The "savoir-mourir" in the "Mort le roi Artu"

Although the early mediaeval literature didn’t know the late mediaeval artes moriendi, death was seen there as a phenomenon which needed certain know-how. The literary heroes knew in general that they were dying, and the source of this knowledge was purely metaphysical; it allowed them to prepare themselves for that moment by forgiving the offences, asking forgiveness and commending their soul to God. The article investigates from that point of view the 13th century romance, La mort le roi Artu (The Death of King Arthur), closing the so-called Lancelot-Grail cycle. By analyzing four cases of death (lover’s death, chivalric death, marvelous death and saint’s death), it highlights the literary technique of the author, and the complexity of the mediaeval approach to the problem.