Teaching Le Morte D'Arthur

Instructions for You

Objective: Here's a new way to think about the world of Le Morte D'Arthur: the knights in King Arthur's court are basically sixth-century superheroes. They're heroic, they have super-strengths (hello, magic swords), and they're dedicated to protecting and serving others. Sound Superman-y? It should.

In today's sixty-minute activity, your students will discuss what it means to be a superhero and think about how these characteristics map onto the world of King Arthur and his knights. They're going to be filling out an application on behalf of one of the characters to join the Round Table. They'll also be thinking about one genre (superhero stories) and applying it to another, and seeing how texts that don't immediately seem like they have a lot in common actually do.

Onward.

Materials Needed: A copy of the text and/or our Shmoop summary page for reference

Step 1: First, split your students into groups of four, and have each one pick a superhero to discuss. You can share this link with them if they need some ideas. Here are the questions they should ponder together:

• Why's this character considered a superhero? What makes them super?
• Are their intentions always pure? Does that affect how we view them?
• How do they achieve their goals?

When they're finished, the groups can reveal their findings to the class and have a general discussion about superheroes. Have each group take three to four minutes each to present their superhero. Students can either appoint one speaker from their group or split the presentation up equally—whatever they (or you) prefer.

Step 2: Only people with the finest skills can be a Knight of the Round Table, and we imagine that the application form would be pretty intense.

Have your students return to their groups and imagine they're filling out the form for one of the characters in the story, specifically the section that asks about strengths. They can pick one, or you can go ahead and assign a different character to each group. As a group, they should write out a list of three to five of their character's super-strengths, explaining what they are and then giving examples of where he/she has used them (citing evidence from the text). For example, King Arthur would definitely list his physical strength, and prove himself by citing that time in Book 5 when he killed an ogre with his bare hands like it was no big deal.

Step 3: After each group has a list of these three to five characteristics (with textual support for each claim), bring everyone back together and have the groups present their findings. Ask students which skills they think would impress King Arthur the most and why, and have the class rank all of the strengths that have been mentioned (you might write this list up on the board).

Step 4: A lot of superheroes have a mysterious backstory, and would-be knights sometimes do too.

Have students go back to their groups and discuss their character's backstory for the "background" portion of the application. They should write down where the character came from and how they've made it to the Round Table. If the origin story isn't clear in the text, students can get creative and make one up—just make sure they can support their story with clues in the text and give at least 150 words.

The groups should also provide three ways their character benefits from their origins, complete with examples from the text. For example, a character that keeps his background a secret for a while gets to be judged according to his strengths and achievements, not his family ties or education.

If you'd like, you can bring students back together for a quick sharing sesh once everyone has their origin story written down.

Step 5: No one's perfect, not even Batman, so sometimes the Knights exhibit some not-so-desirable traits. Have the groups get together one more time to discuss their character's flaws to fill out the "weaknesses" section of the application. Ask students to list as many weaknesses as they can spot, and include support from the text for each one. Ideally, they should be able to come up with at least three.

There's no use in pointing out flaws without exploring the consequences though, so have students dig a little deeper. Ask the groups to jot down their thoughts on what makes each weakness a weakness at all and what negative consequences could result.

Once everyone's done, have each group present their character one last time. Then have the class discuss what they think the worst weakness a knight can have is and why.

Step 6: Using everything discussed in class, have students individually write a character profile of the most ideal, superhero-esque knight they can dream up; the ideal candidate for King Arthur's court. It's kind of like a "help wanted" ad for the Round Table.

Make sure they discuss the knight's strengths, origin story, and, since not even the person of our dreams can be perfect, at least two weaknesses. We're looking for about 300 words of analysis here, and a job offer.

Instructions for Your Students

If you think about it (and you should), the knights in King Arthur's court are basically like sixth-century superheroes. They're heroic, they have super-strengths (hello, magic swords), and they're dedicated to protecting and serving others. Sounds pretty Superman-y to us.

Today you'll discuss what it means to be a superhero and think about how that maps to the world of King Arthur. Would the Man of Steel have lasted a day in King Arthur's court?

It's time to take these superhero qualities into consideration and apply to become a member of the Round Table.

Step 1: Begin by splitting into groups and thinking about what a superhero is.

Pick a superhero and write down some details about what makes this individual so…super. We're thinking about what motivates them, so focus on what their goal/heroic quest is and their methods. Here are the questions you should ponder together:

• Why is this character considered a superhero? What makes them super?
• Are their intentions always pure? Does that affect how we view them?
• How do they achieve their goals?

When you're finished, you can reveal your findings to the class, before discussing superheroes once more. Think some more about their heroic characters, and ask yourself why they're focused on good over everything else.

Step 2: Now you'll return to your groups and imagine you're filling out the application form to become a Knight of the Round Table on behalf of one of the characters in the text.

First, for the "strengths" section, write out a list of three to five of your character's super-strengths, giving examples of where he/she has used these in the text. For example, King Arthur would definitely list his physical strength, and prove himself by citing that time in Book 5 when he killed an ogre with his bare hands like it was no big deal.

Step 3: After that's all taken care of, your group can present your findings to the rest of the class. Once everyone has shared, you can rank all the strengths that have been mentioned, before talking to your fellow students and teacher about which of these would impress King Arthur the most.

Step 4: A whole lot of superheroes have a mysterious backstory, and would-be knights are no exception.

With your groups, discuss your character's backstory for the "background" portion of the application. Write down where the character comes from and how they've made it to the Round Table. If the origin story isn't clear in the text, you can get creative and make one up—just make sure you can support your story with clues from the text and give at least 150 words.

Your group should also provide three ways your character benefits from their origins, complete with examples from the text. For example, a character that keeps his background a secret for a while gets to be judged according to his strengths and achievements, not his family ties or education.

Step 5: Now back to your groups, to write down your character's flaws for the "weaknesses" section. Gawain, for example, may mention that he has a tendency to be aggressive. List as many weaknesses as you can spot, and include support from the text for each one. You should be able to come up with at least three.

There's no use in pointing out flaws without exploring the consequences though, so dig a little deeper. Jot down your thoughts on what makes each weakness a weakness at all, what negative consequences could come of them, and what the knight's responses are to them. If those questions can't be answered with support from the text, you can get creative again.

Step 6: Using everything discussed in class, on your own write a character profile for the most ideal knight you can dream up. This will basically be a "help wanted" ad for the Round Table.

Make sure you discuss the knight's strengths, origin story, and, since no one's perfect, at least two weaknesses. Your teacher's going to be looking for about 300 words of analysis here, and a job offer.