The Death of King Arthur: The Immortal Legend

Much as Arthur presides over the matrix of knightly conduct at Camelot, Guinevere stands tall as the exemplar of all matters feminine within the courtly tradition. She alternatively shows mercy and pronounces judgment; she sometimes scolds and other times romances her love interest. Her behavior embodies a lost culture respecting chivalry and medieval politics. As Arthur’s wife, she reigns as queen over this magical age. Though Merlin warns Arthur that Guinevere will bring him trouble and even implies that Guinevere herself is a woman lacking in wisdom, Arthur selects Guinevere for his queen because he loves her; thus, Guinevere’s reign is founded on love (46).

Guinevere, however, is a monumental character in her own right; as a symbol of courtly womanhood, she carries on her own romantic love affair independently of Arthur’s oversight. Guinevere’s identity as the lover and beloved of Lancelot is arguably the most complex element of her character. Meliagaunt and Mordred, among others, pursue her, but Lancelot is her champion. That she is loved by the greatest of all knights increases her distinction, and that she remains devoted to him verifies her integrity as a lover within the courtly tradition; though disloyal to her husband, she is not disloyal by nature, and like Lancelot, she struggles with her own emotions, desires, and responsibilities.

A French descendent of kings, Lancelot is also the greatest knight who ever lived. He is unrivaled in battle, only ever losing intentionally or because of special circumstances (usually involving magic). He remains unwaveringly devoted to his lady, Guinevere, the only exception being his fathering a child with the daughter of King Pelles, who used magic to get him to sleep with her. He also never foregoes his commitment to serve his king to the best extent he can, even sparing Arthur’s life when at war with him. Lancelot’s behavior is the model for excellence as a knight.

Lancelot’s relationship with Guinevere is somewhat justifiable from a medieval standpoint, which perceived the institution of marriage as a threat to genuine love. At the time, most marriages among the nobility were arranged; they were political or economic relationships rather than personal ones. Furthermore, since marriage permits the act of sex, which most medieval theologians perceived as inherently sinful, the married man may still easily be guilty of the crime of lust. However, the lover, who pledges devotion to his lady outside the conjugal dynamic of married life, has no easy opportunity to gratify his sexual yearnings, making the commitment to her all the purer. Lancelot has nothing to gain from loving Guinevere, though in one scene very late in the story it does appear they have sex. His devotion to her is that of a faithful friend, a loyal protector, and a soulmate within the chivalric code.

The son of Lancelot, Galahad enters the narrative late and during a critical time; he contrasts with the remorseful Lancelot, whose sins prevent him from attaining the Holy Grail. Galahad’s arrival restores within the story that ideal knightly model that was lost when Lancelot’s struggle against his pride and overzealous devotion to Guinevere began affecting his performance as a chivalrous knight par excellence. Galahad is the one who finds the Holy Grail. He also arrives in time to inspire in Lancelot feelings of fatherly responsibility that help him to overcome the despair of failure. Galahad, though not fully fleshed out as a character, represents an almost supernatural ideal of perfect saintliness and purity. His soul is transported to heaven without him dying of natural causes (an echo of Jesus’s Ascension), and his time in the narrative is so brief as to leave the impression of a divine vision rather than a realistically portrayed human personality.

Within Arthurian lore, Morgan (Arthur’s bitter half-sister) usually occupies the role of trickster, though she occasionally helps one of the knights of the Round Table. She tries to thwart Arthur’s supremacy through upsetting the order of the Round Table, luring away Arthur’s knights on dangerous errands, attempting to seduce Lancelot, and carrying out various other schemes. She knows magic (“Fay” comes from the French word for “fairy”) and is thus the character foil to Merlin, Arthur’s wizard helper and advisor.

Arthur’s mentor and helper during the first part of the story, Merlin gets Arthur’s kingdom moving while the king is still too young and inexperienced to operate on his own. Merlin, a wizard knowledgeable in the arts of magic and prophecy, represents yet another supernatural validation of Arthur’s claim to the throne; without his help, Arthur would not have ascended to it. His supernatural imprisonment at Nineve’s hands marks the loss of a powerful ally and serves as a warning about the inescapability of fate: Despite knowing what will happen to him, Merlin ultimately cannot prevent it.

Tristram is, alongside Galahad and Lancelot, the most handsome of Arthur’s knights and perhaps the one with the most promise. Educated in France, he parallels Lancelot as an ideal lover, although Tristram’s narrative highlights more the doomed fate of love’s course than the agency of Tristram’s choices as a model knight (historically, the Tristram-Isolde-Mark love triangle preceded and almost certainly influenced the Lancelot-Guinevere-Arthur triangle). A servant of King Mark until exiled, Tristram joins the order of the Round Table and remains faithful to Isolde even after marrying another woman.

Described as the most beautiful woman in the world, Isolde functions as an irresistible love interest for Tristram and the constant aim of his pursuits. She submits herself to the courtly code of conduct insofar as not running away with Tristram when he is banished, but she pledges herself to him such that she permits him to select a husband for her. She eventually marries King Mark but ultimately runs away from him to Joyous Garde, Lancelot’s private stronghold, where she waits for Tristram.

The son of King Lot and Queen Morgause, Gawain is one of Arthur’s most formidable knights and a stalwart warrior. Lancelot’s accidental killing of Gaheris and Gareth (Gawain’s brothers) drives Gawain to vengeful rage, but on his deathbed he writes a letter of apology to Lancelot.

The son of Hector (Arthur’s foster father) and thus a stepbrother to Arthur, Sir Kay remains a faithful knight throughout the narrative.

Cousins of Lancelot, Sir Lionel and Sir Bors remain faithful friends with Lancelot throughout the narrative.