The romances in this volume exemplify two different traditions of Arthurian stories developed in the Middle Ages, and are among the finest English medieval narrative poems. The texts have been edited for readers who have little or no training in Middle English; they deserve a wider readership simply for what they are, first-rate works of art. They are also essential reading for the student of the Arthurian legend and of the culture of the late medieval period. The Stanzaic Morte Arthur engages with the tragic implications of the chivalric love between Lancelot, Arthur and Guinevere; the Alliterative Morte Arthure with those of the aspirations of militant chivalry espoused by Arthur and his knights.