Lancelot is extremely self-conscious; he claims that when he becomes a knight he will not be known as Sir Lancelot but as the Ill-Made Knight.
Chapter 2
Vocabulary: fforbeshynge, bagge, jakete, schertes, pyssying, iijpeire, gantelez
Brief Summary
Comparison between jousting and cricket, description of the armory in Lancelot’s castle in France, description of training for knights, comparison between knights-in-armor and divers, Lancelot loves training.
Chapter 3
Brief Summary
To Lancelot, Uncle Dap is like Merlyn is to Arthur. Merlyn visits Lancelot and tells him about Nimue and Guenever and catches him up on everything that’s been happening with Arthur lately. Lancelot decides to run away to England to become a knight of the round table and takes Uncle Dap as a squire.
Chapter 4
Brief Summary
Lancelot is now in England and encounters a knight dressed in black on his way to Arthur’s castle, they battle and Lancelot wins. He then discovers that the dark knight was really Arthur. Arthur is happy to see Lancelot and takes him back to the castle in the meanwhile he catches him up on the chivalry changes. King Pellinore accidentally killed King Lot of Orkney and 3 of the Orkney brothers are Knights of the Round Table. Arthur gives Lancelot a jerfalcon. Lancelot does not consider Guenever a person until one day when he hurt her feelings.
Chapter 5
Brief Summary
Uncle Dap and Arthur notice that Lancelot and Guenever are falling in love. Uncle Dap reacts by lecturing Lancelot; Arthur on the other hand decides to take Lancelot with him to fight in the Roman Wars. Dictator Lucius allies with several other kings to declare war and get ransoms from England. The English win.
Chapter 6
Brief Summary
Lancelot is true to his word and thinks it to be the most valuable thing he posses, he is good but bad at the same time because he likes hurting people but wants to help. Guenever comes between him and Arthur and Lancelot decides to go on an adventure to get away from Guenever.
Chapter 7
Brief Summary
Description of how horrible it was to be poor in the ‘Might is Right’ time. Lancelot is on a quest to forget Guenever. Lancelot is riding around and he spots Sir Carados taking Sir Gawaine prisoner, Lancelot challenges Sir Carados and kills him. Lancelot continues riding on and he finds his cousin Sir Lionel, they ride together until Lancelot gets tired and lies down under a tree to sleep. Sir Lionel sees Sir Turquine chasing after 3 knights so he decides to challenge him. Sir Lionel loses and Sir Turquine takes him and the other 3 knights as prisoners. Lancelot, still asleep, is then found by a passing pageant by 4 Queens who are all witches. They argue over who will get him but one Queen, Morgan le Fay, casts a spell on him so they take him to her castle and let him decide which one he will take as his mistress. He rejects all of them and a damsel that is sent to give him food tells him that she can help him escape, he accepts her help. Description of tournaments. Lancelot agrees to help the damsel’s father, King Bagdemagus, win the tournament. He must travel through the forest to find the abbey where he is to meet the King but on his way he gets lost. He finds a pavilion and no one around so he sleeps in it but is suddenly awoken by a man sitting on his left foot. The man challenges Lancelot and so they fight while both are stark naked. Lancelot injures the other man (Sir Belleus). Sir Belleus’ wife starts yelling when she sees her husband with a gash across his stomach and starts calling Lancelot a murderer. Lancelot moves Sir Belleus to the pavilion and examines the wound which turns out to be a minor cut. Sir Belleus is grateful of Lancelot’s kindness so he lets him sleep there for the rest of the night and tells him the way to the abbey. Lancelot invites Sir Belleus to be part of the round table. Lancelot meets with the king and they settle everything, they win the tournament. Lancelot then goes to the magic apple tree that he fell asleep under and stops a woman to ask her for an adventure, knowing who he was, she sent him after Sir Turquine. Lancelot wins and sets all of the prisoners free.
Chapter 8
Brief Summary
Lancelot is riding and he sees a falcon get caught in a tree and a maiden tells him that it is her falcon and wants him to get it for her so he takes off his armor and climbs the tree, sets the falcon free and as he is climbing back down a fat knight rides up and challenges him without letting him put on his armor of get his sword. Lancelot was tricked by this knight’s wife who set her falcon loose to get Lancelot out of his armor. The fat knight tries to behead Lancelot but Lancelot manages to slit the fat knight throat. Later on, Lancelot was riding through a swampy area and he sees a knight chasing after his wife saying that she was an adulteress. Lancelot tells the other knight to swear he will not kills his wife and the knight does not swear, he instead tricks Lancelot by telling him that there were soldiers behind him, when Lancelot turned around the knight beheaded his wife. Lancelot wants to kill the knight but the knight begs for mercy. Then at the Pentecost feast all of the prisoners that Lancelot conquered kneeled to Queen Guenever instead of to Arthur because Lancelot had them all dedicated to her.
Chapter 9
Brief Summary
Arthur is depressed because his whole “Might for Right” society is not working out the way he expected, the knights were competing to see who could save more maidens and stuff like that and trying to prove they were better than another. The whole idea of a round table was so that there would not be any competition.
Chapter 10
Brief Summary
This chapter seems to have been written to make us understand Lancelot better. I wonder why in so many books I have read they all said that Lancelot was handsome but in this one it says that he is hideous. I feel horrible for him.
Chapter 11
Brief Summary
On his second quest, Lancelot is going to see King Pelles because his castle is haunted, when he arrives at the village of Corbin, where the Kings castle is located, he is received by all of the commoners telling him to save their princess, she is locked away in a tower and in a boiling tub. Lancelot saves her and she is introduced as Elaine. King Pelles invites Lancelot to stay with them.
Chapter 12
Brief Summary
Lancelot and King Pelles’ butler get drunk and Lance gets a message from Queen Guenever (Jenny) and Lancelot goes to her, they have sex and when morning came Lancelot discovers that he has been tricked. It was not Guenever, it was Elaine.
Chapter 13
Brief Summary
6th sense is balance, 7th sense is knowledge of the world. Guenever and Lancelot are united again and betray Arthur’s trust by having making love.
Chapter 14
Brief Summary
Arthur must leave to help Lancelot’s father in a war and Arthur asks Lance to stay in England. Lance and Jenny (Guenever) become lovers. Lancelot tells Guenever about his childhood daydreams.
Chapter 15
Brief Summary
Arthur returns to England after being away for a year. News comes to Lancelot that he has a son with Elaine named Galahad. When Guenever finds out she is very upset but she forgives him, although the seed of jealousy and hate is planted in their love.
Chapter 16
Brief Summary
Elaine is going to Camelot to see Lancelot and show him their son. Lancelot and Guenever fear Elaine’s arrival, both for different reasons. Arthur suspects that Lancelot and Guenever are having an affair but is to loving to behead them for treason and he is hopeful that his suspicions are wrong. Arthur speaks to Lancelot and Lancelot tells him a half true story about Elaine but leaves out Guenever. After Arthur leaves, Guenever talks to Lancelot and tells him that she will not stop him if he chooses to marry Elaine.
Chapter 17
Brief Summary
Elaine arrives and is greeted by Queen Guenever. Guenever is very unhappy and tells Lancelot that he should visit his baby but he is not to have sex with Elaine, in order to make sure that Lancelot is not with Elaine she is going to call him at night to check on him. Lancelot goes and visits Elaine and their son but leaves immediately after because Elaine practically threw herself at him.
Chapter 18
Brief Summary
Lancelot is called to go to the Queen but in reality it was Elaine and they had sex again but once again it was one of Elaine’s tricks. The next day Guenever calls both of them to her chamber and yells at them both. Elaine reveals the truth and Lancelot does not know what to do, he has been deceived again. The Queen does not believe her so she tells both of them to get out of her castle, Lancelot goes crazy and jumps out a window and runs away.
Chapter 19
Brief Summary
King Pelles and Sir Blaint are talking about a Wild Man; Sir Blaint had locked him up in a tower room and kept him there for a year and a half. The Wild Man was thought to be Lancelot but King Pelles thought that Lancelot had been killed by a wild bore. Sir Blaint tells King Pelles that he set the Wild Man free on a bore hunt and that the Wild Man never came back.
Chapter 20
Brief Summary
Lancelot (Wild Man) is in Corbin and runs to the castle being chased by boys throwing rocks at him. The King, being naïve, took Lancelot in and made him a jester and made him sleep in the pigeon coop. On a festival day, the King gave out robes to everyone and he realizes he did not give one to the Wild Man so he gives him his own expensive robe and sets him free.
Chapter 21
Brief Summary
Elaine is at her father’s castle with her son and a few of her women from the convent. One of her women was playing a ball game and she finds Lancelot sleeping next to the well. Elaine recognizes him immediately and tells her father to help her. They take him to a good room with a feather bed and food and a doctor and everything. When Lancelot wakes up the doctor has the palace orchestra play music for him because the cure to madness was music. Lancelot comes back to his senses.
Chapter 22
Brief Summary
Elaine takes care of Lancelot and she offers him to live with her in a castle. Lancelot tells her that he does not love her and that she would be unhappy living with him but she is convinced that she will be happy. Lancelot sets some rules (no marriage) and Elaine agrees. They move into their new castle which used to be Sir Blaints castle but he moved out. Lancelot now lives under the name of Chevalier Mal Fet (the ill-made knight).
