King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table

Sir Launcelot is the most famous Knight of the Round Table and one of Arthur’s most cherished friends. Launcelot is one of the main characters of the story who has the tragic destiny to betray Arthur and cause the downfall of Logres. Launcelot is the best fighter of Arthur’s company, and his many great deeds bring fame to Arthur’s court. Launcelot comes unknown to Camelot, but he swiftly earns his position of “most famous knight in the world” (367). To earn this title, Launcelot embarks on ceaseless adventures, “without waiting for any thanks” (129) from those he saves. No other knight can defeat Launcelot in a joust or sword battle, except for his son, Galahad. When Galahad arrives to court, Launcelot is demoted from the best knight in Logres, though “of sinful men [he is] still the best” (277).

Launcelot is the son of King Pant and Queen Elayne of Wales, though Nimue raises him in Avalon—which gives Launcelot the nickname Launcelot of the Lake. Due to his upbringing in this mystical land, Launcelot has healing abilities that save several mortally wounded knights. The text describes Launcelot as “golden haired, broad of shoulder, open of face” (119). He is beautiful, and many women fall instantly in love with him and beg for his attention—like Morgana le Fay and Elaine. Launcelot, however, is dedicated to loving Guinevere, which he disguises as loyalty to his queen. Launcelot’s love for Guinevere grows dangerously over the course of the book and leads to many problems. His sin for mistakenly taking Elaine disguised as Guinevere for his wife stops Launcelot from achieving true perfection of knighthood through the Holy Grail. Launcelot’s sins haunt him and make the knight have low self-esteem about his worth. Launcelot spends his life after the last battle as a monk, which shows his deep repentance for his dishonorable mistakes.

Sir Gawain is one of the first Knights of the Round Table to have a quest, and he is one of the best knights in Arthur’s company. Gawain is one of the main characters who gets multiple solo adventures throughout the story. Whenever someone appears searching for the worthiest knight, Arthur first looks to Gawain to complete the task. Arthur calls Gawain “the man whom I loved best in all the world” (366-67) because of his nephew’s truly noble heart. Gawain, however, doesn’t begin the story valiantly, and his grave misdeeds cause Merlin and Arthur to create the Order of Chivalry. Gawain’s flaw is his impulse to violence. On his first quest, his lack of mercy leads to the death of a noble knight and an innocent lady. Gawain makes a personal oath of temperance to right this wrong: “Hereafter I swear to always be merciful, and to spare all those who ask for mercy. […] Ever in especial to fight for all damsels and all ladies who seek my aid” (70). The women whom he saves in life appear alongside him in Arthur’s waking dream, proving Gawain’s adherence to this promise.

Gawain is the son of King Lot of Orkney and Arthur’s half-sister Morgawse, and Gaheris, Gareth, and Agravain are Gawain’s brothers. The text does not describe Gawain’s appearance, but he carries a shield “with the device of the Pentangle, the five-pointed star of Logres” (100) on it to identify himself to others. The text shows that Gawain can sometimes be more virtuous than even Arthur, like when he accepts the “monstrous” Lady Ragnell as his wife with courtesy while Arthur looks away in disgust. Gawain is pious enough to enter the Grail Chapel and remove the Waste Lands’ curse, but by fate he cannot drink from the Grail. Gawain and Launcelot are close friends, but Launcelot’s killing of Gareth sets Gawain into a murderous frenzy. On his deathbed, Gawain seeks Launcelot’s forgiveness and finds mercy in the afterlife for his history of good deeds.

Sir Percivale is one of the main Knights of the Round Table and one of the successful questers for the Holy Grail. Percivale is “simple of heart, honest and upright” (229) because his mother raised him away from society in the forest. Not knowing other people, young Percivale naively mistakes a group of knights for angels. He arrives at Arthur’s court “clad as he was in the skins of wild goats” (235) but soon gets his own armor after defeating the Red Knight with his long dart. Several figures teach Percivale about combat and about knightly virtues, such as Sir Gonemans and a holy Recluse. Percivale’s main flaws are his eagerness and pride, which make him lose Castle Carbonek and make him seek revenge on his fellow, Galahad, for overthrowing him. The quest for the Grail teaches Percivale the importance of asking for help; he comes to see the value in viewing others as companions rather than competition and the necessity of praying for guidance.

