The Legend of King Arthur

 

What do you know about King Arthur? Did he exist or was he just a legend?

What do these pictures tell us about him?

👑Here is a word-building task. Look at this information about King Arthur. Can you change the underlined words to the same-root words in the second sentence?

1. Did king Arthur really exist? Is there any proof of his existence?
2. Some manuscripts say he was a brave and strong king. Arthur owed his _________ to a wizard named Merlin.
3. According to the legend, King Arthur drew a magic sword that made him a king. So what is this __________ king famous for?
4. Arthur was guided by Merlin the wizard. Under his magical ________ the king defeated all his enemies.
5. Most historians don't think the story of King Arthur is the evidence of real history. But the legend of King Arthur written by Geoffrey Monmouth was intended to be a _________ document.
6. Arthur and his knights fought against Saxons. There are a lot of stories about how cruel those _________ were.
7. The Welsh, which means foreigners, is a word to describe people of Wales. Historically, Britons stayed in Wales, away from Saxons, and the Saxons were hardly interested in the __________ leader.
8. Yet, Arthur is often described as a warrior, which means he spent a lot of time at ______ .
9. The story about king Arthur has a romantic side. It was Arthur's beautiful wife that added ________ to the legend.

🏰Camelot is a utopian city described in medieval literature. Some say it really existed and King Arthur lived there. 

Watch and say whether the statements are true or false:

1. The legend of Camelot appeared at the same time as the legend of king Arthur. 
2. Stories about Camelot belong to Antiquity. 
3. The Round Table was a place where Arthur and his knights sat together. 
4. Camelot was a city of happy people and soldiers. 
5. Camelot was given to Arthur and his wife as a wedding present. 
6. King Arthur's knights had to have lots of positive qualities. 
7. The Holy Grail is a cup from which Jesus Christ drank as a baby. 
8. Camelot was first mentioned by a knight called Lancelot. 
9. Most scholars agree that Camelot really existed. 

💬There are some words about Arthurian legends that are difficult to pronounce. Can you say them?

knight              sword          Arthur              honour           castle           demon              soldier               magician

👄

• Are there legends or folklore tales about knights in your culture?
• What should a knight be like?
• If you possessed the Holy Grail, what ills would you try to cure in the first place?
• What is the perfect kingdom like, in your opinion?

📜Read the article and do the test:

1 - According to the legend, king Arthur was hidden as a baby because

• he was too weak

• he had no parents

• times were hard

2 - Arthur could withdraw the magic sword because

• he was a real king

• he was really strong

• he knew a secret spell

3 - After the Romans the country was taken over by

• the Welsh

• the Saxons

• the Britons

4 - The knights of King Arthur looked for the Holy Grail because

• it could give them all the power

• it could help solve all the problems

• it was very prestigious to possess it

5 - The magical sword Excalibur was given to Arthur by

• Merlin

• his father

• The Lady of The Lake

6 - Arthur's half sister was

• evil

• kind

• crazy

7 - When Arthur was mortally wounded he was sent to

• Camelot

• the isle of Avalon

• the city where he was born

1 Arthur was the first born son of King Uther Pendragon and heir to the throne.
However these were very troubled times and Merlin, a wise magician, advised that the baby
Arthur should be raised in a secret place and that none should know his true identity.
2 As Merlin feared, when King Uther died there was great conflict over who should be the next king.
Merlin used his magic to set a sword in a stone. Written on the sword, in letters of gold, were these
words: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England."
Of course all the contenders for the throne took their turn at trying to draw the sword, but none could
succeed. Arthur, quite by chance, withdrew the sword for another to use in a tournament. Following
this he became King.
3 He gathered Knights around him and fought back against the Saxons who, since the Romans left
Britain, were slowly but surely taking the country over. After many great battles and a huge victory at
Mount Badon the Saxons' advance was halted.
4 Arthur's base was at a place called Camelot. Here he built a strong castle. His knights met at a
Round Table. They carried out acts of chivalry such as rescuing damsels in distress and fought
against strange beasts, like monsters and dragons. They also searched for a lost treasure, which they
believed would cure all ills - this was the 'Quest for the Holy Grail'.
5 Under the guidance of Merlin, Arthur had obtained a magical sword from The Lady Of The Lake.
This sword was called 'Excalibur" and with this weapon he vanquished many foes.
6 Queen Guinevere, Arthur's beautiful wife brought romance to the story while his equally beautiful half
sister Morgan le Fay added a dark side.
7 Unfortunately, as peace settled over the country things turned sour within the court of Camelot and
civil war broke out. In the final battle at Camlan both Arthur and Mordred, Arthur's traitorous nephew,
were mortally wounded. Arthur was set upon a boat and floated down river to the isle of Avalon. Here
his wounds were treated by three mysterious maidens. His body was never found and many say that
he rests under a hill with all his knights - ready to ride forth and save the country again.

Look at the legend again and find the synonyms:

• wizard (p 1)

• competitor (p 2)

• contest (p 2)

• stopped (p 3)

• freeing (v, p 4)

• solve all problems (p 4)

• wealth (p 4)

• arm, ammunition (p 5)

• defeated (p 5)

• enemies (p 5)

• love (n, p 6))

• became less pleasant (p 7)

• started suddenly (p 7)

• unfaithful (p 7)

• cured (p 7)

Answer the questions:

1. What happened when King Uther died?

2. Who helped Arthur rule Britain?

3. What was the message on the sword?

4. Did Arthur and his army defeat Saxons?

5. What kind of adventures did Knights of the Round Table have?

6. Who was Mordred? Was he a kind man?

7. What is Avalon?