Chapter 23
Brief Summary
In a tournament Lancelot wins and all the other knights are frightened because they do not know that it is him. Soon thereafter two knights came to fight him and the first was quite a match but before Lancelot could win, the knight asked him who he was, Lancelot told him that he was Sir Lancelot and the other knight was Degalis and the third knight was Ector. Degalis and Ector are Lancelot’s brothers.
Chapter 24
Brief Summary
Lancelot’s brothers try to convince him to leave Elaine and come with them but he is not convinced. Then, Uncle Dap arrives. When Lancelot goes out to greet him, Elaine stalls him and asks him if he is going to leave and he says no, she also asks him if he’ll come back if he leaves and he says that he is not leaving but if he were to leave that he would come back. Uncle Dap does not say anything to Lancelot, he just shows Lancelot his old armor and Lancelot puts it on and rides away to court.
Chapter 25
Brief Summary
Everything is back to normal with Lancelot back at court, description of the new generation of knights, comparison between England before Arthur and during Arthur’s reign, Gareth and Mordred come to court.
Chapter 26
Brief Summary
Lancelot and Arthur are talking about Queen Morgause and all the scandals surrounding her (she and Lamorak have an affair even though she is three times his age). Lancelot dislikes Mordred even though he does not know that he is Arthur’s son. Gareth gets a message saying that his brothers Gawaine, Agravaine and Mordred killed their mother Queen Morgause because Agravaine found her in bed with Lamorak. Mordred stabbed Lamorak to death.
Chapter 27
Brief Summary
Gawaine and Mordred leave Agravaine because he is weak in their eyes, they go to court to beg pardon of Arthur and he forgives them although he is upset with what has become of his table. Arthur tells Guenever and Lancelot that he wants to make the knights go on a quest to find the Holy Grail so that they will not be idle. A messenger comes to tell Lancelot that King Pelles wants him to knight Galahad.
Chapter 28
Brief Summary
All the knights including Lancelot set out to find the Holy Grail. Gawaine comes home after a year and a half and tells Arthur and Guenever about his quest. He is told many times throughout his quest that he will not find the Holy Grail because of the blood he has shed in order to find it.
Chapter 29
Brief Summary
Lancelot’s cousin Sir Lionel is next to come back home and he tells Arthur and Guenever about his brother Bors’ quest. Bors encounters many difficult obstacles but passes them all because he strongly believes in his morals and his dogma.
Chapter 30
Brief Summary
Sir Aglovaine is the son of King Pellinore and he wants to kill Gawaine, Mordred and Agravaine for revenge. Arthur does not try to stop him; he just tells him that he trusts that since he is a Pellinore that he will make the right decision. Aglovaine tells Arthur and Guenever about his quest to find the Holy Grail which ends up being about a letter from his sister which is about their brother Percy.
Chapter 31
Brief Summary
Everyone that is still alive is showing up at court but Lancelot still has not shown up, people fear that he may be dead but one day he appears and goes directly to his apartments to rest. Uncle Dap goes to Arthur and Guenever to tell them what Lancelot has told him. Galahad, Percy and Bors have the Holy Grail but cannot bring it to Camelot and only Bors will be coming back home. Percy and Galahad will not.
Chapter 32
Brief Summary
Guenever is all dressed up for Lancelot but what he loves about her is not her looks but her personality. Lancelot sits with Arthur and Guenever to eat breakfast and tell them about his quest for the Holy Grail. In his quest Lancelot loses three jousts, this is because he has not confessed his sins. Lancelot then confesses his sins two different times to two different hermits.
Chapter 33
Brief Summary
Description of the holy boat that Lancelot was in with Sir Aglovaine’s sister who was dead. Galahad arrives on the boat and eventually Galahad has to get off the boat to pursue the Grail and Lancelot cannot because he is not pure. Lancelot arrives at a castle where he has to surpass many holy obstacles to reach a chapel within and hear mass from outside the chapel because the Holy Grail was inside and Lancelot could not go near it.
Chapter 34
Brief Summary
Compares Guenever to a lioness and a man-eater although she is just a ‘real’ person after all, Guenever wants Lancelot to be her lover again but he is devoted to God. Guenever is set upon getting him back.
Chapter 35
Brief Summary
Guenever asks Lancelot to leave so that she does not lose her sanity. Lancelot leaves court for her.
Chapter 36
Brief Summary
Description of fashion, dinner party hosted by Guenever because her popularity is lagging but in her party someone poisons the apple that was meant for Gawaine but it was eaten by a man named Patrick and he dies. Everyone suspects Guenever so there is a trial by combat to prove she is innocent. Sir Bors is her champion although he does not like women and she wanted Lancelot but he was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 37
Brief Summary
Sir Bors finds Lancelot so Lancelot fights in Sir Bors place. Lancelot defeats Sir Mador.
Chapter 38
Brief Summary
There is a tournament in honor of Guenever’s innocence and it is near the town of Corbin where Elaine lives. Lancelot goes to the tournament and he visits Elaine because she must be very upset after the death of their son, she is still waiting where he left her. Elaine tells him that he is going to stay with her forever.
Chapter 39
Brief Summary
Lancelot gets beaten at the tournament unfairly three to one, and he is wounded badly. Elaine nurses him back to health and she asks him to wear her token while jousting and he accepts, Guenever finds out about this token and she lets all her anger out on Sir Bors, Lancelot tells Elaine they need to talk.
Chapter 40
Brief Summary
Guenever and Lancelot fight a lot and Elaine commits suicide because she no longer has anything to live for since she finds out that Lancelot does not love her, Guenever turns all of a sudden and reproaches Lancelot and tells him that if he would have been kinder to Elaine then she would still be alive. Guenever pities Elaine.
Chapter 41
Brief Summary
Lancelot gets shot on the rump by a lady archer but he still competes in the next tournament. In this tournament Arthur and Lancelot joust, Lancelot defeats all of the Orkney brothers except Gareth who is on his team. Mordred and Agravaine plot to kill Lancelot, Sir Meliagrance is madly in love with Guenever. Arthur and Lancelot are talking about Tristram and King Mark when a page comes in and tells Lancelot that the Queen and her bodyguards where ambushed and they were taken captive by Sir Meliagrance. Lancelot is on his way.
Chapter 42
Brief Summary
Lancelot goes to Sir Meliagrance’s castle and when Sir Meliagrance finds out Lancelot is on his way he begs the Queen to forgive him and he surrenders. Lancelot and Guenever fall in love again.
Chapter 43
Brief Summary
Lancelot and Guenever are lovers again, Sir Meliagrance thinks that one of the wounded soldiers has been sleeping with the Queen so he accuses her of being a traitor to the King, Lancelot agrees to defend her in a combat but Sir Meliagrance tricks him and makes him fall into a pit.
Chapter 44
Brief Summary
Lancelot gets out of the pit the morning of the combat, Sir Meliagrance surrenders again when he sees Lancelot. Lancelot then offers to fight him without his helm, with his left side uncovered and his left hand tied behind his back and Sir Meliagrance happily accepts. Lancelot kills Sir Meliagrance.
Chapter 45
Brief Summary
This chapter basically summarizes the whole book by describing the changes in England. Sir Urre is a Hungarian knight who is cursed with wounds that only the best knight in the world can heal, he goes to Arthur’s court and Arthur lets all his knights try leaving Lancelot last. Lancelot prays to God that he can heal the knight for the knight’s sake and he heals him. Everyone cheers but Lancelot cries.
~Thoughts~
I think that the love triangle between Lancelot, Elaine and Guenever is really unfair not only because love is meant to be shared by two people not three, but because Elaine is the only one that was not loved back, she was just a third wheel.
I was also wondering why T.H. White depicted Lancelot as ugly and I think it was to stress the point that people loved him for his talent and personality (which is a little bit twisted too) and not for his looks.
I think that besides Gareth not one of them is good. They have all done at least one thing that would classify them as a bad person, Gareth is with Lancelot in the tournament instead of with his brothers which takes a lot of guts and also he disapproved of Mordred, Agravaine, and Gawaine especially after they killed his mother.
I definitely respect Arthur for choosing to ignore Lancelot and Guenever’s affair because it would be very difficult to deal with that kind of betrayal and I think that Arthur took the high road. I do not think that I would react the same way because I would not be strong enough to live knowing that the two people I love most are betraying me so I admire Arthur’s strength in that sense.
Brief Summary
Lancelot is a 15 year old prince from France whose father has taken him to England to help Arthur. Lancelot has only spoken to Arthur once but already loves him and his ideals. Arthur offers him to be a knight of the round table and Lancelot, of course, accepts. Lancelot is extremely self-conscious; he claims that when he becomes a knight he will not be known as Sir Lancelot but as the Ill-Made Knight.
Chapter 2
Vocabulary: fforbeshynge, bagge, jakete, schertes, pyssying, iijpeire, gantelez
Brief Summary
Comparison between jousting and cricket, description of the armory in Lancelot’s castle in France, description of training for knights, comparison between knights-in-armor and divers, Lancelot loves training.
Chapter 3
Brief Summary
To Lancelot, Uncle Dap is like Merlyn is to Arthur. Merlyn visits Lancelot and tells him about Nimue and Guenever and catches him up on everything that’s been happening with Arthur lately. Lancelot decides to run away to England to become a knight of the round table and takes Uncle Dap as a squire.
