Name: _________________________________Date: ____________________________Period: ______________
The Legend of King Arthur Notes
Activator: Three sentences- Describe in your own words what it means to be legendary. Name and explain a person
who is legendary.
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1. What is an archetype? A recurring pattern of characters, symbols, and themes
2. King Arthur is the son of ___________________________, but is _ ______________________ at a young age.
3. Merlin places the sword ______ _______________ (a magical sword given to Merlin by the Lady of the Lake) in a
stone containing a spell that only the rightful king could remove it from the stone.
4. ________________ pulls Excalibur from the stone, proving himself the rightful king of ________________.
5. King Arthur creates __________________________________ ,where each city state is represented by a knight. No
one knight, including King Arthur himself, has more _more power than
another___________________________________________________.
6. Arthur decides to marry the lovely young ____Guinevere______________________. Arthur sends his most trusted
knight __________________________________ to fetch her.
7. In an attempt to usurp the throne, Morgan de Fey, Arthur’s _______________ slept with him and conceived a son.
Morgan was said to be a witch and a powerful woman. Her son, __________________, threatened Arthur’s marriage and
his throne.
8. Arthur sends his knights on a quest for religious artifacts, more commonly know as the crusades. The artifacts include:
____________________.
9. During the search for the Holy Grail Arthur’s life begins to fall apart. He is gone ________ years on his quest, Merlin
is seduced by a young woman who steals his powers and imprisons him. _______________ has been raised to hate Arthur
and upon his return, Arthur unknowingly knights his own son and invites him to the round table. Guinevere loves
________________
10. _____________ discovers Guinevere and Lancelot’s affair (the two people that Arthur loves most) and convinces the
rest of the Round Table to capture Lancelot in the act. Lancelot escapes but Guinevere is captured and is to be
_____________________ for her treachery against the king. She is rescued at the last minute by Lancelot and the two
escape and are never heard from again.
_______________________does not follow them due to the problems of his kingdom. They are once again on the brink
of war and Mordred has turned much of the Round Table against him.
11. All of the stories end with Arthur’s glorious ______________________, all that any legendary king or hero can ask
for.
12. Most scholars believe that a King named Arthur did defeat the____________________in the 5th or 6th century,
medieval times. Theme: _____________________ A knight’s code of conduct that includes ___________________,
courtesy, honor, and being a gentleman toward women.
13. Define legends:
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14. What are the characteristics of legends?