CS212 Problem Sets

Synopsis of the Movie

The game is loosely based on the movie. For those who have not seen the movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you can read the following brief synopsis of the movie. It's not a very complete since we want to leave some fun in watching the movie. Understand that the movie is British and the humor and spelling may deviate from what you are accustomed to.

Obviously, the game doesn't follow the movie exactly, lest there would be no fun.

The movie begins with King Arthur of the Britons searching for knights to join him in Camelot. Since the film was fairly low budget, horses were too expensive, thus many of the characters are followed by a side-kick who claps coconut shells together. The question brought up in the movie is just where in England do you find coconuts? Perhaps a swallow brought a coconut to England when it migrated!

We soon learn that King Arthur has been ordained by the Lady of the Lake. She had by Divine Providence given Arthur Excalibur. That is why Arthur is King of Britons. Some object to this since "Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government".

Arthur moves on to encounter the Black Knight. Arthur defeats the Black Knight and continues on with his search of Knights to join him at the Round Table.

The focus now leaves King Arthur and moves to a mob of people calling for a witch to be burnt at the stake. But before you can burn a witch, you must first prove that she is indeed a witch. This is when we are introduced to Sir Bedevere. Bedevere explains, with help from the crowd and King Arthur, that to discover whether the maiden in question is truly a witch she must be made of wood (or else she wouldn't burn). Logically if she is made of wood, she must float. And of course ducks float, therefore if she weighs as much as a duck, she must be a witch! (We'll leave the stunning conclusion of this scene to the movie.

Arthur asks Bevedere to join him at the Round Table. Bevedere accepts. Shortly, more Knights join King Arthur, and we are introduced to Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Gallahad the Pure, and Sir Robin the not quite so brave as Sir Lancelot. Lastly, Sir Not appearing in this film joins King Arthur. Together these men were to be called the Knights of the Round Table.

They travel to Camelot. There's a little tune and ditty. Camelot was sure a lot of fun.

The company of Knights and King then receive a heavenly message from God. God gives Arthur a vision of the Holy Grail and thunders, "Arthur, this is the Holy Grail. Look well, Arthur, for it is your sacred task to seek this grail. That is your purpose, Arthur: the quest for the Holy Grail". Thus we can now begin the journey to search for the Holy Grail.

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table begin there quest for the Holy Grail. They first come across a castle and call to the watchman explaining their quest and seeking shelter for the night. The watchman, whom we shall call the French Taunter, tells the Knights that the Lord of the castle already has a Holy Grail. Arthur tries in vain to reason with the French Taunter until the Knights of the Round Table are pummeled with livestock. Sir Bevedere suggests that they build a Trojan Rabbit. They do this, and they leave it in front of the French Taunter's castle. Tragically, the Trojan Rabbit did not work.

We are then introduced to a famous historian who explains that Arthur and Knights, learning from their encounter with the French Taunter, choose to split up and look for the Holy Grail. Unsurprisingly, the famous historian is slain by a passing knight who, surprisingly, is riding a live horse. The historians wife cries out to her husband, Frank, and a police investigation is begun.

We first watch Sir Robin as he travels through the forest. Sir Robin is accompanied by his minstrels whom sing his song. Sir Robin encounters a three-headed giant who decides to kill him. In the midst of the giant's indecision, Sir Robin manages to escape.

We next see Sir Galahad, who encounters a castle and sees a vision of the Holy Grail. He approaches the Castle Anthrax and is warmly invited by its residents. We find out that Galahad's vision of the Holy Grail was nothing less than a decoy setup by the inhabitants of Castle Anthrax. Needless to say, Sir Galahad the pure is tempted to do some rather impure things until he is rescued by Sir Lancelot.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Bevedere speak with an old man who, not too precisely, informs them that the Holy Grail lies beyond the Gorge of Eternal Peril.

Arthur now continues searching. He and the few Knights who have rejoined him encounter the Knights who say Ni. (Ni of course is a horrible word to hear and causes much misery when heard). The Knights who say Ni will not let Arthur and his company of knights pass until Arthur brings them a shrubbery. Arthur agrees after hearing the word Ni.

Meanwhile, Sir Lancelot helps out a helpless prince who is being forced to marry so his father can obtain land.

After that, King Arthur goes in search of a shrubbery. He fortunately encounters Roger the Shrubber, and purchases a shrubbery. Arthur brings the shrubbery back to the Knights who say Ni, only to find that they are now the Knights who say 'Ecky- ecky- ecky- ecky- pikang- zoop- boing- goodem- zoo- owli- zhiv'. Thus Arthur is to be given another test. First, Arthur is told to find another shrubbery, and later he must cut down the mightiest tree in the forest with a herring. The only way for Arthur to pass the Knights who formerly say Ni, is to say a word so horrible, that we can't say it here. Arthur and his band of Knights say this word and therefore are able to get past the Knights who formerly say Ni.

Arthur and his company make their way through the forest and beyond rejoin with Sir Lancelot and Sir Gallahad. And there was much rejoicing. They are then caught in the dead of winter and are forced to eat Sir Robin's minstrels. And there was much rejoicing.

Arthur and his Knights soon encounter Tim the Enchanter, who is able to summon up fire without flint nor tinder. Tim knows who Arthur is and knows of his quest. He informs Arthur and his company about a cave that holds information about the Holy Grail, but no man has ever entered this cave alive...

We then find Arthur and his knights at the entrance to the cave. Tim tells them that they are looking at a most horrible adversary, to which they equate to a cute rabbit. Little did they know that this was a deadly rabbit. In a rather ignorant charge for the entrance of the cave, the rabbit ends up killing many of the knights. Arthur and the remaining knights are forced to retreat. It is only with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch that they are able to kill the rabbit.

In the cave, Brother Maynard deciphers the ruins on the cave wall, 'Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Arimathea. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Holy Grail in the Castle of aaaaaagggh'. After a while the Knights recall that the Castle of aaaaaagggh is somewhere on the other side of the Gorge of Eternal Peril. On the way out, Brother Maynard is eaten by a monster living in the cave.

When Arthur and his knights find the Gorge of Eternal Peril, they must cross the Bridge of Death. Unfortunately, the group is stopped by a bridge keeper who says, "Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see". The questions are really hard. Lancelot answers them correctly and is able to cross the bridge. Unfortunately, all the remaining knights answer the third question incorrectly and are thrown into the Gorge of Eternal Peril, where they can never leave. All that remain are Arthur and Sir Bevedere. Arthur uses his cunning Kingly knowledge and tricks the bride keeper such that he is thrown into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.

Meanwhile, Sir Lancelot, who already crossed the bridge, is picked up by the police as suspect for the murder of Frank.

Arthur and Bevedere have no time to lose, so they do not look for the missing Lancelot. They come across an impassible lake. But in a strike of luck a boat mystically appears out of the fog to transport King Arthur and Sir Bevedere across the lake.

Arthur and Bevedere now try to enter the Castle of aaaaaagggh, only to find that it has been inhabited by the French Taunter. Arthur gathers his army of knights (yes, they were there all along), and charges the Castle of aaaaaagggh. This whole attack is abruptly stopped with the arrival of the police who wish to interrogate Arthur and Bevedere for the murder of the famous historian.

And so the movie continues. We wouldn't want to spoil the end for you...