Chapter 4
Brief Summary
Lancelot is now in England and encounters a knight dressed in black on his way to Arthur’s castle, they battle and Lancelot wins. He then discovers that the dark knight was really Arthur. Arthur is happy to see Lancelot and takes him back to the castle in the meanwhile he catches him up on the chivalry changes. King Pellinore accidentally killed King Lot of Orkney and 3 of the Orkney brothers are Knights of the Round Table. Arthur gives Lancelot a jerfalcon. Lancelot does not consider Guenever a person until one day when he hurt her feelings.
Chapter 5
Brief Summary
Uncle Dap and Arthur notice that Lancelot and Guenever are falling in love. Uncle Dap reacts by lecturing Lancelot; Arthur on the other hand decides to take Lancelot with him to fight in the Roman Wars. Dictator Lucius allies with several other kings to declare war and get ransoms from England. The English win.
Chapter 6
Brief Summary
Lancelot is true to his word and thinks it to be the most valuable thing he posses, he is good but bad at the same time because he likes hurting people but wants to help. Guenever comes between him and Arthur and Lancelot decides to go on an adventure to get away from Guenever.
Chapter 7
Brief Summary
Description of how horrible it was to be poor in the ‘Might is Right’ time. Lancelot is on a quest to forget Guenever. Lancelot is riding around and he spots Sir Carados taking Sir Gawaine prisoner, Lancelot challenges Sir Carados and kills him. Lancelot continues riding on and he finds his cousin Sir Lionel, they ride together until Lancelot gets tired and lies down under a tree to sleep. Sir Lionel sees Sir Turquine chasing after 3 knights so he decides to challenge him. Sir Lionel loses and Sir Turquine takes him and the other 3 knights as prisoners. Lancelot, still asleep, is then found by a passing pageant by 4 Queens who are all witches. They argue over who will get him but one Queen, Morgan le Fay, casts a spell on him so they take him to her castle and let him decide which one he will take as his mistress. He rejects all of them and a damsel that is sent to give him food tells him that she can help him escape, he accepts her help. Description of tournaments. Lancelot agrees to help the damsel’s father, King Bagdemagus, win the tournament. He must travel through the forest to find the abbey where he is to meet the King but on his way he gets lost. He finds a pavilion and no one around so he sleeps in it but is suddenly awoken by a man sitting on his left foot. The man challenges Lancelot and so they fight while both are stark naked. Lancelot injures the other man (Sir Belleus). Sir Belleus’ wife starts yelling when she sees her husband with a gash across his stomach and starts calling Lancelot a murderer. Lancelot moves Sir Belleus to the pavilion and examines the wound which turns out to be a minor cut. Sir Belleus is grateful of Lancelot’s kindness so he lets him sleep there for the rest of the night and tells him the way to the abbey. Lancelot invites Sir Belleus to be part of the round table. Lancelot meets with the king and they settle everything, they win the tournament. Lancelot then goes to the magic apple tree that he fell asleep under and stops a woman to ask her for an adventure, knowing who he was, she sent him after Sir Turquine. Lancelot wins and sets all of the prisoners free.
Chapter 8
Brief Summary
Lancelot is riding and he sees a falcon get caught in a tree and a maiden tells him that it is her falcon and wants him to get it for her so he takes off his armor and climbs the tree, sets the falcon free and as he is climbing back down a fat knight rides up and challenges him without letting him put on his armor of get his sword. Lancelot was tricked by this knight’s wife who set her falcon loose to get Lancelot out of his armor. The fat knight tries to behead Lancelot but Lancelot manages to slit the fat knight throat. Later on, Lancelot was riding through a swampy area and he sees a knight chasing after his wife saying that she was an adulteress. Lancelot tells the other knight to swear he will not kills his wife and the knight does not swear, he instead tricks Lancelot by telling him that there were soldiers behind him, when Lancelot turned around the knight beheaded his wife. Lancelot wants to kill the knight but the knight begs for mercy. Then at the Pentecost feast all of the prisoners that Lancelot conquered kneeled to Queen Guenever instead of to Arthur because Lancelot had them all dedicated to her.
Chapter 9
Brief Summary
Arthur is depressed because his whole “Might for Right” society is not working out the way he expected, the knights were competing to see who could save more maidens and stuff like that and trying to prove they were better than another. The whole idea of a round table was so that there would not be any competition.
Chapter 10
Brief Summary
This chapter seems to have been written to make us understand Lancelot better. I wonder why in so many books I have read they all said that Lancelot was handsome but in this one it says that he is hideous. I feel horrible for him.
Chapter 11
Brief Summary
On his second quest, Lancelot is going to see King Pelles because his castle is haunted, when he arrives at the village of Corbin, where the Kings castle is located, he is received by all of the commoners telling him to save their princess, she is locked away in a tower and in a boiling tub. Lancelot saves her and she is introduced as Elaine. King Pelles invites Lancelot to stay with them.
Chapter 12
Brief Summary
Lancelot and King Pelles’ butler get drunk and Lance gets a message from Queen Guenever (Jenny) and Lancelot goes to her, they have sex and when morning came Lancelot discovers that he has been tricked. It was not Guenever, it was Elaine.
Chapter 13
Brief Summary
6th sense is balance, 7th sense is knowledge of the world. Guenever and Lancelot are united again and betray Arthur’s trust by having making love.
Chapter 14
Brief Summary
Arthur must leave to help Lancelot’s father in a war and Arthur asks Lance to stay in England. Lance and Jenny (Guenever) become lovers. Lancelot tells Guenever about his childhood daydreams.
Chapter 15
Brief Summary
Arthur returns to England after being away for a year. News comes to Lancelot that he has a son with Elaine named Galahad. When Guenever finds out she is very upset but she forgives him, although the seed of jealousy and hate is planted in their love.
Chapter 16
Brief Summary
Elaine is going to Camelot to see Lancelot and show him their son. Lancelot and Guenever fear Elaine’s arrival, both for different reasons. Arthur suspects that Lancelot and Guenever are having an affair but is to loving to behead them for treason and he is hopeful that his suspicions are wrong. Arthur speaks to Lancelot and Lancelot tells him a half true story about Elaine but leaves out Guenever. After Arthur leaves, Guenever talks to Lancelot and tells him that she will not stop him if he chooses to marry Elaine.
Chapter 17
Brief Summary
Elaine arrives and is greeted by Queen Guenever. Guenever is very unhappy and tells Lancelot that he should visit his baby but he is not to have sex with Elaine, in order to make sure that Lancelot is not with Elaine she is going to call him at night to check on him. Lancelot goes and visits Elaine and their son but leaves immediately after because Elaine practically threw herself at him.
Chapter 18
Brief Summary
Lancelot is called to go to the Queen but in reality it was Elaine and they had sex again but once again it was one of Elaine’s tricks. The next day Guenever calls both of them to her chamber and yells at them both. Elaine reveals the truth and Lancelot does not know what to do, he has been deceived again. The Queen does not believe her so she tells both of them to get out of her castle, Lancelot goes crazy and jumps out a window and runs away.
Chapter 19
Brief Summary
King Pelles and Sir Blaint are talking about a Wild Man; Sir Blaint had locked him up in a tower room and kept him there for a year and a half. The Wild Man was thought to be Lancelot but King Pelles thought that Lancelot had been killed by a wild bore. Sir Blaint tells King Pelles that he set the Wild Man free on a bore hunt and that the Wild Man never came back.
Chapter 20
Brief Summary
Lancelot (Wild Man) is in Corbin and runs to the castle being chased by boys throwing rocks at him. The King, being naïve, took Lancelot in and made him a jester and made him sleep in the pigeon coop. On a festival day, the King gave out robes to everyone and he realizes he did not give one to the Wild Man so he gives him his own expensive robe and sets him free.
Chapter 21
Brief Summary
Elaine is at her father’s castle with her son and a few of her women from the convent. One of her women was playing a ball game and she finds Lancelot sleeping next to the well. Elaine recognizes him immediately and tells her father to help her. They take him to a good room with a feather bed and food and a doctor and everything. When Lancelot wakes up the doctor has the palace orchestra play music for him because the cure to madness was music. Lancelot comes back to his senses.
Chapter 22
Brief Summary
Elaine takes care of Lancelot and she offers him to live with her in a castle. Lancelot tells her that he does not love her and that she would be unhappy living with him but she is convinced that she will be happy. Lancelot sets some rules (no marriage) and Elaine agrees. They move into their new castle which used to be Sir Blaints castle but he moved out. Lancelot now lives under the name of Chevalier Mal Fet (the ill-made knight).
Chapter 23
Brief Summary
In a tournament Lancelot wins and all the other knights are frightened because they do not know that it is him. Soon thereafter two knights came to fight him and the first was quite a match but before Lancelot could win, the knight asked him who he was, Lancelot told him that he was Sir Lancelot and the other knight was Degalis and the third knight was Ector. Degalis and Ector are Lancelot’s brothers.
Chapter 24
Brief Summary
Lancelot’s brothers try to convince him to leave Elaine and come with them but he is not convinced. Then, Uncle Dap arrives. When Lancelot goes out to greet him, Elaine stalls him and asks him if he is going to leave and he says no, she also asks him if he’ll come back if he leaves and he says that he is not leaving but if he were to leave that he would come back. Uncle Dap does not say anything to Lancelot, he just shows Lancelot his old armor and Lancelot puts it on and rides away to court.
