King Arthur

:For the 1691 opera by Dryden and Purcell, see King Arthur (opera).

Arthur in various media

Literature

• John Steinbeck's The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights is a traditional take in modern language.
• T.H. White's The Once and Future King cycle
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King
• Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
• Sidney Lanier's The Boy's King Arthur is a work based on Thomas Malory's, written in such a way to appeal to the boys of the 19th century.
• Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon
• Bryher set her historical novel Ruan in Britain immediately after Arthur's death.
• Catherine Christian, The Pendragon tells the story from a 5th century Sir Bedivere.
• Susan Cooper's five volume saga, The Dark is Rising.
• J.H. Brennan's GrailQuest gamebooks centre on the kingdom of King Arthur.
• Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Seeing-Stone, At the Crossing-Places and King of the Middle-March..
• The several books by Norma Lorre Goodrich are very popular, but are based on a poorly received analysis of Arthurian legend and medieval history. She asserts he was a borderlands king whose activity centred around the Roman walls and wall forts. This is so at odds with entrenched beliefs that she is dismissed by many scholars despite some well founded conclusions.
• Helen Hollick's Pendragon's Banner trilogy.
• Mary Stewart's Merlin books: The Crystal Cave sets up the background for the Arthurian legend. The Hollow Hills encompasses most of Arthur's lifespan, including his childhood with Merlin as his tutor. The Last Enchantment deals with Merlin's later life, against the continued background of Arthur's rule. A later book, The Wicked Day, was written from the point of view of Mordred in the later period of Arthur's rule, and provides an interesting counterpoint to the original three novels.
• Dragon Lord, David Drake's somewhat unconventional story involving a "King Arthur" who is more great military general than quasi-enchanted King and takes place shortly after the fall of the Roman Empire and long before the Age of Chivalry.
• Tim Powers' The Drawing of the Dark depicts an eternal King Arthur reincarnated to participate in the Siege of Vienna.
• Persia Woolley's Child of the Northern Spring, Queen of the Summer Stars, and Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn.
• A. A. Attanasio's The Dragon and the Unicorn, The Eagle and the Sword, and The Wolf and the Crown.
• Guy Gavriel Kay's The Fionavar Tapestry is the continuation of the Camelot story in the framework of a wider epic.
• Stephen Lawhead's The Pendragon Cycle, a more thourough examination of the myths, especially concerning Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, and the Grail.
• Jack Whyte's The Camulod Chronicles, a series of books based more in historical fiction than fantasy beginning with Roman Britain and leading through Arthur's reign.
• Gillian Bradshaw's series Hawk of May, Kingdom of Summer and In Winter's Shadow is an extremely inventive reinterpretation of the legend.
• Christopher Gidlow's The Reign of Arthur: From History to Legend
• Nancy Springer's I am Mordred and I am Morgan le Fay
• Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles consist of three novels, Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur, and reintroduce many old characters back into the tale. Told by Derfel after Arthur's death they are very realistic in nature even though they do have Merlin and Lancelot and magic. Well worth a read and the Authors notes at the end are enlightening. "There is a sword and there is a stone, but one is not in the other", is Cornwell's own summary.
• Rosalind Miles' Guenevere Trilogy is a fictional trilogy that follows Guenevere and King Arthur through their reign as High King & Queen

See also: List of books about King Arthur

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Plays

• Laurence Binyon: King Arthur (1923), with music by Edward Elgar
• D. G. Bridson: King Arthur (1937), with music by Benjamin Britten
• J. C. Carr: King Arthur (1895), with music by Arthur Sullivan

Opera

• Rutland Boughton: The Birth of Arthur (1909), libretto by Reginald Buckley
• Ernest Chausson: Le Roi Arthus (1903)
• Hubert Parry: Guinevere (1886)
• Henry Purcell: King Arthur (1691), libretto by John Dryden
• Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (1865)

Film

• Monty Python's Monty Python and the Holy Grail, a comedic parody of the traditional King Arthur legend. It was later adapted into a successful Broadway musical called Spamalot, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004-2005 season.
• In 1960, a successful Broadway musical called "Camelot" was created by the team responsible for "My Fair Lady", Moss Hart, Alan Jay Lerner, and Frederick Loewe. It starred Richard Burton as Arthur, Julie Andrews as Guinevere, and introduced Robert Goulet as Lancelot. The original cast album of the show was a particular favorite of then-President John F. Kennedy, and the "Camelot" metaphor has been often associated with his presidency. A film based on the musical starring Richard Harris as Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere, and Franco Nero as Lancelot, was made in 1967.
• John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur -- considered by many to be one of the more faithful modern retellings of the Arthurian Legend.
• First Knight, a movie based on the legend, featuring Sean Connery as Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, and Julia Ormond as Lady Guinevere.
• King Arthur, a motion picture released on July 7, 2004, claiming (despite being heavily criticised for its historical inaccuracies) to be more historically accurate about the legend with respect to new archaeological findings; similar in story line to Jack Whyte's books.

See also: List of movies based on Arthurian legend.

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Television

• The late 1960s Australian animated cartoon series Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table was a typically wacky take on Arthurian legend.
• The 1970s British television series, Arthur of the Britons, starring Oliver Tobias, sought to create a more "realistic" portrait of the period and to explain the origins of some of the myths about the Celtic leader.
• The television movie Merlin showing a tale of Arthur and his knights.
• The animated series The Legend of Prince Valiant followed the adventures of three young warriors training to be Knights of the Round Table. Originally aired in the early 1990s, it featured Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, and Gawain in its main cast and several other Arthurian characters in recurring roles.
• The animated series Gargoyles featured several tales of Arthur (who was prematurely awakened in a time of need) and the magic and fairies of Avalon. A proposed spin-off for the character never materialized.
• The animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited featuring related characters Morgan Le Fay, Mordred, and Merlin.
• The animated series King Arthur and the Knights of Justice featured an American Football team called the Knights led by quarterback Arthur King. When the "real" Knights of the Round Table are captured, Merlin magically transports the Knights football team to Camelot to defend the kingdom and rescue the captured knights.
• In Season Nine of the science-fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Arthur and Arthurian legend, particularly Merlin, are intrinsic to the plot of the season; specifically, Merlin is an Ancient who may have taught Arthur how to Ascend at Glastonbury Tor and hid the wealth of the Knights in an elaborate, puzzle-laden chamber.

Other media

• In 1937, a newspaper comic strip by Hal Foster, Prince Valiant was first published, with the byline "In the Days of King Arthur". Since the death of Foster in 1982, John Cullen Murphy has continued producing this comic strip.
• The DC Comics characters Shining Knight and Silent Knight were both knights at King Arthur's court.
• The original version of the Marvel Comics character Black Knight was also at Arthur's court.
• The role-playing game Pendragon details how to run adventure games set in the time of the Round Table.
• The concept album The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975) by Rick Wakeman.
• The Doctor Who serial "Battlefield" is based on the Arthurian legends, featuring Mordred and Morgaine, as well as the Doctor as Merlin.
• The webcomic Arthur, King of Time and Space retells the legend in real time, in several settings.