The text gives two options for Percivale’s parentage: either his parents are unknown, or he is the son of Gawain and Ragnell. Dindrane, the lady of the Enchanted Ship, is Percivale’s sister. Percivale’s love interest is Blanchefleur, who he innocently exchanges rings with while she sleeps. Percivale loses Blanchefleur when he hastily leaves Carbonek, and thereafter “always he sought for the Lady Blanchefleur, always he was true to her alone” (248). He eventually finds her again on the quest for the Grail and marries her. They rule Castle Carbonek happily until their natural deaths.

Merlin and Nimue are both static characters and powerful sorcerers who help Arthur and his knights. The text describes Merlin as “the good enchanter” (247), who is so famous that “neither Saxon nor Britain dared molest him” (5). He emerges from the “deep, mysterious valleys of North Wales” (5) to help bring about Arthur’s ascension to the throne. Merlin speaks many prophecies that establish the book’s overarching plot, and he helps realize these prophecies in his time by using magic. The British citizens trust Merlin’s wisdom, which is shown when they readily accept Arthur as king after Merlin’s commanding speeches. Arthur is the only person who sometimes disregards Merlin’s wisdom—such as when he chooses to fight Pellinore and marry Guinevere—but he comes to trust Merlin’s words. Arthur fears losing his trusted mentor, but Merlin’s departure allows Arthur to truly “show [his] worth” (73). At the end of Book 1, Merlin travels back to Wales and enters a prolonged enchanted sleep, only waking when Logres needs his help in the distant future—highlighting his role as a mystical guide.

As a character, Nimue operates in much the same way: She is a sorceress from the mysterious Isle of Avalon, who uses her magic to help Arthur fulfill his destiny after Merlin is gone. Nimue is sometimes called The Lady of the Lake, though there are other ladies who take on this name as well. The text describes Nimue simply as “fair,” and she first appears as a woman on Pellinore’s quest. At critical moments, Nimue or one of her followers helps Arthur and his knights by either healing them or weakening their opponents. Nimue plays an enchanted harp whose songs spin her magic. Rather than act as a permanent courtly advisor, Nimue often “wander[s] in the forest” (133) to help spread Arthur and his knights’ greatness throughout the realm. Nimue raises Launcelot in Avalon before presenting him to Arthur’s court, bestowing magical blessings and healing powers upon him. Nimue is one of the ladies aboard the ship that brings Arthur to Avalon to heal and enchant him into sleep.

Morgana le Fay is Arthur’s half sister; she is the daughter of Igrayne and Gorlois and is married to Sir Urience. Morgana is a sorceress who learns dark magic when she is sent away as a child. Morgana is the primary antagonist. Morgana’s motivation for continually attacking Arthur is to bring shame upon Logres and the Knights of the Round Table. She and her band of loyal sorceresses concoct elaborate “wicked spells” to kill Arthur, but they are always vanquished by the king and his knights. Whenever Morgana is caught, she begs for mercy—knowing that is one of the Order of Chivalry’s tenets—but she goes back on her word for most of the story. Morgana is beautiful with an “evil light glimmering behind her great dark eyes” (77), and her beauty allows her to tempt many good knights into doing evil deeds for her. Her wickedness is so thorough that her son Uwaine declares “I think you are a devil, not a woman!” (86) At the end of the story Morgana is completely rid of her malice and helps bring Arthur to Avalon.

Sir Mordred is Morgana’s son and another antagonist who appears later in the story. The text describes Mordred as “the evilest knight of all, hating all good things as his mother had done” (351), though he hides his goals of rebellion behind his status as Knight of the Round Table. Mordred is opportunistic, and he quickly uses the situation with Launcelot and Arthur’s war in France to his own benefit. Although Launcelot calls Mordred and his followers “liars and quarrel-makers” (363), Arthur still entrusts his kingdom to his nephew in his absence. Mordred abuses this trust by usurping the crown for himself and by shunning and killing those who oppose him. The text highlights Mordred’s all-consuming evil nature when he invites the Archbishop of Canterbury’s curses and when he cries “hot tears of shame” (278) in the presence of the Holy Grail. Mordred gives the fatal blow to Arthur—as Merlin prophesizes—and dies without repentance.

Sir Galahad is the son of Launcelot and Elaine, and he is the royal descendant of Joseph of Arimathea. Galahad is a symbolic character who represents the perfection of knighthood. After his mother dies, holy men and women raise him in an abbey to be virtuous, deeply religious, and strong in combat. He is stronger than any other knight, even his father Launcelot. The text describes Galahad as “the fairest, finest youth in all the world” (270). Though Launcelot knights Galahad in the abbey upon first sight, the young man proves his worthiness of receiving the untried title by removing Balyn’s sword from the stone.

