1. Day 40
Le Morte d’ Arthur and Arthurian Legend(The Day of Destiny)

2. OBJECTIVES Introduce conventions and background of Arthurian Legend.
Read, summarize, and interpret “The Siege at Benwick” from Le Morte d’ Arthur.

3. Essential Questions
Who was King Arthur and what was he best known for?
How does Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’ Arthur interpret Arthurian Legend?

4. Wednesday, October 23rd Agenda Warm-up- The war of the Roses
Finish the Biography/Background
Le Morte d’Arthur- group reading/ class reading
Writer’s response journal (this should be a 1 page response)
Closing
Objective: Analyze Sir Gawain and King Arthur as they appear in both SGGK and Le Morte d’Arthur.

5. Warm up- Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
1.) Read P. 246 on your own.
2.) Discuss: How did Malory’s real life conflicts contribute to the fictional kingdom that he created?
3.) Discuss: What was the War of the Roses?
The House of Lancaster vs. the House of York
AKA The Red Rose vs. The White Rose
Cause: A power for struggle among distant relatives
Result: Henry Tudor won and thus he was the first ‘Tudor’ King who brought peace to England after 85 years of a civil war.
Causes
1.) The rivalry between the house of York and the House of Lancaster started when King Richard II was overthrown by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, in 1399.
2.) Civil unrest of much of the population at this time
3.) The availability of many powerful lords with their own private armies
4.) A struggle for power among distant relatives
Results:
The battle was fought between the armies of Richard III and Henry VII.
Richard’s army was larger but was nonetheless beaten
Henry was crowned King after winning the battle
His name was Henry Tudor and thus he was the first ‘Tudor’ King
He bought peace to England after 85 years of civil war
The final victory went to a Lancastrian claimant, Henry Tudor, who defeated the last Yorkist king, Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth Field. After assuming the throne as Henry VII, Henry Tudor married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward IV, thereby uniting the two houses.

6. View the Biography documentary King Arthur and answer the study guide questions on Canvas.

7. Le Morte d’Arthur- P. 248
In assigned lit circles- Read “The Siege of Benwick” together follow the organizer guide provided for you.
Summarize the narrative (briefly describing the most important plot developments and line numbers that correspond to them). Your chart should have between 7 and 10 entries charting the concept of LOYALTY.
Each group- 1 recorder, 1 leader, 1 presenter
Give groups 25 minutes to complete this task.

8. Group Reading- The Day of Destiny
P “The Day of Destiny”
1.) In what ways did Gawain’s hostility toward Launcelot contributes to Arthur’s downfall?
2.) Why does Arthur call off the siege of Benwick and return to Britain? What happens when Arthur fights Modred?
3.) What aspects of the code of chivalry are present even in Arthur’s death?
1.) Gawain’s hostility toward Launcelot prolongs the siege in France, allowing Modred to seize the throne. It also deprives Arthur of his two best knights, because Gawain dies of his wounds and Launcelot does not follow Arthur to England.
2.) Arthur returns because Modred has usurped his throne. Arthur stabs Modred and kills him, but before he dies, Modred stabs Arthur in the skull, killing him.

9. Journal #1 Sir Gawain as a hero
You have now read about Sir Gawain in The Siege of Benwick and The Day of Destiny, two chapters in Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. Answer the below prompt in a 1-page journal response.
PROMPT: Using what you have read, plus your own intuition, construct a portrait of Sir Gawain as you see him. What does he look like? Is he a hero or villain? What are his virtues and his flaws? Why does he act the way he does in the works you have read? What are you THINKING about Sir Gawain as a noble knight of the Round table, and/or as a man?

10. Closure
Le Morte d’Arthur is one of the most influential medieval romances. What characteristics of medieval romance appear in this work?
In his preface on page 262, William Caxton explains that he has published Le Morte d’Arthur to provide a model for good behavior. How well does this selection from Malory’s romance fulfill Caxton’s purpose?