King Arthur In Geoffrey Of Monmouth And Wace

The Legend of King Arthur

Write an Essay about King Arthur in Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wace.

“Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place; and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross.”

The above quoted lines of Thomas Malory from his famous literary work “Le Morte d'Arthur” clearly indicates the myth associated with the legend of King Arthur. It is to be noted that the various literary sources gives varied interpretations of the legend of King Arthur (Tolhurst 10-54). Therefore, the legend as well as the actual facts related to this particular king of England has been shrouded in mystery for a long time (Pace 24:45-78). In the absence of any reliable source the various historians as well as the scholars depend on the various literary texts for the interpretation of the life as well as the incidents related to the life and the reign of this great king of England (Bbc.co.uk). This essay intends to give an overview of the legend of King Arthur on the basis of the sources provided by Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wace.

The reign of King Arthur is generally attributed to the 5^th and 6^th AD as per the records of the metrical romances and the historical texts (Duckett 1-30). It is to be noted that he is famous in the historical cannon of England for leading the successful defense of England against the Saxon invaders in the “Battle of Bath” and also the successful defense of England against the Scots (Duckett 1-30). His reign also finds detailed description in the famous works of that period like “Annales Cambriae, the Historia Brittonum, and the writings of Gildas and also in poetical works like Y Gododdin” (Duckett 1-30). In addition to his successful defense of the nation of England from the invaders of Saxon he is also reputed for his contribution towards the genre of arts and literature. It is to be noted that learning was significantly revived during his reign and he even went to extent of rewarding the monks and other scholars who would bring rare manuscripts to his court (Ashe 10-54). In addition to this, he is also famous for noted for his encouragement to learning and the foundation of various monasteries and nunneries. However, it is significant to note that all the historical accounts as well as the literary texts do not agree on the same point and therefore there is a discrepancy as regards the details and the activities of his reign.

The Reign of King Arthur

Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Welsh bishop gives a fleeting account of this particular legendary hero of England in his famous work “History of the Kings of Britain” (Ashe 10-54). It is to be noted that many of the present day historians as well as scholars think that the work of Geoffrey was based on the legends which he heard from the various sources and that in some cases he used his imagination to fill in the gaps between the various events. Geoffrey gives a detailed description of Arthur since his birth as the son of “Uther Pendragon” (Molchan 5-25). According to Geoffrey he becomes the king of England at the age of 15 and rules peacefully from his court at Caerleon for almost 12 years (Molchan 5-25). However, it is significant to note that the major part of the account of Geoffrey deals with the various battle of King Arthur. His account includes an overview of “Bedivere and Kay, the former as Duke of Normandy and Arthur's right-hand man and the latter as one of the king's brave knights” (Lacy 10-43). It is significant to note that “Morgan Le Fay” also finds representation in the account of Geoffrey (Lacy 10-43). “Morgan Le Fay” is described as the representative member of the group of nine women who guard the “Isle of Avalon” (Lacy 10-43). In this particular work, Morgan is described as a benign enchantress however in other works of the same period Morgan finds representation as a benevolent enchantress. This particular work of Geoffrey also gives a pertinent account of Caliburn, the mythical sword of Arthur. Many scholars believe that Geoffrey derived the name of the sword from the various Welsh legends and tales of mythical swords like Caladbolg (Lacy 10-43). According to the account of Goeffrey, the sword was forged at the “Isle of Avalon” or more popularly the “Isle of Apples”. It is to be noted that the major discrepancy between the text of Geoffrey and other literary texts belonging to this particular period lies in the description of the final battle of Camlann. It is to be noted that according to the work of Geoffrey, Modred, the nephew of Arthur dies at this particular battle and Arthur, on the other seriously wounded and carried off the “Isle of Avalon” by Morgan (Thorpe 7-43). It is significant to note that this particular work states that Arthur is wounded and not dead and thereby prolongs the myth that Arthur is still living and protecting the nation of England. Another significant feature of this particular literary text is the description of the “Round Table Conference” and the nine knights of the court of King Arthur (Thorpe 7-43).

