Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Tereza Tihonová The Arthurian Legend in Retelling Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Mgr. Milada Franková, CSc., M.A. 2017 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author’s signature Acknowledgment: I would like to thank my supervisor prof. Mgr. Milada Franková, CSc., M.A. for her patience, guidance and kind words of support. Table of contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 2. History of the Arthurian Legend ............................................................................... 3 2.1 Beginnings of the Arthurian Legend .................................................................. 3 2.2 Development throughout the Centuries ............................................................. 5 2.3 Sir Thomas Malory and Le Morte d’Arthur ....................................................... 7 3. The Modern Adaptation .......................................................................................... 11 3.1 Peter Ackroyd and The Death of King Arthur ................................................. 11 3.2 TV Series Merlin .............................................................................................. 15 4. Characters ................................................................................................................ 18 4.1 Merlin: The Man Destined for Greatness ......................................................... 21 4.2 Arthur: The Once and Future King .................................................................. 25 4.3 Guinevere: The Once and Future Queen .......................................................... 33 4.4 Morgana: The Witch Consumed by Bitterness ................................................ 38 5. Motifs and Themes .................................................................................................. 43 5.1 Magic and Supernatural ................................................................................... 44 5.2 Destiny and Prophecies .................................................................................... 50 6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 54 7. Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 56 8. Resumé (English) .................................................................................................... 58 9. Resumé (Czech) ....................................................................................................... 59 1. Introduction The Arthurian legend forms an important part of Britain’s national mythology. It is one of the best-known stories of mediaeval literature of Great Britain and perhaps worldwide. The central figure of this story is a legendary King Arthur, however, some other popular characters can be found here as well as the famous magician Merlin, the well-known lovers Tristan and Isolde, villains as Morgan le Fay and of course the valiant knights like Lancelot or Gawain. The myth that first appeared in the Middle Ages is even nowadays still popular among the contemporary writers, however, the interpretation of some major motifs, scenes and characters changes with time. There is no original version of this story, however, most likely the best-known version of the Arthurian legend is Le Morte d'Arthur. This masterpiece was written by Thomas Malory and was first published in 1485. Malory collected already existing myths and put them all together with adding some of his own ideas. This adaptation could be considered as the major version of the Arthurian Legend as many authors use Malory’s work as an inspiration, basis for their own writing. This thesis focuses on the most recent retellings of the Arthurian Legend, on its modern adaptation, namely on the book The Death of King Arthur by Peter Ackroyd and the BBC’s TV series Merlin. While Ackroyd follows Malory’s version, the TV series hugely differs and modifies the legend. Throughout the thesis are described and compared some of the most important characters, motifs and scenes. This thesis argues that the changes made in the individual adaptations are influenced by the current audience, especially for the modern interpretation of the main characters to be more likeable and understandable to today’s viewers. After this introduction follows the chapter focusing on the history of the Arthurian legend, its beginnings and development including mentions of some of the most 1 significant adaptations of the Arthurian legend, the ones that mostly influenced the course these tales have taken. In the third chapter are introduced the two modern adaptations chosen for this thesis’ analysis, TV series Merlin and Peter Ackroyd’s The Death of King Arthur. Chapter four focuses on the characters of the Arthurian legend. For this thesis were chosen the four protagonists of Merlin, which are Arthur, Merlin, Morgana (Morgan le Fay) and Guinevere. These characters also play a significant part in the traditional story that is given in The Death of King Arthur and in this chapter is analysed how their portrayal differs in the two discussed adaptations. The fifth chapter focuses on the interpretation of motifs, namely the motif of magic and destiny and the importance they carry in each adaptation. The sixth chapter is a conclusion, where the thesis’ main points and findings are summarised. The chapter seven includes bibliography and is followed by resume in English and in Czech. 2 2. History of the Arthurian Legend 2.1 Beginnings of the Arthurian Legend King Arthur is the legendary figure of a British king who was supposed to live in the Early Middle Ages on the territory of today’s Great Britain. Though he is considered to be a fictional character, some still speculate if such a king did not really exist. The evidence suggests that probably he did not, but literature suggests otherwise. Where would originate such an interest in this figure if he was not real? Why would the Arthurian Legend become so popular and well-known? These and many more unanswered questions surround this legend. Perhaps this mystery is what helped it survive up to the present day and what makes it so attractive to so many people. The tales of Arthur and his knights has fascinated not only writers but also “poets, musicians, painters, religious mystics, folklorists, philologists” (Jones 4). It preserved its popularity by the audience for centuries. The exact years in which the Arthurian legend started to spread are not known. Professor Jones, in his book King Arthur in History and Legend, argues that if Arthur existed, he must have lived between the first coming of Saxons and the middle of the sixth century (13). The mentions of Arthur already appear in Welsh and Celtic old poems and romances, but he is not addressed here as a king, only a great warrior. The first literary notes of Arthur written in Latin are connected to Nennius, a Welsh monk of the ninth century, and his significant work Historia Brittonum. He describes Arthur as a brave military leader. He tells the stories of Arthur fighting against Saxons, but not as a king, only a warrior. The first description of Arthur as a king and not only a warrior or a leader appears in Historia Regum Britanniae (today translated as Histories of the Kings of Britain). This pseudohistorical book was written by a British cleric, historian and principal figure of his 3 era, Geoffrey of Monmouth. In his work, he uses the already existing fragments linked to the Arthurian cycle and gives it a consistent form. He describes Arthur’s life from his birth until his death. In this version of the legend, Arthur is a son of Igraine and a king Uther Pendragon. Arthur has a sister, Anna, who later gives birth to Gawain and Mordred. After the death of Uther, caused by poisoning by the Saxons, Arthur becomes king. Then we learn of his marriage with beautiful noble woman Guinevere or his adventures and victories over the Saxons. While being away fighting one of the battles, Arthur is betrayed by his nephew Mordred, who uses the absence of the king and seizes his throne as well as his wife, Queen Guinevere. After Arthur returns to his court, he fights Mordred and kills him, but he is also wounded and dies. However, there is a hope that one day Arthur will come back to life, as he is “borne thence unto the island of Avalon for healing his wounds” (Geoffrey of Monmouth 200). Geoffrey of Monmouth gives a life not only to the great King Arthur but he also creates texts entitled Prophetiae Merlini and Vita Merlin, where he talks about the great wizard Merlin without whom Arthur would have never been born. Monmouth chronicles lives of real kings of England, but he also creates some fictional tales, fables. What is significant, as Ackroyd argues, is that he places the tale of King Arthur “in the context of an apparently authentic chronicle rather than in fable or romances” (Albion 114). This once again indicates that King Arthur was an existing figure once. However, the historians today do put very little credibility to this chronicle. No matter if Geoffrey of Monmouth’s work is credible or not, it became “the founding text of the Arthurian chronicle tradition” (Archibald and Putter