Le Morte d’Arthur is now one of the most famous interpretations of the legends about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It accurately interprets all the known legends about the knights, adding some that Sir Thomas Malory wrote by himself. Translating and compilating all the legends he could find and proved to be original, Sir Thomas Malory created the fullest book of these legends, sorted out in chronological order and without any major contradictions, making the full and logical story of King Arthur’s life and the feats of his Knights. Sir Mallory also dedicated lots of his efforts to adapt French classical narrative style to English verses, creating an authentic feeling of all the legends, even borrowed from the French culture.

The original manuscript consisted of six books, but in the revised editions it was divided into twenty-one book - this may give us the image of the truly epic size of the work Sir Thomas Malory completed.

The way of portraying Arthur himself is also very creative. Sir Mallory doesn’t describe him in any way except showing how his actions affect the people around him. King Arthur remains a legendary character, not a man of flesh and blood, someone who can’t be described but who clearly defines the course of the story that is going on around him. The other characters’ appearances and traits are vividly described, leaving the vagueness of the Arthur’s appearance and character even more prominent.

This book survived through countless editions and still stays the classical one. Almost any writer, who dares to touch the theme of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table opens it to get inspired by the original, authentic legends about them. Despite its length and hard to understand English language of fifteenth century, this book is an essential thing to read for every lover of medieval romantics, legendary plots and knightly stories.

Author: Wilma Daniels