Le Morte D'Arthur Resources

Websites

Legends

The "Best of Legends" website contains oodles information about the sources of the Arthurian tradition. Plus, there's info on all kinds of legendary characters, from Beowulf to Robin Hood. Have at it, folks.

King Arthur's Knights

The place to go for a who's who of Arthurian characters. You can trace their origins, and learn where to find the real British locations where Le Morte D'Arthur is set. Go on, see for yourself.

Arthur: Myth or History?

This website traces the epic battle between historical fact and fantastical fiction, that is the story of Arthur and his knights. How much of our story is real history, and how much is a product of age-old imagination?

Movie or TV Productions

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

This one's for the kiddies.

Camelot (1967)

This is a classic film based on the 1960 musical of the same name. Yep, <em>musical</em>.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974)

If you've never caught a Monty Python flick, now's your chance. This one is a hilarious romp through the world of Arthur's knights, on their way to find that elusive Grail.

Excalibur (1981)

A fairly straightforward re-telling of Malory's story – stripped of lots of detail, of course.

First Knight (1995)

Richard Gere plays Launcelot to Sean Connery's Arthur in this film focusing only on the love triangle. Get ready for some tear-jerking schmaltz.

Merlin (1998)

Want to know what everyone's favorite wizard thought about everything that went down in Camelot? Check out this television miniseries, starring Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame.

The Mists of Avalon (2001)

This television miniseries, based on a book with the same title, tackles the Arthur legend from the point of view of the ladies, not the knights. It's about time they had their say.

King Arthur (2004)

This movie claims to be a historically accurate version of Arthur's story, but there's no way everyone in Camelot was that good looking.

Tristan and Isolde (2006)

This is a fairly recent, fairly weepy version of the story of star-crossed lovers Tristan and Isolde. You should watch it mainly to witness James Franco's accent, which is less than convincing.

Merlin (2008)

This BBC television series follows the drama in King Arthur's court through the eyes of a teenage Merlin.

Camelot (2011)

A television series for the adults among us, which focuses on the political and personal drama of the Arthur story.

Historical Documents

Winchester Manuscript

Take a look at the only manuscript left of Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur in the "Treasures of the British Library" exhibit. Props to those of you who can actually read the handwriting.

The History of the Kings of Britain

Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicle account of the beginnings of Britain contains one of the earliest historical references to King Arthur. Ah, so he did exist!

Idylls of the King

Put your berets on, folks. The Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote a series of twelve poems based on Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur and one of its Welsh sources, the Mabinogion.

Video

Arthur's Last Moments in Excalibur

This may look like a low budget high drama, but in its time, the movie was considered visually stunning.

Camelot (1967)

Watch a scene between Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave. Gwenyvere's outfit alone is worth the watch. Plus, Richard Harris sings.

Audio

The Birth of Arthur

Hear an early section of the Le Morte D'Arthur in its original middle English, which hardly sounds like English at all.

The Chaucer Studio's "Malory Aloud"

Here you can purchase a CD containing dramatic readings of excerpts from Malory.

Images

John William Waterhouse Paintings

J.W. Waterhouse did a number of paintings based on Malory's story of Elaine of Ascolat and the Tennyson poem "The Lady of Shalott." Here's one called "I'm Half-Sick fo Shadows, Said the Lady of Shalott.

Looking at Lancelot

Here's our Lady of Shalott again. Another in the John William Waterhouse series.

Waterhouse, Trystram, and Isode

Waterhouse wasn't all about Elaine. He also painted Trystram and Isode drinking the love potion that started the whole love triangle rolling.

Mordred Looking Morbid

Here's a 1910 illustration of everyone's favorite villain, Mordred.