The Romance of Arthur

共享题干题                                      （一） The Romance of Arthur
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       Most cultures have some sort of hero who represents the best values of what its people believe in. The unusual thing about King Arthur is that legends of his heroism have persisted for several centuries and spread far beyond England, the place where they began. The earliest stories of King Arthur represent him as a warrior who fought and defeated the invading Norsemen in the years around A. D.700. This much of the Arthurian tale is probably based on fact. Whether called Arthur or not, there is a body of evidence supporting the existence of such a warrior. It is the later embellishments (美化) of the tale whose authenticity (真实性) is questionable. According to these, Arthur was born in a castle in Tintagel on the stormy western coast of England and because he was the illegal son of King Uther Pendragon, he was spirited away(拐走) by the magician Merlin and his true identity kept from him. He became king after freeing the sword Excalibur from the stone into which it was thrust. He marred the beautiful Guinevere and assembled in his court all the noblest knights of the land, including Lancelot,with whom Guinevere would later be unfaithful to him. He was finally defeated in battle by his son Mordred.
      This romantic tale greatly appealed to the English and the French in the Middle Ages, when the code of chivalry (骑士) -ideal qualities of knighthood-constituted an important part of many stories. Tales of the heroism of Galahad, Percival, Gawain, and many other of Arthur's knights were spread as well.
      In England today, there are many sites claiming a piece of the Arthurian an legend. There is a mined castle at Tintagel. Near Glastonbury are the remains of an ancient abbey where Arthur's and Guinevere's bodies were supposedly exhumed in the 12th century. Neither of these proves that the legend is true, but they do keep its mystique alive.