Chapter 25
Brief Summary
Everything is back to normal with Lancelot back at court, description of the new generation of knights, comparison between England before Arthur and during Arthur’s reign, Gareth and Mordred come to court.
Chapter 26
Brief Summary
Lancelot and Arthur are talking about Queen Morgause and all the scandals surrounding her (she and Lamorak have an affair even though she is three times his age). Lancelot dislikes Mordred even though he does not know that he is Arthur’s son. Gareth gets a message saying that his brothers Gawaine, Agravaine and Mordred killed their mother Queen Morgause because Agravaine found her in bed with Lamorak. Mordred stabbed Lamorak to death.
Chapter 27
Brief Summary
Gawaine and Mordred leave Agravaine because he is weak in their eyes, they go to court to beg pardon of Arthur and he forgives them although he is upset with what has become of his table. Arthur tells Guenever and Lancelot that he wants to make the knights go on a quest to find the Holy Grail so that they will not be idle. A messenger comes to tell Lancelot that King Pelles wants him to knight Galahad.
Chapter 28
Brief Summary
All the knights including Lancelot set out to find the Holy Grail. Gawaine comes home after a year and a half and tells Arthur and Guenever about his quest. He is told many times throughout his quest that he will not find the Holy Grail because of the blood he has shed in order to find it.
Chapter 29
Brief Summary
Lancelot’s cousin Sir Lionel is next to come back home and he tells Arthur and Guenever about his brother Bors’ quest. Bors encounters many difficult obstacles but passes them all because he strongly believes in his morals and his dogma.
Chapter 30
Brief Summary
Sir Aglovaine is the son of King Pellinore and he wants to kill Gawaine, Mordred and Agravaine for revenge. Arthur does not try to stop him; he just tells him that he trusts that since he is a Pellinore that he will make the right decision. Aglovaine tells Arthur and Guenever about his quest to find the Holy Grail which ends up being about a letter from his sister which is about their brother Percy.
Chapter 31
Brief Summary
Everyone that is still alive is showing up at court but Lancelot still has not shown up, people fear that he may be dead but one day he appears and goes directly to his apartments to rest. Uncle Dap goes to Arthur and Guenever to tell them what Lancelot has told him. Galahad, Percy and Bors have the Holy Grail but cannot bring it to Camelot and only Bors will be coming back home. Percy and Galahad will not.
Chapter 32
Brief Summary
Guenever is all dressed up for Lancelot but what he loves about her is not her looks but her personality. Lancelot sits with Arthur and Guenever to eat breakfast and tell them about his quest for the Holy Grail. In his quest Lancelot loses three jousts, this is because he has not confessed his sins. Lancelot then confesses his sins two different times to two different hermits.
Chapter 33
Brief Summary
Description of the holy boat that Lancelot was in with Sir Aglovaine’s sister who was dead. Galahad arrives on the boat and eventually Galahad has to get off the boat to pursue the Grail and Lancelot cannot because he is not pure. Lancelot arrives at a castle where he has to surpass many holy obstacles to reach a chapel within and hear mass from outside the chapel because the Holy Grail was inside and Lancelot could not go near it.
Chapter 34
Brief Summary
Compares Guenever to a lioness and a man-eater although she is just a ‘real’ person after all, Guenever wants Lancelot to be her lover again but he is devoted to God. Guenever is set upon getting him back.
Chapter 35
Brief Summary
Guenever asks Lancelot to leave so that she does not lose her sanity. Lancelot leaves court for her.
Chapter 36
Brief Summary
Description of fashion, dinner party hosted by Guenever because her popularity is lagging but in her party someone poisons the apple that was meant for Gawaine but it was eaten by a man named Patrick and he dies. Everyone suspects Guenever so there is a trial by combat to prove she is innocent. Sir Bors is her champion although he does not like women and she wanted Lancelot but he was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 37
Brief Summary
Sir Bors finds Lancelot so Lancelot fights in Sir Bors place. Lancelot defeats Sir Mador.
Chapter 38
Brief Summary
There is a tournament in honor of Guenever’s innocence and it is near the town of Corbin where Elaine lives. Lancelot goes to the tournament and he visits Elaine because she must be very upset after the death of their son, she is still waiting where he left her. Elaine tells him that he is going to stay with her forever.
Chapter 39
Brief Summary
Lancelot gets beaten at the tournament unfairly three to one, and he is wounded badly. Elaine nurses him back to health and she asks him to wear her token while jousting and he accepts, Guenever finds out about this token and she lets all her anger out on Sir Bors, Lancelot tells Elaine they need to talk.
Chapter 40
Brief Summary
Guenever and Lancelot fight a lot and Elaine commits suicide because she no longer has anything to live for since she finds out that Lancelot does not love her, Guenever turns all of a sudden and reproaches Lancelot and tells him that if he would have been kinder to Elaine then she would still be alive. Guenever pities Elaine.
Chapter 41
Brief Summary
Lancelot gets shot on the rump by a lady archer but he still competes in the next tournament. In this tournament Arthur and Lancelot joust, Lancelot defeats all of the Orkney brothers except Gareth who is on his team. Mordred and Agravaine plot to kill Lancelot, Sir Meliagrance is madly in love with Guenever. Arthur and Lancelot are talking about Tristram and King Mark when a page comes in and tells Lancelot that the Queen and her bodyguards where ambushed and they were taken captive by Sir Meliagrance. Lancelot is on his way.
Chapter 42
Brief Summary
Lancelot goes to Sir Meliagrance’s castle and when Sir Meliagrance finds out Lancelot is on his way he begs the Queen to forgive him and he surrenders. Lancelot and Guenever fall in love again.
Chapter 43
Brief Summary
Lancelot and Guenever are lovers again, Sir Meliagrance thinks that one of the wounded soldiers has been sleeping with the Queen so he accuses her of being a traitor to the King, Lancelot agrees to defend her in a combat but Sir Meliagrance tricks him and makes him fall into a pit.
Chapter 44
Brief Summary
Lancelot gets out of the pit the morning of the combat, Sir Meliagrance surrenders again when he sees Lancelot. Lancelot then offers to fight him without his helm, with his left side uncovered and his left hand tied behind his back and Sir Meliagrance happily accepts. Lancelot kills Sir Meliagrance.
Chapter 45
Brief Summary
This chapter basically summarizes the whole book by describing the changes in England. Sir Urre is a Hungarian knight who is cursed with wounds that only the best knight in the world can heal, he goes to Arthur’s court and Arthur lets all his knights try leaving Lancelot last. Lancelot prays to God that he can heal the knight for the knight’s sake and he heals him. Everyone cheers but Lancelot cries.
~Thoughts~
I think that the love triangle between Lancelot, Elaine and Guenever is really unfair not only because love is meant to be shared by two people not three, but because Elaine is the only one that was not loved back, she was just a third wheel.
I was also wondering why T.H. White depicted Lancelot as ugly and I think it was to stress the point that people loved him for his talent and personality (which is a little bit twisted too) and not for his looks.
I think that besides Gareth not one of them is good. They have all done at least one thing that would classify them as a bad person, Gareth is with Lancelot in the tournament instead of with his brothers which takes a lot of guts and also he disapproved of Mordred, Agravaine, and Gawaine especially after they killed his mother.
I definitely respect Arthur for choosing to ignore Lancelot and Guenever’s affair because it would be very difficult to deal with that kind of betrayal and I think that Arthur took the high road. I do not think that I would react the same way because I would not be strong enough to live knowing that the two people I love most are betraying me so I admire Arthur’s strength in that sense.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Queen of Air and Darkness
Chapter 1
Vocabulary: Piseog, nigromancer
Brief Summary
Four boys telling the story of Uther and Igrain. They think Merlyn is evil, Queen Morgause practices minor magic (boils black cat). Her 4 sons hate all Pendragon’s including Arthur.
Chapter 2
Brief Summary
Merlyn and Arthur talk about the battle and Merlyn makes Arthur realize how messed up some parts of chivalry are. “Might is Right”, Arthur realizes is not a good way of thinking.
Chapter 3
Brief Summary
Kay is very interested in learning more about Queen Morgause and her life and asks Merlyn several questions about her, Arthur instead asks Merlyn about races and Merlyn explains the differences between races and why some of them hate each other, because of the Normans conquered the “old ones” they are going to rebel.
Chapter 4
Brief Summary
Merlyn, Kay, and Arthur are debating when it is right or wrong to start a war and who the aggressor is in different situations. Arthur asks Merlyn to tell him all about King Lot of Orkney. Merlyn talks about how some noblemen fight for fun while others fight for real reasons such as race.
Chapter 5
Brief Summary
The four boys are at Mother Morlan’s house hearing a story from St. Toirdealbhach. The boys like fighting and wars and stuff of that sort. St. Toirdealbhach does not so he kicks the boys out. The boys find two donkeys and beat them on the purpose of hurting them which they do not achieve and then they see a magical barge with three knights in it. The knights were King Pellinore, Sir Grummore, and Sir Palomides. When the knights arrive all the townspeople of Orkney gather around them and stare at them.
Chapter 6
Brief Summary
Everything is being prepared for battle; Arthur summons Merlyn, Kay and Sir Ector to talk about changing chivalry. Arthur is determined to change the common belief that “Might is Right” and channel all the might to DO right.
