From Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Marie Borroff from Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
Enrichment: Film Depictions of King Arthur
The story of King Arthur has been told many times over the years. Musicals, movies, and
even cartoons have depicted King Arthur and his adventures. Because so many versions of King
Arthur's story exist, one would expect there to be major differences from one version to the next.
DIRECTIONS: Choose two versions of King Arthur's story. For example, you might choose the
musical Camelot, the full-length cartoon film The Sword in the Stone, the movie First Knight, or
another video version that you find at your local video store or library. Write a review of each one
for your local or school newspaper as though they were new releases. Use the questions below as
a guide to writing your reviews.
1. Describe the format of the two versions. (Was one a cartoon? The other a musical?) Explain
how each format had an impact on the meaning of the story to viewers.
2. Compare and contrast the versions of King Arthur's character. How are they similar? How
do they differ?
3. Compare and contrast the versions of the story. How are the plots and action similar? How
do they differ?
4. Are the supporting characters the same in both versions? If not, what are the differences?
From whose point of view is the story told?
5. Describe the scenery, costumes, and voices of both versions. Which did you prefer? Why?
6. Which version of the King Arthur story did you find more believable? Which did you find
more interesting? Why?
7. If you wanted to produce your own version of the story of King Arthur, what form of media
would you choose? Why?