Le Morte d'Arthur Group

Question:

kblondey08
kblondey08
Student
High School - 12th Grade

In the story Le Morte d'Arthur, what does the epitaph on Arthur's tombstone suggest: HERE LIES ARTHUR ,THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING?

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Posted by kblondey08 on Monday July 23, 2007 at 8:29 AM and tagged with le morte d'arthur, le morte darthur.

Answers:


  1. jilllessa Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Malory alludes to the fact that some said that Arthur was not dead and shall come again in Britain's time of need:

    "YET some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesu (sic) into another place; and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross"

    So when Malory tells us that some men claim his tomb says, "Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus,"(Here lies Arthur the once and future King) he is referring to the belief that Arthur is not really dead and will come again at some future time for Britain's salvation. The claim also gives Arthur a somewhat godlike quality since the only man who has ever died and expected to come again is Christ.  T.H. White took this epitaph as the title to his rendition of the Arthur Legend: "The Once and Future King."

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    Posted by jilllessa on Monday July 23, 2007 at 4:26 PM