Preview: Section 1

The poem opens by tracing Britain from Troy to the legendary past of King Arthur, then settles at Camelot during a fifteen-day Christmas celebration. The court is young, splendid, and eager for stories and displays of knightly daring; Arthur’s custom is to wait for a marvel before eating on a great feast day.

Expect strongly alliterative lines and short “bob and wheel” endings that change the rhythm at each stanza’s close. A few recurring forms make the Middle English easier to enter: þe is “the,” watȝ is “was,” ȝe is “you,” and knyȝt is “knight.”