King Arthur's Death: The Middle English Stanzaic Morte Arthur and Alliterative Morte Arthure

by Larry Dean Benson (Editor), Edward E. Foster (Editor)

Professor Benson's edition of the Stanzaic Morte Arthur and the Alliterative Morte Arthure has been long out of print. Benson's edition of these important Middle English poems is here revised and updated by Professor Edward E. Foster, taking into account recent scholarship, to once again be available and accessible to students. The romances included here are two of the best, most significant Arthurian romances in Middle English, which complement each other in terms of style and content. While the Alliterative Morte Arthure belongs to the Alliterative Revival movement, replete with details of fourteenth century warfare, the Stanzaic Morte Arthur represents a briefer, quicker-paced, yet more sentimental English adaptation of the French Mort Artu. This edition-with contextualizing introductions, helpful glosses, plentiful notes, and useful glossary-comprises a great introduction to Middle English Arthuriana for students of the Middle Ages.

Genres: Poetry, Arthurian, Medieval, Classics, Literature, Medievalism, Mythology

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read both of the texts in this book in translation -- Brian Stone's of both and Simon Armitage's of the alliterative poem -- but after a semester spent working primarily on Middle English texts, I felt ready to tackle them without the barrier of translation. As always, the TEAMS edition is very good: it contains a good introduction, is very up front about all edits to the text, has good glosses and notes, a very useful bibliography, and a clear and easy to follow layout.

I didn't really switch off and just experience these as stories, but I think even people with minimal grasp of Middle English could, and they're both very fine works that deserve more attention. I think my favourite part is the section of the alliterative Morte where Mordred grieves for Gawain: it's a strikingly human moment.

[Esmée Odijk · Rating 4 out of 5]

These authors clearly had VERY different opinions about Launcelot... (I take the side of the aMA’s author on this one)

Certes, though I die this day,
In my bed I will not lie;
Yet had I lever do what I may
Than here to die thus cowardly! – sMA

“Alas,” she said, “and wele-a-wo,
That ever I ought life in lede!” – sMA

The king stood in a towr on high,
Besides him standes Sir Gawain;
Launcelot when that they sigh
Were never men on molde so fain. – sMA

Before the gates of the citee;
Launcelot of tresoun he becried,
That he had slain his brethern three;
That Launcelot might no lenger abide,
But he ever a coward sholde be. – sMA

They ishe on the enemies and egerly strikes,
Erles of England, and “Arthur” ascries;
Through brenyes and bright sheldes brestes they thirle,
Bretons of the boldest, with their bright swordes.
There was Romans over-ridden and rudely wounded,
Arrested as rebawdes with riotous knightes!
The Romans out of array removed at ones
And rides away in a rout – for reddour it seemes! – aMA

We are with Sir Florent, as to-day falles,
That is flowr of Fraunce, for he fled never
…
He flinges to Sir Florent and prestly he cries:
“Why flees thou, false knight? The Fend have thy soul!”
Then Sir Flaurent was faint and in fester castes,
On Fawnell of Frisland to Feraunt he rides,
And raght in the rein on the steed rich,
And rides toward the rout, restes he no lenger! – aMA

For-thy Fortune thee fetches to fulfill the number,
Als ninde of the noblest named in erthe;
This shall in romance be redde with real knightes,
Reckoned and renowned with riotous kinges,
And deemed on Doomesday for deedes of armes,
For the doughtiest that ever was dwelled in erthe;
So many clerkes and kinges shall carp of your deedes
And keep your conquestes in cronicle for ever. – aMA

Then freshlich the freke the fente up-reres,
Broches him in with the brand to the bright hiltes,
And he brawles on the brand and bonus for to die.
“In faye,” said the fey king, “sore me for-thinkes
That ever such a false thef so fair an end haves,” – aMA

[Devero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam rexque futurus

Così terminano oltre tremila e quattrocento versi alliterativi di questo poema. L'aggiunta è stata fatta da Robert of Thorton su un manoscitto più vecchio, a quanto pare.

Confesso che ho pensato più e più volte di lasciar perdere, ma ricordo che mi aveva incuriosito la versione tentata da JRRTolkien nel suo e così ho deciso che, anche se ci sono voluti mesi e mesi, lo avrei terminato.

Decisamente ripetitivo, questo poema riprende una versione di Artù che diventa imperatore romano; il vulcanico Castelli avrebbe probabilmente identificato nella storia di Macsen Wedling una delle fonti principali dello sconosciuto autore rinascimentale che compilò il poema.

L'inglese usato è quasi quello di Shakespeare, comunque già più comprensibile di quello di Chaucer, e riflette bene le conoscenze di quel mondo e l'immaginario rinascimentale e cavalleresco.
Nel complesso, se non per motivi di studio, non consiglio a nessuno la lettura di questo testo; dovrò leggere in futuro anche la Stanzaic Morte Arthur: Arthurian Classics ma credo che ne correrà di acqua sotto i ponti prima che inizi a farlo.

Diciamo che siamo sulle 2 stelle e mezzo, perché per quanto di difficile lettura ed a tratti molto noioso, nessuno mi ha obbligato a leggerlo se non la mia nota caparbietà.

[Liam Guilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably not your first choice if you're studying either text. But excellent as a reading copy. Two texts in one paper back, with enough editorial scaffolding to make reading easy.