Chapter 7
Brief Summary
King Pellinore is in love with the princess of Flanders, Queen Morgause sends the knights to hunt a unicorn and she volunteers to be the virgin bait. The boys decide to also hunt a unicorn so they use a kitchen maid as their bait but it was against her will. They decide to not kill the unicorn, just to lead it back home to their mother but when the unicorn arrives they are all stunned by its beauty and elegance and Agravaine kills it. The only one of the boys who cries is Gareth. After attempting to butcher the unicorn, the boys decide to cut off its head to take to their mother. Since they are too small to carry it they end up dragging it and ruining it. When they reach home they try to show her but she doesn’t pay attention to them and when she finally does notice she has them whipped because she had spent all day trying to catch one and was unsuccessful.
Chapter 8
Brief Summary
Description of the tents in which the knights stay during times of war. Arthur, Kay, Merlyn and Sir Ector discuss having a round table for their new chivalry knights. Merlyn reveals to Arthur that he is going to marry Guenever, daughter of King Leodragance. Kay and Arthur plan an annual feast for their future Knights of the Round Table, and Kay and Merlyn fight about whether or not it is ok to start a war even if it’s for a good reason.
Chapter 9
Vocabulary: Joculator, ogham
Brief Summary
Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides decide to dress up as the Questing Beast to cheer up King Pellinore. The Queen decides to hate the knights and love her boys which she did not pay attention to before. Description of the old ones castle.
Chapter 10
Brief Summary
Merlyn has something to tell Arthur but he does not remember what it is, he tells Arthur a story about how you cannot run away from destiny and also tells him that in the future they will be back and what will be written on Arthur’s tombstone.
Chapter 11
Brief Summary
King Pellinore goes for a walk and finds Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides on a cliff with the Questing Beast behind them. They tell King Pellinore that the beast has fallen in love with them. Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides want King Pellinore to go up there and finally kill the Questing Beast but King Pellinore refuses. King Pellinore holds onto the Questing Beasts tail and Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides make a run for it, the Questing Beast bites King Pellinore because she wants to go after her love and she gets away from him, she follows them to the castle but the drawbridge is risen before she can get in. King Pellinore is then found by his love, Piggy and they decide to get married as soon as they get back home, St. Toirdealbhach and Mother Morlan are going to also get married. Finally after their long stay in Orkney, the three knights are finally accepted.
Chapter 12
Brief Summary
The battle is to begin; Arthur takes it seriously unlike King Lot who is just doing it to get ransoms from captured knights and for the fun of killing serfs. Arthur thinks about how he should attack and decides that since he is clearly out numbered 3 to 1, that he should attack at night when no one is expecting it, also he is concentrating on getting the leaders instead of just the serfs and knights. King Lot thinks he can out smart Arthur and he tries to split the army so one half can rest while the other fights but what he does not realize is that Arthur had the French Kings Ban and Bors in the forest waiting for King Lot. King Lot is ambushed. Arthur wins.
Chapter 13
Brief Summary
King Pellinore is going back home to marry Piggy, the Questing Beast is still besieging the castle when Merlyn appears and sees what is happening, Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides tell Merlyn what is happening and Merlyn tells them to talk to the Questing Beast and tell her of the mistake, that does not work so Merlyn suggests that they psycho-analyze her, they do their best and she understands, she stops besieging the castle and falls in love with Sir Palomides. Merlyn continues on his Northern Walking Tour. Queen Morgause is going to go to Carlion with her boys to King Pellinore and Piggy’s wedding but the only reason that she wants to go is so she can see Arthur and make him fall in love with her by magic.
Chapter 14
Brief Summary
Sir Grummore, Sir Palomides, Queen Morgause, her sons, King Pellinore, Piggy, St. Toirdealbhach, Mother Morlan, the Questing Beast and several others are going to Carlion for the double wedding (King Pellinore and Piggy, St. Toirdealbhach and Mother Morlan), all of the old ones wave to them goodbye as they leave Orkney. Description of Carlion and the wedding, Merlyn remembers that what he wanted to tell Arthur was the name of his mother, Igraine. Queen Morgause and Arthur are half brothers but do not know it. Queen Morgause casts a spell on Arthur causing him to fall in love with her and they have a baby boy named Mordred.
~*~ Thoughts ~*~
1. In the beginning Morgause does not pay attention to her sons whatsoever but later on she changes her mind and starts loving her sons.
2. Arthur’s vision for the Round Table Knights is based on how he wants to change chivalry so that is actually helps people instead of empowering knights. These Knights of the Round Table are to be more humane and kind than the knights that base their thoughts on ‘Might is Right’.
3.King Pellinore is now in love and to be married to Piggy which causes him to hand over the Questing Beast to Sir Palomides, whom the Questing Beast is in love with.
4.I have noticed that Gareth is more sensitive than the others, Agravaine is a smart mouth and very attached to his mother, Gawaine is very proud of his family, and Gaheris is not mentioned very much so I cannot decipher his character.
5. The Spancel, in my opinion, is acquired in a very disturbing way although as a tool it is very useful for Queen Morgause’s plans.
Vocabulary: Piseog, nigromancer
Brief Summary
Four boys telling the story of Uther and Igrain. They think Merlyn is evil, Queen Morgause practices minor magic (boils black cat). Her 4 sons hate all Pendragon’s including Arthur.
Chapter 2
Brief Summary
Merlyn and Arthur talk about the battle and Merlyn makes Arthur realize how messed up some parts of chivalry are. “Might is Right”, Arthur realizes is not a good way of thinking.
Chapter 3
Brief Summary
Kay is very interested in learning more about Queen Morgause and her life and asks Merlyn several questions about her, Arthur instead asks Merlyn about races and Merlyn explains the differences between races and why some of them hate each other, because of the Normans conquered the “old ones” they are going to rebel.
Chapter 4
Brief Summary
Merlyn, Kay, and Arthur are debating when it is right or wrong to start a war and who the aggressor is in different situations. Arthur asks Merlyn to tell him all about King Lot of Orkney. Merlyn talks about how some noblemen fight for fun while others fight for real reasons such as race.
Chapter 5
Brief Summary
The four boys are at Mother Morlan’s house hearing a story from St. Toirdealbhach. The boys like fighting and wars and stuff of that sort. St. Toirdealbhach does not so he kicks the boys out. The boys find two donkeys and beat them on the purpose of hurting them which they do not achieve and then they see a magical barge with three knights in it. The knights were King Pellinore, Sir Grummore, and Sir Palomides. When the knights arrive all the townspeople of Orkney gather around them and stare at them.
Chapter 6
Brief Summary
Everything is being prepared for battle; Arthur summons Merlyn, Kay and Sir Ector to talk about changing chivalry. Arthur is determined to change the common belief that “Might is Right” and channel all the might to DO right.
Chapter 7
Brief Summary
King Pellinore is in love with the princess of Flanders, Queen Morgause sends the knights to hunt a unicorn and she volunteers to be the virgin bait. The boys decide to also hunt a unicorn so they use a kitchen maid as their bait but it was against her will. They decide to not kill the unicorn, just to lead it back home to their mother but when the unicorn arrives they are all stunned by its beauty and elegance and Agravaine kills it. The only one of the boys who cries is Gareth. After attempting to butcher the unicorn, the boys decide to cut off its head to take to their mother. Since they are too small to carry it they end up dragging it and ruining it. When they reach home they try to show her but she doesn’t pay attention to them and when she finally does notice she has them whipped because she had spent all day trying to catch one and was unsuccessful.
Chapter 8
Brief Summary
Description of the tents in which the knights stay during times of war. Arthur, Kay, Merlyn and Sir Ector discuss having a round table for their new chivalry knights. Merlyn reveals to Arthur that he is going to marry Guenever, daughter of King Leodragance. Kay and Arthur plan an annual feast for their future Knights of the Round Table, and Kay and Merlyn fight about whether or not it is ok to start a war even if it’s for a good reason.
Chapter 9
Vocabulary: Joculator, ogham
Brief Summary
Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides decide to dress up as the Questing Beast to cheer up King Pellinore. The Queen decides to hate the knights and love her boys which she did not pay attention to before. Description of the old ones castle.
Chapter 10
Brief Summary
Merlyn has something to tell Arthur but he does not remember what it is, he tells Arthur a story about how you cannot run away from destiny and also tells him that in the future they will be back and what will be written on Arthur’s tombstone.
Chapter 11
Brief Summary
King Pellinore goes for a walk and finds Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides on a cliff with the Questing Beast behind them. They tell King Pellinore that the beast has fallen in love with them. Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides want King Pellinore to go up there and finally kill the Questing Beast but King Pellinore refuses. King Pellinore holds onto the Questing Beasts tail and Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides make a run for it, the Questing Beast bites King Pellinore because she wants to go after her love and she gets away from him, she follows them to the castle but the drawbridge is risen before she can get in. King Pellinore is then found by his love, Piggy and they decide to get married as soon as they get back home, St. Toirdealbhach and Mother Morlan are going to also get married. Finally after their long stay in Orkney, the three knights are finally accepted.
Chapter 12
Brief Summary
The battle is to begin; Arthur takes it seriously unlike King Lot who is just doing it to get ransoms from captured knights and for the fun of killing serfs. Arthur thinks about how he should attack and decides that since he is clearly out numbered 3 to 1, that he should attack at night when no one is expecting it, also he is concentrating on getting the leaders instead of just the serfs and knights. King Lot thinks he can out smart Arthur and he tries to split the army so one half can rest while the other fights but what he does not realize is that Arthur had the French Kings Ban and Bors in the forest waiting for King Lot. King Lot is ambushed. Arthur wins.
