Reading Notes: King Arthur, Part B

I finished the second half of the reading today. The unit followed up withs some great stories once again. I took notes on a couple of the stories that I liked. I hope to incorporate them somehow into the story for this week.

• Sir Lancelot and his adventures took him many places 
• He encountered fortune and misfortune throughout his journey
• He was a great warrior that was compelled to help those in need of during battle
• The nun brings up a great point to Lancelot after his defeat in the tournament
• Lancelot was stuck with his earthly desires in the world
• He had come to the aid of those clad in black armor
• They were the manifestation of earthly sin and lust
• Lancelot learns of his vain and desire for glory
• The nun makes it a point to enlighten Lancelot of his earthly desires and boasting
• She tells him that he must begin to let go of such desires if he wishes to continue on his quest
• She basically tells him that he is the most sinful of all earthly knights
• Lancelot learns of his son Galahad and has great love for him
• He ultimately returns to his old self when he renews his love for the Queen
• The death of Arthur ends in such a sad manner
• It was difficult to see such a mighty warrior and king fall in battle
• I was a bit confused about this desire to return to the lake as his final resting place
• He commanded Sir Bedivere to throw Excalibur into the lake 
• I am assuming he did not want another to come upon such a powerful sword
• The ending of Queen Guenevere was also saddening
• She lived her life as nun and even turned away Lancelot as he came to see her
• Sir Lancelot ended up withering away as he came to terms with the death of Arthur and his beloved Guenevere

The ending to the story is very saddening and hard to read. The mighty had fallen so much since the days of their beginnings. King Arthur and his death was so tragic. The death of his Queen was also saddening to see.

(King Arthur holding his crown. Source: UnTextbook)

Bibliography: King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang. Source: UnTextbook

Reading Notes: King Arthur, Part A

I read the King Arthur for this week's reading. I decided to take notes over a couple of the stories that I really liked. I would not mind retelling either of these. I think that the unit has a lot of good stories to retell and recreate.

• The country was in a state of disarray after the death of the King
• The tale is similar as to how I remember it when I was a child
• I like that the old legend remains true in the original version
• Merlin and the lords gathered to devise a plan to find the true king
• It is still funny to think about all of the knights and men that tried to remove the sword from the stone
• I like the idea of a tournament being held to find the true king
• I did not remember the part bout Arthur going back to get his brother's sword
• I think this bit of information shows how genuine and kind he is
• When he returns he pulls the sword from the stone to give to his brother
• He does not even realize the feat he has just accomplished by doing so
• I think it shows just how kind and naive he is a boy
• He tries to help another but does not realize what he has accomplished
• I also like how many knights did not believe that such a boy was the true king
• The story of Excalibur was foreign to me
• I was under the impression that the sword Arthur pulled from the stone was Excalibur
• It was in interesting story, and I really enjoyed how the sword was a legend in its own right
• I also did not know that the scabbard would make Arthur immune to wounds
• It was really cool to read that for the first time

I really liked the King Arthur stories and units. I think the stories are so great, and they bring back a lot of childhood memories. I would like to retell them for my storytelling this week.

(A photo of the Boy's King Arthur cover. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang. Source: UnTextbook