The Sword and the Circle facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Rosemary Sutcliff |
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| Country | Great Britain |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Matter of Britain |
| Published | 1981 by The Bodley Head |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0-370-30387-3 |
The Sword and the Circle, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is an exciting children's novel. It was written by Rosemary Sutcliff and first published in 1981. This book retells the famous stories of King Arthur and his brave Knights of the Round Table.
Rosemary Sutcliff shared that she was inspired by old myths and folktales about King Arthur. Her main source was Sir Thomas Malory's classic book, Le Morte d'Arthur. She also used ideas from other old writings, like Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, plus English songs and Irish folktales. This book is different from her other Arthurian novels, The Lantern Bearers and Sword at Sunset. Those books tried to find a real historical person behind the legends. The Sword and the Circle focuses more on the magical tales themselves.
Contents
What Happens in the Story?
This novel has thirteen chapters. The first five chapters tell us about King Arthur's early life. The chapters that follow are like separate adventures. They each focus on the amazing deeds of different knights.
Arthur's Early Life and Becoming King
The story shows Arthur as the son of Uther Pendragon. His mother was Lady Igraine. The powerful wizard Merlin helped Arthur's parents. Merlin is a very important character in this book. He guides Arthur's journey to become king.
Merlin is described as coming from the 'Lordly Ones' or 'Little Dark People'. These are names Sutcliff uses for the ancient, possibly magical, people of Great Britain. Merlin makes sure Arthur grows up with Sir Ector and his foster brother, Sir Kay.
Arthur's true identity as the future ruler of Britain is revealed when he pulls the Sword from the Stone. This famous act proves he is the rightful king. Later, he receives a different, special sword called Excalibur from the mysterious Lady in the Lake.
Adventures of the Knights
The rest of the book shares many classic Arthurian tales. These include stories about other famous characters:
- The beginnings of Lancelot of the Lake.
- Lancelot's meetings with Elaine.
- The exciting tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
- The story of Beaumains, also known as the Kitchen Knight.
- A shorter version of the sad love story of Tristan and Iseult. Rosemary Sutcliff had written a longer novel about them before.
- The adventures of Geraint and Enid.
- The tale of Gawain and the Loathly Lady.
The Arrival of Percival
Finally, the knight Percival arrives at Arthur's court. Merlin had made prophecies about this. His arrival suggests the beginning of the end for the Round Table's golden age.
This book ends here. The story continues in two other novels by Rosemary Sutcliff: The Light Beyond the Forest and The Road to Camlann.