Chapter 13
Brief Summary
King Pellinore is going back home to marry Piggy, the Questing Beast is still besieging the castle when Merlyn appears and sees what is happening, Sir Grummore and Sir Palomides tell Merlyn what is happening and Merlyn tells them to talk to the Questing Beast and tell her of the mistake, that does not work so Merlyn suggests that they psycho-analyze her, they do their best and she understands, she stops besieging the castle and falls in love with Sir Palomides. Merlyn continues on his Northern Walking Tour. Queen Morgause is going to go to Carlion with her boys to King Pellinore and Piggy’s wedding but the only reason that she wants to go is so she can see Arthur and make him fall in love with her by magic.
Chapter 14
Brief Summary
Sir Grummore, Sir Palomides, Queen Morgause, her sons, King Pellinore, Piggy, St. Toirdealbhach, Mother Morlan, the Questing Beast and several others are going to Carlion for the double wedding (King Pellinore and Piggy, St. Toirdealbhach and Mother Morlan), all of the old ones wave to them goodbye as they leave Orkney. Description of Carlion and the wedding, Merlyn remembers that what he wanted to tell Arthur was the name of his mother, Igraine. Queen Morgause and Arthur are half brothers but do not know it. Queen Morgause casts a spell on Arthur causing him to fall in love with her and they have a baby boy named Mordred.
~*~ Thoughts ~*~
1. In the beginning Morgause does not pay attention to her sons whatsoever but later on she changes her mind and starts loving her sons.
2. Arthur’s vision for the Round Table Knights is based on how he wants to change chivalry so that is actually helps people instead of empowering knights. These Knights of the Round Table are to be more humane and kind than the knights that base their thoughts on ‘Might is Right’.
3.King Pellinore is now in love and to be married to Piggy which causes him to hand over the Questing Beast to Sir Palomides, whom the Questing Beast is in love with.
4.I have noticed that Gareth is more sensitive than the others, Agravaine is a smart mouth and very attached to his mother, Gawaine is very proud of his family, and Gaheris is not mentioned very much so I cannot decipher his character.
5. The Spancel, in my opinion, is acquired in a very disturbing way although as a tool it is very useful for Queen Morgause’s plans.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Sword in the Stone
Ch.1
We are introduced to Kay, Sir Ector, and Wart. Wart is not Sir Ector’s son like Kay is and it is constantly rubbed in his face by Kay. Kay and Wart need a tutor. After hay-making, Wart and Kay decide to go hawking
Comments
So Far I like the authors writing style and how he describes everything in so much detail. He also compares scenes in the book to modern day events that the reader can relate to.
Ch.2
Cully, the goshawk, is sitting in a tree because he does not want to hunt. Kay gets irritated and leaves Wart and Cully in the woods. Cully leads Wart deeper into the woods. Wart almost gets killed by an arrow so he hides but soon loses his way and gets lost. Wart wanders around, arrives in a clearing and meets with a knight. The knight turns out to be King Pellinore searching for the Questing Beast.
Ch.3
Vocabulary: Corkindrill
Wart falls asleep in the woods and awakens at 9 am because he is hungry. He hears a noise so he follows it and finds a cottage with an old gentleman getting water from the well. The old gentleman was Merlyn the magician. Merlyn’s cottage is filled with all kinds of odd things that were not yet discovered then (ex. guns). Wart meets Archimedes the talking owl. Wart then has breakfast with Merlyn and asks him to be his tutor. Merlyn accepts.
Ch.4
Vocabulary: Stoat
Wart takes Merlyn home with him and Merlyn proves he is a magician to Kay and Sir Ector (makes it snow, mulberry tree, testimonials, knife). Sir Ector decides to let Merlyn be their tutor.
Ch.5
Description of defense system, castle still there, dog training. Wart loves his dog (licks nose) and Merlyn begins Warts education. Merlyn takes Wart to the moat and asks Neptune to turn them both into fishes. Merlyn heals a Roach fish. Merlyn then takes Wart to go see the King of the Moat. The king tells Wart all about power.
1st lesson learned
Power can corrupt you.
Ch.6
Archery, Merlyn falls asleep, Kay and Wart go hunt rabbits. Kay gets a rabbit, when saluting the death of the rabbit; a crow snatches the arrow out of the air.
Ch.7
Vocabulary: Quintain, Saracen
Tilting, Merlyn is against athletics because they interfere with learning. King Pellinore jousting in the forest against Sir Grummore Grummursum, after the joust they become best friends and King Pellinore moves in with Sir Grummore Grummursum.
2nd lesson learned
Violence is not the answer
Ch.8
Wart wants to be a hawk but Merlyn says that he first needs to learn to be a human being. Merlyn then turns him into a Merlin and sends him into the mews; Wart is admitted into their club but must pass an ordeal. The ordeal is to sit next to Colonel Cully (he is insane) and sit there for 3 rings of their bells. Wart survives. He is then proclaimed King of Merlin’s.
3rd lesson learned
You can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
Ch.9
Kay and Wart get into a fight, a storm begins. Wart thinks it is unfair that Merlyn turns him into animals but not Kay. Merlyn tells Wart the story of Elijah and the Rabbi Jachanan. Merlyn can not do magic on Kay so in return he sends Kay and Wart on an adventure to atone for the previous unfair treatment.
Ch.10
Kay and Wart go out on their adventure and find a madman, then a giant also known as “Little John”. Little John takes them to Robin Wood (who people often refer to as Robin Hood). Robin asks them to go with him to fight Morgan le Fay. Apparently a fairy captured Wat, Dog Boy, and Tuck. To save them, they must go into Morgan’s castle and free them.
Ch.11
Wart and Kay travel with Robin Wood’s gang to the castle and learn how to move silently (thanks to Maid Marian) through the woods. When they arrive they see a Griffin and a castle made of food. They enter and find Morgan le Fay and she releases the prisoners and the castle disappears.
Ch.12
The Griffin attacks Wart but Kay kills it in midair. As a reward Kay gets the Griffins head, Wart asks for Wat (so Merlyn can make him sane and give him a nose). Kay, Wart, Wat, Dog Boy, and a few of Robin’s friends (to guide them) go home. Back home Merlyn sews a new nose on Wat and psycho analyzed him so now he is sane again and working in the kennel with the Dog Boy who also got a nose. Both Dog Boy and Wat decide that they are accustomed to not having noses so they rip them off.
Ch.13
Vocabulary: Belligerent
Merlyn turns Wart into an ant while he is supposed to be resting. Wart drones around like the rest of the ants and realizes how horrible it is to be an ant (they do not have emotions and do not think)
4th lesson learned
Do not let others think for you, think for your self.
Ch.14
King Uther Pendragon sends a hunting group lead by William Twyti to hunt in the forest and stay in Sir Ectors castle. Sir Ector is not pleased by this self invitation made by the king so he thinks of all the possible scenarios if Twyti comes (unicorns, questing beast, dragons, griffins, ect.). These thoughts soon cheer him up.
Ch.15
There is a very detailed description of the seasons in Old England. For Christmas, Sir Ector organizes a huge feast for all villagers, knights, workers, servants to attend. Everyone is welcomed.
Ch.16
Master William Twyti has a fascination with rabbits, description of how dull Twyti life is (all about hunting) hunting boars, King Pellinore finds the Questing Beast dying. Pellinore is so upset that he resolves to help the beast back to health and continue his old life of hunting it.
Comments
Bearskin rug as a blanket? What do all of the hunting sayings “swef swef tally-ho” mean?
Ch.17
Birds have a language, Rooks have laws, and the bird language of birds is based on imitations of sounds.
Comments
I love the way Archimedes describes Pigeons. What kind of bird is a Rook?
Ch.18
Merlyn sends Archimedes to Wart room with a magical dead mouse and tells him to eat it, Wart then turns into an owl. While flying around, Wart notices that everything in a bird’s point of view is different than the human point of view that he is used to. Wart then turns into a goose. He learns that geese have no boundaries and that they consider it preposterous to kill one of their own species as humans do.
5th lesson learned
Everyone should be treated with kindness.
Ch.19
Vocabulary: Liefer
Wart learns many things from his friend Lyo-lyok (goose) and he grows fond of her. Wart migrates with them across the North Sea and hears their songs. Along the way they reach a lonely island where only birds live. When they finally reach their destination, Wart wakes up because Kay is complaining about Warts snores.
Comments
I absolutely love the description of flying through a cloud.
6th lesson learned
You can accomplish the unthinkable, if you put your mind to it.
Ch.20
Vocabulary: Sciatica
6 years go by and Kay is going to be knighted and Wart will be his squire. They drift apart because Kay lets his “knighthood” get to his head. Merlyn explains to Wart what happens at a knighting ceremony and Wart tells Merlyn that he would pray to encounter all evil and defeat it and if he were to lose, then he would be conquered alone.
