Le Morte D'Arthur Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.

  1. Why do so few of the male-female love connections in Le Morte D'Arthur occur between married people, and so many occur between a bachelor and a woman who's already married? Does Le Morte D'Arthur have something against marriage?
  2. Which character in the Morte D'Arthur do you most admire and why? Are there any characters that you admire?
  3. What is your favorite popular adaptation of Le Morte D'Arthur or the Arthur story in general? How does it compare to the book? (For ideas, check out "The Best of the Web.")
  4. What is the point of having the Grail Quest in the middle of the book? Doesn't it detract from the swordplay and romance that comes before and after it? How does it add to (or take away from) our understanding of other episodes in the Morte?
  5. Why do so many knights in Le Morte D'Arthur go around in disguise all the time?
  6. Why are all these knights so concerned with chivalry? How do they define chivalry? Do you think it still has a place in our culture today or is chivalry, as they say, dead?
  7. What do you make of the way women are portrayed in Le Morte D'Arthur? Are they likeable? Unlikeable? Do they ever make an impact, or are they just pawns in the men's swordplay?
  8. If you had to make a movie of one chapter of Le Morte D'Arthur, which one would you choose, and why? Who would you cast in each role?