Galahad is the only knight who can sit in Siege Perilous without instant death falling upon him, which indicates his God-appointed role. Galahad has several epithets, like the Grail Knight, Sir Galahad the Good Knight, and Priest of the Grail. Along with Balyn’s sword, Galahad wears dark red armor and has a white shield with a red cross on it that only he can wield. Galahad’s singular destiny is to find the Holy Grail under Arthur’s reign and undo Balyn’s curse, and when he completes this task, he dies and ascends to heaven.

Sir Tristram of Lyonesse, though he appears for only one chapter, is one of the most famous knights of Arthur’s court. Tristram is the son of the king and queen of Rivalin, and the nephew of King Mark of Cornwall. Tristram is brave and gentle, able to both slay dragons and strum sweetly on the harp. Tales of his great deeds reach Arthur’s court before Tristram himself does, showing his impact across the realm. Tristram arrives at Camelot as a minstrel “clad in such humble garments” (168), but Arthur can tell the man had “a dignity about him that might well have become a king” (168). Tristram was banished from King Mark’s court for having a secret affair with Queen Iseult, whom he loves because of an enchanted potion. Tristram symbolizes the battle between love and honor and the hazards of toying with love through magic. Though Tristram and Iseult break their oaths of loyalty to King Mark, their love is still celebrated and honored after their deaths, as the influence of the love-charm takes most of the blame for their behavior.

Queen Guinevere is the daughter of King Leodegraunce and is Arthur’s wife. Arthur considers her “the fairest, sweetest, loveliest, and purest maiden in all the world” (52) and the text explains that few ladies surpass her beauty. Arthur instantly falls in love with Guinevere and marries her despite Merlin’s warnings of her destiny to betray him. Though Guinevere speaks little in the text, she is shown to inspire great devotion and “reverence” from Arthur’s knights.

Launcelot and Guinevere fall in love with each other, and their deep affection torments them for the duration of the story. As their relationship develops, Guinevere becomes jealous whenever Launcelot is away from Camelot. She angrily banishes Launcelot from court, claiming “You are tired of me and have found someone else!” (341), though she later regrets the action when she feels his absence. Guinevere initiates their secret love affair by kissing Launcelot and inviting him to her room, though nothing further happens. After the war with Arthur, Launcelot clears Guinevere’s name of dishonor and Guinevere becomes a nun to repent for her sins.

Sir Kay is Arthur’s foster brother and the son of Sir Ector. He is a minor character and often an antagonist due to his rude and haughty attitude. Kay’s first action is to lie about pulling the sword from the anvil, and he continues to be a troublemaking knight for the rest of the book. Kay is loyal to Arthur, but he gives the other knights a hard time by teasing them and falsely boasting of his own great deeds. Kay is so notorious that many knights seek him out to “[take] their revenge for the cruel things he was in the habit of saying” (140), which makes it difficult for him to travel safely. Despite his bragging, Kay is not a strong knight and usually loses his duels. Though Kay doesn’t fully embody the chivalric virtues, he stays in Arthur’s court because he is Arthur’s family, and Arthur’s first promise as king was to make Kay his seneschal.

King Pelles is the lord of the mysterious Castle Carbonek, where he lives with his daughter Elaine. Pelles receives a cursed wound from Balyn—giving him the moniker the “Maimed King”—and must wait until Book 3 for Galahad to heal him. Pelles and Elaine are descendants of Joseph of Arimathea, who collected Jesus’s blood in the Holy Grail and brought the Grail to Britain. Pelles has a minor role in the text, existing mostly to determine who the true Grail Knight is. Elaine—also a tertiary character—tricks Launcelot into begetting Galahad with her, but she dies soon after of a broken heart when Launcelot refuses her affections.

The Grail Maidens and Naciens the Divine Hermit also dwell in Carbonek. The Grail Maidens—one of whom is Blanchefleur—carry the objects of the Grail Procession before worthy knights. Dressed all in white, the Grail Maidens are symbolic characters of purity. Naciens is the only character who can leave Carbonek and find his way back, demonstrating his God-appointed role to guide the knights on the Grail Quest. Naciens acts as a mentor, teaching the knights piety and letting them confess their sins. Naciens is enchanted to “live beyond the span of mortal men” (331) to protect the Grail, evidenced by his “long white beard” (274). When Galahad obtains the Grail, he shares a grave with Naciens and Pelles at Carbonek.