Ch.21
Vocabulary: Canary
Wart is very upset because he wants to become a knight not a squire. Sir Ector tells him to drink a glass of Canary and go see Merlyn. Merlyn tells Wart that the only thing you can rely on when all else fails is learning. Before going onto the next lesson, Merlyn informs Wart that it will be the last lesson that he will have and that Merlyn will no longer be his tutor. Merlyn turns Wart into a badger and sends him to go speak with his friend Mr. Badger. Instead of following his directions, Wart decides to wander about and do whatever he feels like because it is his last lesson and so he deserves to have some fun. He finds a hedgehog and threatens to eat it. The poor little hedgehog sings to Wart so that he will have mercy for him and his wife and children. After singing the same songs several times Wart talks to the hedgehog and discovers that the hedgehog was once Merlyn’s pet and that it was a baby when Wart went to Merlyn’s cottage and he had actually seen him. Wart leaves the hedgehog alone and returns to Mr. Badger’s den. Mr. Badger reads Wart an essay that he had written on why Man is the King of Animals. He once again hears about how disturbing it is that Humans are one of seven species that attack their own kind.
Ch.22
King Uther Pendragon dies. King Pellinore tells Sir Ector, Kay, and Sir Grummore that there is no heirs but that there is a stone in an anvil on a stone that if you pull it out than you are the true King of England. Merlyn is leaving permanently and they all say their goodbyes, Wart is crushed.
Ch.23
They travel to London and Sir Kay enters a tournament but discovers that he has forgotten his sword so he sends Wart his squire to get it from the inn. The inn was locked and there wasn’t anyone around there so Wart frantically starts searching for a sword to give to Kay. He sees a sword in a churchyard that is stuck in an anvil and a stone (he does not know about the meaning of the sword) and he gets the sword. While he was getting the sword he felt like he was surrounded by his friends including Merlyn and they were all giving him advice on how to get the sword out. When he gets it out he notices that he feels differently when holding it. He gives Kay the sword and Kay asks him where he go it, Wart tells him and Kay goes to his father and tells him where the sword came from only that he told his father that he was the one that pulled the sword out of the stone. Sir Ector, Kay, and Wart go back to the churchyard and put the sword back in the stone. Kay confesses that he lied and that Wart was the one who pulled it out. Sir Ector tells him to do it again and Wart pulls the sword out like nothing. Sir Ector ands Kay try but they do not succeed. So they kneel before Wart and Wart starts crying and begs them to stand back up.
Ch.24
Description of who sent Wart what for his coronation gift and Merlyn comes to him. Wart, or should I say, King Arthur, asks Merlyn if he is going to stay with him and Merlyn says that he is going to stay there with him for a long time.
We are introduced to Kay, Sir Ector, and Wart. Wart is not Sir Ector’s son like Kay is and it is constantly rubbed in his face by Kay. Kay and Wart need a tutor. After hay-making, Wart and Kay decide to go hawking
Comments
So Far I like the authors writing style and how he describes everything in so much detail. He also compares scenes in the book to modern day events that the reader can relate to.
Ch.2
Cully, the goshawk, is sitting in a tree because he does not want to hunt. Kay gets irritated and leaves Wart and Cully in the woods. Cully leads Wart deeper into the woods. Wart almost gets killed by an arrow so he hides but soon loses his way and gets lost. Wart wanders around, arrives in a clearing and meets with a knight. The knight turns out to be King Pellinore searching for the Questing Beast.
Ch.3
Vocabulary: Corkindrill
Wart falls asleep in the woods and awakens at 9 am because he is hungry. He hears a noise so he follows it and finds a cottage with an old gentleman getting water from the well. The old gentleman was Merlyn the magician. Merlyn’s cottage is filled with all kinds of odd things that were not yet discovered then (ex. guns). Wart meets Archimedes the talking owl. Wart then has breakfast with Merlyn and asks him to be his tutor. Merlyn accepts.
Ch.4
Vocabulary: Stoat
Wart takes Merlyn home with him and Merlyn proves he is a magician to Kay and Sir Ector (makes it snow, mulberry tree, testimonials, knife). Sir Ector decides to let Merlyn be their tutor.
Ch.5
Description of defense system, castle still there, dog training. Wart loves his dog (licks nose) and Merlyn begins Warts education. Merlyn takes Wart to the moat and asks Neptune to turn them both into fishes. Merlyn heals a Roach fish. Merlyn then takes Wart to go see the King of the Moat. The king tells Wart all about power.
1st lesson learned
Power can corrupt you.
Ch.6
Archery, Merlyn falls asleep, Kay and Wart go hunt rabbits. Kay gets a rabbit, when saluting the death of the rabbit; a crow snatches the arrow out of the air.
Ch.7
Vocabulary: Quintain, Saracen
Tilting, Merlyn is against athletics because they interfere with learning. King Pellinore jousting in the forest against Sir Grummore Grummursum, after the joust they become best friends and King Pellinore moves in with Sir Grummore Grummursum.
2nd lesson learned
Violence is not the answer
Ch.8
Wart wants to be a hawk but Merlyn says that he first needs to learn to be a human being. Merlyn then turns him into a Merlin and sends him into the mews; Wart is admitted into their club but must pass an ordeal. The ordeal is to sit next to Colonel Cully (he is insane) and sit there for 3 rings of their bells. Wart survives. He is then proclaimed King of Merlin’s.
3rd lesson learned
You can accomplish anything you put your mind to.
Ch.9
Kay and Wart get into a fight, a storm begins. Wart thinks it is unfair that Merlyn turns him into animals but not Kay. Merlyn tells Wart the story of Elijah and the Rabbi Jachanan. Merlyn can not do magic on Kay so in return he sends Kay and Wart on an adventure to atone for the previous unfair treatment.
Ch.10
Kay and Wart go out on their adventure and find a madman, then a giant also known as “Little John”. Little John takes them to Robin Wood (who people often refer to as Robin Hood). Robin asks them to go with him to fight Morgan le Fay. Apparently a fairy captured Wat, Dog Boy, and Tuck. To save them, they must go into Morgan’s castle and free them.
Ch.11
Wart and Kay travel with Robin Wood’s gang to the castle and learn how to move silently (thanks to Maid Marian) through the woods. When they arrive they see a Griffin and a castle made of food. They enter and find Morgan le Fay and she releases the prisoners and the castle disappears.
Ch.12
The Griffin attacks Wart but Kay kills it in midair. As a reward Kay gets the Griffins head, Wart asks for Wat (so Merlyn can make him sane and give him a nose). Kay, Wart, Wat, Dog Boy, and a few of Robin’s friends (to guide them) go home. Back home Merlyn sews a new nose on Wat and psycho analyzed him so now he is sane again and working in the kennel with the Dog Boy who also got a nose. Both Dog Boy and Wat decide that they are accustomed to not having noses so they rip them off.
Ch.13
Vocabulary: Belligerent
Merlyn turns Wart into an ant while he is supposed to be resting. Wart drones around like the rest of the ants and realizes how horrible it is to be an ant (they do not have emotions and do not think)
4th lesson learned
Do not let others think for you, think for your self.
Ch.14
King Uther Pendragon sends a hunting group lead by William Twyti to hunt in the forest and stay in Sir Ectors castle. Sir Ector is not pleased by this self invitation made by the king so he thinks of all the possible scenarios if Twyti comes (unicorns, questing beast, dragons, griffins, ect.). These thoughts soon cheer him up.
Ch.15
There is a very detailed description of the seasons in Old England. For Christmas, Sir Ector organizes a huge feast for all villagers, knights, workers, servants to attend. Everyone is welcomed.
Ch.16
Master William Twyti has a fascination with rabbits, description of how dull Twyti life is (all about hunting) hunting boars, King Pellinore finds the Questing Beast dying. Pellinore is so upset that he resolves to help the beast back to health and continue his old life of hunting it.
Comments
Bearskin rug as a blanket? What do all of the hunting sayings “swef swef tally-ho” mean?
Ch.17
Birds have a language, Rooks have laws, and the bird language of birds is based on imitations of sounds.
Comments
I love the way Archimedes describes Pigeons. What kind of bird is a Rook?
Ch.18
Merlyn sends Archimedes to Wart room with a magical dead mouse and tells him to eat it, Wart then turns into an owl. While flying around, Wart notices that everything in a bird’s point of view is different than the human point of view that he is used to. Wart then turns into a goose. He learns that geese have no boundaries and that they consider it preposterous to kill one of their own species as humans do.
5th lesson learned
Everyone should be treated with kindness.
Ch.19
Vocabulary: Liefer
Wart learns many things from his friend Lyo-lyok (goose) and he grows fond of her. Wart migrates with them across the North Sea and hears their songs. Along the way they reach a lonely island where only birds live. When they finally reach their destination, Wart wakes up because Kay is complaining about Warts snores.
Comments
I absolutely love the description of flying through a cloud.
6th lesson learned
You can accomplish the unthinkable, if you put your mind to it.
Ch.20
Vocabulary: Sciatica
6 years go by and Kay is going to be knighted and Wart will be his squire. They drift apart because Kay lets his “knighthood” get to his head. Merlyn explains to Wart what happens at a knighting ceremony and Wart tells Merlyn that he would pray to encounter all evil and defeat it and if he were to lose, then he would be conquered alone.
Ch.21
Vocabulary: Canary
Wart is very upset because he wants to become a knight not a squire. Sir Ector tells him to drink a glass of Canary and go see Merlyn. Merlyn tells Wart that the only thing you can rely on when all else fails is learning. Before going onto the next lesson, Merlyn informs Wart that it will be the last lesson that he will have and that Merlyn will no longer be his tutor. Merlyn turns Wart into a badger and sends him to go speak with his friend Mr. Badger. Instead of following his directions, Wart decides to wander about and do whatever he feels like because it is his last lesson and so he deserves to have some fun. He finds a hedgehog and threatens to eat it. The poor little hedgehog sings to Wart so that he will have mercy for him and his wife and children. After singing the same songs several times Wart talks to the hedgehog and discovers that the hedgehog was once Merlyn’s pet and that it was a baby when Wart went to Merlyn’s cottage and he had actually seen him. Wart leaves the hedgehog alone and returns to Mr. Badger’s den. Mr. Badger reads Wart an essay that he had written on why Man is the King of Animals. He once again hears about how disturbing it is that Humans are one of seven species that attack their own kind.
