Download Le Morte D`Arthur

The term “romance” was first
applied to these works by
Shakespeare in the 19th
century by the Irish critic
Edward Dowden.
Greek Romances
Characterized by multiple story lines, taleswithin-tales, adventures of young lovers,
pseudo-historical backgrounds, and complex
resolutions
Aetheopica
Clitophon and Leucippe
Daphne and Chloe
Aethiopica
Medieval and Early Modern
Romances
* represent a courtly and chivalric age of
highly developed manners and civility
* standard plot involves a single knight on
a quest
* emphasize courtly values such as honor,
courage, and loyalty
* interweaves natural and the supernatural
* episodic in nature
* conscious fictionality
Examples of medieval romance:
– Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
– Spenser’s The Fairie Queene
– Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur
– Sidney’s Arcadia
Shakespearean Romance
A. Extraordinary evidence presented without
regard for unities of time or place
B. “Tragicomedy” conflation of tragedy and
comedy
C. Theme concerns an ordeal undergone by
the protagonist
D. The daughter is instrumental in the comic
resolution.
E. Emphasis on artifice
F. Juxtaposition of narrative and dramatic
modes
G. Varying aesthetic distance
H. Blatant use of spectacle
The romances are often seen as the climax
of Shakespeare’s career and as a sign of
his maturation because they overcome the
simplicity of a world that is merely tragic or
comic.