So my paper had a slight change since writing the proposal. It’s a little more streamlined than what I originally had. Before, it was more of trying to get a broad understanding of medieval magic through several different texts that we’ve read (i.e. passages related to magic). However, I plan to focus on something a little more specific — prophecies in medieval culture, and the role those play within the texts we’ve read. As we know from modern interpretations, Arthur was always destined to be king of England, but Arthurian legend is riddled with visions and dreams of the future. My main goal within the paper is to examine the way medieval culture views prophecies and fate, and its role within the context of the texts, and how it might (or might not) further our understanding of them.

As far as the texts we’ve read goes, I’m going to be doing a bit of picking and choosing (as I originally planned to do) through the various texts we’ve read, focusing on the examples where prophecy, fate, visions of the future, etc. are being used. One particular example is the final dream Arthur has in the Alliterative Morte, where he sees the Wheel of Fortune, which is, as we discussed in class, something that, in medieval culture, was believed to control the fate of one’s fortune. The various primary sources will me more of a survey-type, so it’ll span across the different ones we’ve read, as opposed to one or two.

Because my proposal has slightly changed than the one I turned in, I’m also attaching a tentative outline of what I want to touch on in the paper.

Okay, this might sound a little bizarre, but do you believe Mordred to be a truly evil character? Do you think he’s justified in his rise to the throne? Though we see him in the beginning of the section side with Agravain to disturb this “blissful ignorance” of Lancelot and Guinevere’s affairs, it seems he believes both the court, and Arthur, are unreasonable in their acceptance of this shameful affair, making a mockery of the court, as he agrees when Agravain says, “I marvel that we all be not ashamed both to see and to know how Sir Lancelot lieth daily and nightly by the queen” (246). He’s participating in something that he believes is morally wrong for the court to accept, and wants to correct it. Then, after the Queen is returned to Arthur and Lancelot is exiled, Arthur leaves the kingdom once again in pursuit of revenge (at Gawain’s counsel), giving full control of England and the Queen to Mordred, who we later find out is both nephew and son to Arthur (gross), making him (Mordred) an heir to the throne (285, 295). Though Mordred lied about Arthur’s death, “they [the people] were better pleased with Sir Mordred than they were with the noble King Arthur” (297). All power of the kingdom, including the Queen, was relinquished to the heir of the throne (Mordred), so is Mordred truly an evil figure as Malory paints him out to be? Or is he trying to do what’s best for England by taking control from Arthur, who’s effectively off on a war for revenge, despite Lancelot’s exile and surrender of the Queen.

Last week, we talked a little about Arthur’s reactions in “Lancelot and Guinevere.” When Guinevere was accused of murder, Arthur was able to be impartial, and try to provide a fair judgement to the accused and the accuser. Though he was saddened, his judgement was calm and reasonable. However, in the section we read for today, he seems a little less so. He’s a little quick to agree to Agravain and Mordred’s accusation, and allows the two to conduct their “stakeout,” then, despite Gawain’s counsel, goes to war with Lancelot. Why do you think Arthur was quick to escalate this accusation, even though he considers Lancelot one of his greatest knights. Why would he not be impartial in this accusation, as opposed to the earlier one we’ve seen?

Again, we see magic at play here. Like in Chretien’s The Knight With The Lion, one of Arthur’s knights is given an enchanted item to aid them in times of trouble. Yvain is given a ring to make him invisible, as well as another one to shield him from blows. Similarly, Gawain is given a green girdle to do the same — the girdle protects him from harm. Is it “knightly” of him to have used the girdle in his bargain? Or did he cheat on his promise?

Green is often the color of life, nature, energy, and renewal, and associated with growth, environment, and safety.  The Green Knight’s description is highly detailed, and lasts for about two pages (give or take), describing the various shades and amounts of green on his person. What do you think is the importance of him being a “green” knight? Do you think it serves a specific purpose?