Ch.22
King Uther Pendragon dies. King Pellinore tells Sir Ector, Kay, and Sir Grummore that there is no heirs but that there is a stone in an anvil on a stone that if you pull it out than you are the true King of England. Merlyn is leaving permanently and they all say their goodbyes, Wart is crushed.
Ch.23
They travel to London and Sir Kay enters a tournament but discovers that he has forgotten his sword so he sends Wart his squire to get it from the inn. The inn was locked and there wasn’t anyone around there so Wart frantically starts searching for a sword to give to Kay. He sees a sword in a churchyard that is stuck in an anvil and a stone (he does not know about the meaning of the sword) and he gets the sword. While he was getting the sword he felt like he was surrounded by his friends including Merlyn and they were all giving him advice on how to get the sword out. When he gets it out he notices that he feels differently when holding it. He gives Kay the sword and Kay asks him where he go it, Wart tells him and Kay goes to his father and tells him where the sword came from only that he told his father that he was the one that pulled the sword out of the stone. Sir Ector, Kay, and Wart go back to the churchyard and put the sword back in the stone. Kay confesses that he lied and that Wart was the one who pulled it out. Sir Ector tells him to do it again and Wart pulls the sword out like nothing. Sir Ector ands Kay try but they do not succeed. So they kneel before Wart and Wart starts crying and begs them to stand back up.
Ch.24
Description of who sent Wart what for his coronation gift and Merlyn comes to him. Wart, or should I say, King Arthur, asks Merlyn if he is going to stay with him and Merlyn says that he is going to stay there with him for a long time.
~Further Comments~
I think that my favorite lesson is the joust between King Pellinore and Sir Grummore, but I think that the lesson that Wart learned in his adventure in the ants nest will probably help him a lot as a king. My thoughts on Kay are that he is a little bit ’high and mighty' and lets things get to his head too easily but deep down I think he is a good guy. Arthur I think is very kind, a little stubborn, and he loves to learn (especially with Merlyn) so he is intelligent. When in the beginning of the book they describe Merlyn’s cottage you see that he himself is an anachronism and by the way he acts I think it shows too. I think that King Pellinore and his Questing Beast are a really sweet touch to the book, especially when you see how much King Pellinore truly cares about it. I think that Arthur cries because he does not think that he is ready for such a responsibility, but in reality he is.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Le Morte d'Arthur
Journal Entries June 16, 2008
“Le Morte d’Arthur” By: Thomas Malory
By: Carla Gagliardo
Pages 575 – 579
Vocabulary- “Britons” By the context around it, I figured that this word is another way of saying British people, but why can’t the writer say “the British” instead of “Britons”?
Comments- I think that it is amazing that they found the grave of King Arthur and that it said that he was buried in the Isle of Avalon. I read the Mists of Avalon so I really thought that it was a cool connection.
Brief Summary- The legend of King Arthur has been told so many times, and each time it is told it has been modified so in the end we cannot separate the fact from the fiction.
Pages 579 – 581
Comments- I think that it is interesting that so many people wrote about King Arthur. I also think that it would be fun to read Mark Twain’s version of the story of King Arthur.
Disney also has a movie version of this legend, “The Sword in the Stone”.
Thomas Malory’s writing sounds very complicating, but interesting.
Brief Summary- Many people wrote King Arthur’s story and added tier own personalities to it so that it changed the story and it ended up warping it into a more epic story, also there have been many movies made about King Arthur.
Pages 583 – 585
Brief Summary- King Arthur is taken from his parents at birth to be raised by Sir Ector by choice of Merlin the wizard. King Uther dies and no heirs are known of so there is a sword in a stone that if a man can remove it than he is the true heir of the throne. So of course many noble men try to release the sword from its stone and none can do it until one day when Arthur comes along and takes it out like nothing because his foster brother forgot his own sword. None of the greedy noblemen can believe that such a young boy could ever be the new King but after Sir Ector reveals the true past of the boy, than he is accepted as the new King of England.
Pages 585 – 597
Vocabulary- “Copse” I found an annotation at the bottom of the page that said that a copse is a grove of trees. My question is, do people really use this strange word in their daily lives?
“Hitherto” I was not able to figure this word out by context or by annotations, so it really stumped me.
Brief Summary- This chapter was the story of Sir Launcelot and how he became famous. It included his enchantment (Morgan Le Fay) and his quests (Sir Tarquine’s castle, random quarrels with other knights, giants castle) all in all it was a description of how Sir Launcelot became one of the round tables most recognized knights.
Pages 597 – 604
Brief Summary- Sir Launcelot and King Arthur love Gwynevere and so they become enemies, Sir Launcelot goes back home to France and King Arthur goes after him because his nephew Sir Gawain encourages him to go. Meanwhile in England Sir Mordred, who had planned this fight and the departure of the King, was sending false letters informing everyone of the ‘death’ of the King and than he demanded that he be the heir to the throne. After the coronation the now King Mordred demanded that Gwynevere marry him. She instead ran and took refuge in the Tower of London where her faithful servants helped her. King Arthur found out what Mordred had done so he returned to England and fought him. Arthur won all of the battles (there were 3) but at the end of the last battle, he decided to go back and kill Mordred himself. Mordred was stabbed but before he died he stabbed Arthur back. Sir Lucus and Sir Bedivere carry Arthur to a chapel; there Sir Lucus dies from a wound. Arthur asks Sir Bedivere to throw Excalibur into the lake and to then carry him to the lake. Bedivere does as he is told and Arthur is received by a barge with the Priestess of Avalon waiting for him. He is taken to Avalon. Bedivere became a hermit. Later on Bedivere documented the story of the death of King Arthur.
“Le Morte d’Arthur” By: Thomas Malory
By: Carla Gagliardo
Pages 575 – 579
Vocabulary- “Britons” By the context around it, I figured that this word is another way of saying British people, but why can’t the writer say “the British” instead of “Britons”?
Comments- I think that it is amazing that they found the grave of King Arthur and that it said that he was buried in the Isle of Avalon. I read the Mists of Avalon so I really thought that it was a cool connection.
Brief Summary- The legend of King Arthur has been told so many times, and each time it is told it has been modified so in the end we cannot separate the fact from the fiction.
Pages 579 – 581
Comments- I think that it is interesting that so many people wrote about King Arthur. I also think that it would be fun to read Mark Twain’s version of the story of King Arthur.
Disney also has a movie version of this legend, “The Sword in the Stone”.
Thomas Malory’s writing sounds very complicating, but interesting.
Brief Summary- Many people wrote King Arthur’s story and added tier own personalities to it so that it changed the story and it ended up warping it into a more epic story, also there have been many movies made about King Arthur.
Pages 583 – 585
Brief Summary- King Arthur is taken from his parents at birth to be raised by Sir Ector by choice of Merlin the wizard. King Uther dies and no heirs are known of so there is a sword in a stone that if a man can remove it than he is the true heir of the throne. So of course many noble men try to release the sword from its stone and none can do it until one day when Arthur comes along and takes it out like nothing because his foster brother forgot his own sword. None of the greedy noblemen can believe that such a young boy could ever be the new King but after Sir Ector reveals the true past of the boy, than he is accepted as the new King of England.
Pages 585 – 597
Vocabulary- “Copse” I found an annotation at the bottom of the page that said that a copse is a grove of trees. My question is, do people really use this strange word in their daily lives?
“Hitherto” I was not able to figure this word out by context or by annotations, so it really stumped me.
Brief Summary- This chapter was the story of Sir Launcelot and how he became famous. It included his enchantment (Morgan Le Fay) and his quests (Sir Tarquine’s castle, random quarrels with other knights, giants castle) all in all it was a description of how Sir Launcelot became one of the round tables most recognized knights.
Pages 597 – 604
Brief Summary- Sir Launcelot and King Arthur love Gwynevere and so they become enemies, Sir Launcelot goes back home to France and King Arthur goes after him because his nephew Sir Gawain encourages him to go. Meanwhile in England Sir Mordred, who had planned this fight and the departure of the King, was sending false letters informing everyone of the ‘death’ of the King and than he demanded that he be the heir to the throne. After the coronation the now King Mordred demanded that Gwynevere marry him. She instead ran and took refuge in the Tower of London where her faithful servants helped her. King Arthur found out what Mordred had done so he returned to England and fought him. Arthur won all of the battles (there were 3) but at the end of the last battle, he decided to go back and kill Mordred himself. Mordred was stabbed but before he died he stabbed Arthur back. Sir Lucus and Sir Bedivere carry Arthur to a chapel; there Sir Lucus dies from a wound. Arthur asks Sir Bedivere to throw Excalibur into the lake and to then carry him to the lake. Bedivere does as he is told and Arthur is received by a barge with the Priestess of Avalon waiting for him. He is taken to Avalon. Bedivere became a hermit. Later on Bedivere documented the story of the death of King Arthur.
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