The Excalibur Legend in Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur

Abstract

The medieval Age era, was characterised by a historical and literary context, where several changes passed throughout Europe. These social and political consequences were reflected in the society and literature of that time. Moreover, Le Morte D’Arthur written by Thomas Malory which is considered a masterpiece of the medieval literature should be highlighted. Thus, William Caxton's must be named on account of being responsible of making the transcription and printing the first manuscript. The aim of this paper will be analysed. The Excalibur Legend found in Le Morte D’Arthur. Arthur´ story is a legend that told us how he became King of England. The purpose of this final undergraduate dissertation is to study Excalibur's Legend relevance and its symbolism in Le Morte D’Arthur. Moreover, it will try to show if this known medieval literature has been reflected in other arts such as films, series, and comics; as well as to compare the original work with its reflections on other arts in our society. First, an introduction of the paper will be presented. Second, the context will be explained. Third, there would be a brief specification of the selected materials and chapters from Le Morte D’Arthur, that later will be analysed. Last but not least, the two possible hypothesis of how Arthur received the sword, the stone and the Lady of the Lake. Afterwards, some of the main characters, symbols and themes from Malory’s work will be clarified. Finally, the Excalibur legend will be analysed and discussions and conclusions will be achieved.