Malory's Morte Darthur

In his work, Morte Darthur, Malory covers a lengthy period of time with few words through the narratives of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Throughout the text, Malory does not waste words on smooth transitions, instead bluntly marking the beginning and end of each tale. These blunt and straightforward transitions are a classic trait of Malory’s writings.
Though Malory draws from the French tales of Arthur and his knights, Malory does not choose to approach the narrative in the poetic format as his predecessors instead choosing a prose format instead. Morte Darthur is comprised of eight books or tales, written in an episodic format outlining the individual stories of each knight while also connecting to the overarching story line. …show more content…
Malory manages to unite the Welsh and French versions of Arthur, presenting him as a real king that battled the Roman Empire while also enhancing the story with lengthy sequences of romance. Malory's style is eclectic and at times unfinished, as might be expected from an author who composed much of his work while in prison and under the possible threat of death. Morte Darthur often veers off into tangents, weaving in stories and anecdotes that are often charming and completely unrelated to the story at hand. Through his allusions and asides Malory displays his knowledge of medieval French and English literature, and also included some familiarity with Middle-Eastern legends. Despite his asides, Malory maintains a basic structure to his narrative that has served as the model of structure for most of the subsequent versions of the Arthur legend. Malory’s work can be identified in eight sections: the birth and rise of Arthur, King Arthur's war against the Romans, the book of Launcelot, the book of Gareth (brother of Gawain), Tristram and Isode, the Quest of the Holy Grail, the affair between Launcelot and Guinevere, the breaking of the Knights of the Round Table and the death of