For anyone who is curious and wants to read these poems in something approaching their originals, and the Stainzaic Morte is readable by any literate English speaker, this is probably an excellent choice.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

alliteration is cool

[The Smol Moth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stanzaic Morte Arthur: Holy shit, this was so easy to read??? I barely had to use the Middle English dictionary (of course, the notes on the site where I read it that gave definitions for the different words helped a ton, but after my experience with the Alliterative Morte Arthure, I was expecting something way harder). Anyway, the way this poem got me to go from "lmaoooo Lancelot is having a breakdown because he can't make it to the tournament on time" to almost sobbing because Gawain just wanted his brothers back!!!! His actions were incredibly destructive, yes, but how would any of us handle the senseless death of our families? His brothers were dead and he just wanted them back!!!

Sorry, I get emotional about Gawain. Anyway, it's kind of funny seeing all these awful events spaced so close together in this poem, because it pretty much feels like Lancelot's terrible, horrible, no good very bad day. Like everything bad just happens at once. That's just how being Lancelot is, I guess!

Also, Elaine of Astolat being friends with Gawain is EVERYTHING to me <3<3<3

Also also:

"My three brethern thou hast slain
And falsely them to grounde brought"

Really interesting to me that Gawain mentions that Lancelot killed three of his brothers (and killed them wrongly, as well), as opposed to only mentioning Gareth and Gaheris, who were killed unarmed. His first instinct after Agravaine dies is to pretty much call him an idiot, lmao, but I really like the hint that his emotions about the whole thing are way more complex than appears on the surface. I think he DID grieve for Agravaine.

The Alliterative Morte Arthure: This might be one of my favorites? I will say that I didn't get very far in before I gave up and looked for a modern translation (I found one by Simon Armitage). I would like to go back and try to read it in Middle English someday when I have more experience, though, because it was really cool! I love alliteration! But yeah, fair warning that it has a lot of battle scenes (I like battle scenes in ancient and medieval texts, but I'm aware not everyone does), but I ADORED this. I love Priamus! I love the depth that the poem gives to Mordred, I think it's incredibly interesting! I find the anti-war subtext that I've seen scholars talk about completely fascinating! Also GAWAIN *breaks down sobbing* He really does make me emotional every time

[Yasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only read first third of each,
Stanzaic had much more fast paced plot, it felt more aligned with the Romantic tradition
But I absolutely loved the stunning alliterative genius of the Alliterative morte even if the content was super dull (It reads like Geoffrey of Monmouth)

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent edition of the Middle English texts.

[Claudiafoxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

boo

[Mark Adderley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent edition of two Middle English accounts of King Arthur's death. The first is the Stanzaic Morte Arthur, which gives the romance ending of Arthur's story, in which Lancelot and Guinevere are surprised together by Mordred. The second is the alliterative Morte Arthure, which follows the chronicle-tradition, in which the adultery is between Guinevere and Mordred.

The alliterative Morte Arthure is one of my favourite works of Arthurian literature. It's written in alliterative verse, and as such is a close cousin of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and a descendant of Beowulf. There's something intrinsically English about alliterative verse. Romance languages rhyme; English alliterates. But this is also one of the more subtle and complex portrayals of Arthur in medieval literature. He's neither an idealized monarch nor a tyrannical ruler. He starts off the poem with a legitimate cause for going to war with Lucius Hiberius, emperor of Rome. But in the climactic battle, Kay and Bedivere are killed, and he goes crazy. After this, he has no legitimate reason to ravage the countryside, but he does so anyway, until word reaches him of the disasters back in Britain.

The poem is also notable for two dream sequences, the latter of which is a dream of Fortune's Wheel, combined with a vision of the Nine Worthies.

Throughout, the anonymous author handles his style adeptly. You can hear the arms crash in his almost brutal alliterative rhythms!

[sologdin · Rating 2 out of 5]

alliterative Morte Arthure is epic in style. forefronts the chronicle tradition perspective that valorized gawaine and his crew (as opposed to the later romance perspective that prefers lancelot et al.); likewise, very much a martial story: war with Rome. (has this fantasy novel been written yet, involving a Romanized brit beating back the horde of Germania and then invading the 6th century remnant of the western empire?)

the Stanzaic text, by contrast, is full romance/lancelot, and is Malory's basic source text for the final two bits in the Morte d'Arthur.

[Adrianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Low rating is for editorial principles. The Alliterative Morte is, of course, excellent, but Foster's overly enthusiastic "standardization" makes this a poor edition for even undergraduate classrooms. It is certainly unsuited to the needs of graduate students, especially those who are interested in scribal practices and manuscript history. Editions like this one are the reason the "Don't cite TEAMS" rule exists.

[Ben Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

More compact and enjoyable reads than the succeeding Morte D’Arthur by Malory. The Alliterative Morte is in a much more difficult dialect and is harder to read, so I'd recommend the Stanzaic Morte first. Both texts provide different insights into and takes on 14th century chivalry, so they are both fascinating building blocks in a larger conversation with Malory’s later works.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

The severe editing makes this edition more a translation than a text and should be in the Middle English for Dummies series. Ok for beginners but certainly not for those expecting the Middle English text.

[Ian Brunton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benson did a lot of editing (mostly in terms of spelling) to make the Middle English text more accessible to modern readers, but he doesn't do this transparently. He doesn't give any indication of what changes he has made to the text.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hamel's edition is far better, but this is more accessible to those not accustomed to 14th c. northern Middle English verse. Stanzaic MA wasn't as exciting as the AMA. It would have been nice if the two texts were in separate editions, with more apparatus and transparent editing.

[R.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two works are in middle english but there are notes next to the lines. There are also notes after each work. They offer a snippet of what is available in the English tradition of Arthurian legend.

[Highlyeccentric · Rating 4 out of 5]

stanzaic more fun as a narrative, alliterative more poetically interesting.