Geoffrey of Monmouth's Account

The account of Wace, on the other hand, is another literary account which provides an account of the reign as well as the various activities of King Arthur. It is significant to note that the French scholar Wace was impressed by the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth and he decided to write his own account of the book and called it “Roman de Brut” (Pearcy 12). It is with the work of Wace that the romantic interpretation of the reign as well as the times of King Arthur began (Pearcy 12). Therefore, with this particular interest he gives a detailed description of the “Round Table Conference” of the nine knights of the court of King Arthur. He describes the gathering of the knights in the following words- "For the noble barons he had, of whom each felt that he was superioreach one believed himself to be the best, and noone could tell the worst King Arthur, of whom the Britons tell many stories, established the Round Table. There sat the vassals, all of them at the tablehead, and all equal. They were placed at the table as equals. None of them could boast that he was seated higher than his peer" (The British Library). It is significant to note that the work of Wace does not say that King Arthur sat at the round table. On the contrary, the work states that Arthur sat on a dais much higher than the table of the knights. This particular work of Wace traces the history of England from its founding by the “legendary Brutus the Trojan” (The British Library). The work also incorporates the various events of the reign of King Arthur and the activities of the knights of the “Round Table”. The work of Wace further extends the mystery with which the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth ends in lines likes  "And will ye no come back again ? Better lo’ed ye canna be’ : ‘He is yet in Avalon, awaited of the Britons, for they say and deem he will return from whence he went and live again"  (Legendofkingarthur.co.uk). It is interesting to note that his work of Wace is one of the rare ones which raise doubt about the survival of King Arthur after the battle of Camlann. In the opinion of Wace, “Men have ever doubted, and as I am persuaded, will ever doubt, whether he liveth or is dead…..To Constantine, Cador’s son, Earl of Cornwall and his near kin…..The earl took the land to his keeping. He held it as bidden, but nevertheless Arthur came never again” (Legendofkingarthur.co.uk). Therefore, it would not be too far-fetched to say that the work of Wace tries to demystify the myth which the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth created in his work. However, still there is a kind of obscurity which centers round the reign of King Arthur and his life. In the absence of any significant and accurate record the various scholars and historians therefore take either the account of Wace or the account of Geoffrey of Monmouth as the authentic one and vice versa.

Wace's Account

There are various points of similarities as well as differences between the literary works of Geoffrey of Monmouth and that of Wace related to the reign of King Arthur. It is significant to note that both the works provides a pertinent account of the reign of King Arthur and his “Round Table” along with the nine knights of his court. As a matter of fact, the work of Wace is often seen as a paraphrase of the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth. However, the differences between the two works are also very significant. The primary difference between the two works lie in the way they interpret the end of the reign of King Arthur. The work of Geoffrey states that after the final battle King Arthur is seriously wounded and carried off to the “Isle of Avalon” but is still alive. However, the work of Wace and the author himself serious doubts about the existence of King Arthur after the final battle and considers that Arthur died in that battle and is not going to return. Furthermore, the work of Geoffrey seeks to provide a historical account of the reign of King Arthur through the various legends and myths. However, the work of Wace, on the other hand, seeks to romanticize the life as well as the reign of King Arthur. It is significant to note that the romantic interpretation of the reign as well as the life of King Arthur began after this particular work of Wace.

Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that although King Arthur was one of the greatest kings of England and successfully defended the nation of England against the attack of various invaders like the Saxons and the Scots yet no single literary or historical work provides a detailed and authentic account of his reign. Therefore, the various scholars as well as the historians often rely on the various literary as well as the semi-historical texts of that particular period for detailed information about the reign of King Arthur. The works of Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wace are two such works on which the historians as well as the various scholars depend for a credible account of the reign of King Arthur. However, it is significant to note that although there are several points of similarities between the two works however the differences between the two works are also significant. It is precisely this difference in the information provided by the two works about the reign of King Arthur which gives rise to the myth that centers round the reign of King Arthur.

References

"BBC Wales - History - Themes - Geoffrey Of Monmouth." Bbc.co.uk. N.p., 2018. Web. 30 Mar. 2018.

"Geoffrey Of Monmouth." Legendofkingarthur.co.uk. N.p., 2018. Web. 30 Mar. 2018.

"The Legends Of King Arthur." The British Library. N.p., 2018. Web. 30 Mar. 2018.

Ashe, Laura, ed. Early Fiction in England: From Geoffrey of Monmouth to Chaucer. Penguin UK, 2015.

Duckett, Eleanor Shipley. Alfred the Great: The King and His England. University of Chicago Press, 2014.

Lacy, Norris J., et al., eds. The New Arthurian Encyclopedia: New Edition. Routledge, 2013.

Molchan, George Gregory. "Translating Arthur: the Historia regum Brittanniae of Geoffrey of Monmouth and Roman de Brut of Wace." (2013).

Pace, Edwin. "Geoffrey of Monmouth's Sources for the Cador and Camblan Narratives." Arthuriana 24.3 (2014): 45-78.

Pearcy, Roy J. "Chaucer, Deschamps, and Le Roman de Brut." Arts: The Journal of the Sydney University Arts Association 12 (2012).

Thorpe, Lewis. The history of the kings of Britain. Penguin UK, 2015.

Tolhurst, Fiona. Geoffrey of Monmouth and the translation of female kingship. Springer, 2013.