The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. The stories spend a fair amount of time defining the code of chivalry. When you hear the word “chivalry,” what does it mean to you? Does it apply to life nowadays? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: You might want to solicit definitions from the class of their individual notions of chivalry. These might then be compared to the definition given in the article below. A possible contrast might then be set up between medieval ideals and current notions of proper conduct.

• This article describes the evolution of the medieval code of chivalry in England.

2. What sort of training regimen do you suppose a warrior might go through to become a knight? Can you think of any parallels to other real or fictional worlds in which a hero’s preparation might be similar?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be useful to guide students to a discussion of pop culture in terms of martial arts films or even comic book superheroes. You might want to consider how these current figures differ in their training and focus from medieval knights.

• This English Heritage article discusses the social concerns that shaped knightly behavior.
• Eva March Tappan’s When Knights Were Bold (full text) offers details, vocabulary, descriptions, and discussion of a knight’s training and duties.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Arthurian legend permeates popular culture in the West. What allusions to these stories can you recall or connect from other classes or your own reading? If you cannot think of any connections to the King Arthur stories, discuss characters from books, comics, TV, or film who display knightly or honorable traits, or legends in general. What feelings does this kind of material evoke in you?

Teaching Suggestion: You may want to draw on student memories of early contact with this particular mythology, with touch points possibly including cartoons, costumes, picture books, and fairy tales. A discussion might be generated about the difference in their feelings about the Arthurian legend as children and their current attitudes toward it.

Differentiation Suggestion: All students might benefit from time spent investigating mythic literary heroes from world cultures that are not Eurocentric; consider stories and myths from African, Latino/a and Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Island, Australian, and other cultures that point to characteristics of courage, loyalty, and honor.