Le Morte d'Arthur Study Guide © 2017 eNotes.com, Inc. or its Licensors. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher. Summary The enchanter Merlin advises King Uther Pendragon to establish the fellowship of the Round Table, which will be comprised of the 140 greatest knights in the kingdom. Merlin is to continue his role of Uther’s counselor with Uther’s son, Arthur, who will maintain and immortalize the tradition of the Round Table. Arthur’s life begins as the result of an illicit affair between Igraine, the duchess of Tintagel and the wife of Gorlois, and Uther Pendragon. Merlin’s magic art had allowed Uther to visit Igraine in the likeness of her husband, of whose death she is as yet unaware. Arthur is conceived as a result of this deception. Ignorant of his true origin, he is brought up from infancy by one of Uther’s knights. In Arthur’s youth, the Lady of the Lake, Nimue, presents him with the sign of his kingship: Excalibur, a great sword encrusted with precious stones. Still ignorant of the identity of his mother, Arthur has a brief love affair with Morgause, the queen of Orkney and one of Igraine’s three daughters—and, thus, Arthur’s half sister. The product of this incestuous liaison is Mordred, who is both King Arthur’s nephew and his illegitimate son. Sir Gawain, a knight intensely loyal to Arthur, is the son of King Lot of Orkney and his queen, Morgause. Gawain is, therefore, Arthur’s nephew. Arthur takes Guinevere as his queen. Lancelot, a French knight and warrior of almost superhuman capabilities, joins the Round Table and becomes the courtly lover of Queen Guinevere. He is practicing a medieval convention in which a knight chastely loves and honors a lady without regard to her marital status. This chaste love eventually becomes carnal, sowing the seeds of destruction for Arthur’s kingdom. In Camelot, seat of Arthur’s court, Lancelot and Guinevere have begun a love affair. Mordred and Sir Agravain—one of Gawain’s several brothers, who dislikes Lancelot intensely—plot to capture Lancelot and the queen in flagrante. The king goes hunting, allowing Mordred and Agravain the opportunity to substantiate, if they can, their charges against the lovers. Lancelot indeed visits the queen’s chamber. The two conspirators and an additional twelve knights of the Round Table trap Lancelot within the queen’s chamber and demand that he surrender himself to them. When Lancelot finally emerges, he slays Agravain and his twelve companions. Only Mordred, wounded, escapes. Lancelot entreats Guinevere to go away with him but, grief-stricken at the disastrous results of her adultery, she tells him she will stay. Guinevere is to be burned at the stake for her offense. Arthur bids Gawain and his brothers, Gaheris and Gareth, to lead the queen to the fire. Gawain respectfully declines, but his brothers reluctantly obey; they refuse, however, to bear arms. Lancelot rides to the queen’s rescue, slaying all who oppose him. Unfortunately, in the crush of battle, he unwittingly kills the unarmed Gaheris and Gareth. He takes Guinevere to Joyous Garde, his castle in England. Gawain, formerly Lancelot’s dear friend, now becomes his implacable enemy. After the pope arranges a truce between the forces of Lancelot and the king, Lancelot returns 1 Guinevere. He and his kin leave England to become rulers of France. Arthur, encouraged by Gawain, invades France and renews the war. Mordred takes advantage of Arthur’s absence and declares himself king. He attempts to marry Guinevere, but she escapes. Upon learning of Mordred’s treachery, Arthur and his army return to England. Gawain’s life is taken when a battle ensues on the landing grounds. Before he dies, however, he repents for pressing Arthur to make war on Lancelot. Arthur is urged in a dream to make a one-month truce with Mordred; the usurper agrees, but both he and the king tell their men to attack if a sword is brandished. Unluckily, a knight is bitten on the foot by an adder, and when he raises his sword to kill the serpent, a general battle breaks out. One hundred thousand participants are killed and, at the conclusion of the carnage, Arthur and Mordred meet in single combat. Arthur runs his son through with his spear but simultaneously receives a mortal wound to the head. Finally, only he and Sir Bedivere remain alive. The dying Arthur instructs Bedivere to cast Excalibur into the lake. Bedivere, seduced by the richness of the sword, twice hides it and lies to the king. The third time, however, Bedivere obeys. A hand reaches up, grasps Excalibur, and draws it beneath the surface. Bedivere puts the king on a barge containing three queens clad in mourning—his sister, Queen Morgan la Fée; the queen of North Wales; and the queen of the Waste Lands, all accompanied by Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. As he is being rowed away, Arthur tells Bedivere he is going to Avilion (a possible earthly paradise) either to die or to recover from his wound. Bedivere later discovers a chapel where a hermit tells him of a number of ladies who had visited at midnight with a corpse for him to bury. No one is certain that King Arthur is dead. The inscription on his tomb refers to him as the once and future king—he may come again if England needs him. Guinevere becomes a nun and Lancelot a priest, ever doing penance for their sins. Summary: Book I Summary The Tale of King Arthur The birth of Arthur results from King Uther's deceptive bedding, which is really a rape, of Arthur's mother, Igrayne. Merlin, who arranges with Uther for the satisfaction of his lust, is promised the child that results. After Arthur's birth, Merlin sends the child to live with Sir Ector. Two years later, Uther dies, and Merlin secures the dying king's promise that Arthur shall be king. With Uther's death, the kingdom is in disarray with several of the barons struggling to gain control. Merlin and the Archbishop arrange for a gathering of the lords. When the lords arrive, they find a sword buried in a stone. Upon the stone are the words, "whoso pulleth out this sword from this stone and anvil is duly born king of all England." None of the men present can budge the sword, but Arthur, who mistakes the sword for the sword mislaid by Kay, easily pulls the sword free. However, the lords do not wish to be ruled by a boy and resist proclaiming Arthur king. Eventually, however, the lords agree, and as king, Arthur is successful, ruling equitably and cautiously. When Arthur has himself crowned king of Wales, the husbands of Uther's three daughters, who are themselves kings, arrive for the coronation. But instead of arriving to celebrate with Arthur, Kings Lot, Nantres, and Uriens arrive to make war. Although Merlin tells the three kings of Arthur's heritage and arranges a truce, Merlin returns to Arthur telling him to attack because destiny is with him. After his easy victory over his enemies, Arthur meets and falls in love with Guinevere. Arthur also creates a child, Mordred, with Lot's wife, whom Arthur does not realize is his sister. Soon, Merlin appears disguised first to tell Arthur that he is Uther's son, and later, to tell Arthur that he has lain with his sister and created a child who will destroy him. When Arthur loses his sword in battle against Sir Pellanor, Merlin leads Arthur to the Lady of the Lake, where Arthur promises a later gift in return for his sword, which will protect him, as long as he wears it. In a final effort to secure his kingdom and himself, Arthur orders the deaths of all highborn children 2 born on May Day, but the reason for this order, Mordred, survives. And instead, Arthur incurs the wrath of his lords. Merlin has had a part in every event that has shaped Arthur's life although he does not yet know this. The story now shifts to an emphasis on revenge, as a magical sword is used by a newly released prisoner, Sir Balyn, to slay the Lady of the Lake. When Sir Balyn attempts to win back Arthur's favor, he accidentally kills Launcelor of Ireland, one of Arthur's men, and is responsible for the suicide of Launceor's sister. Soon another battle with King Lot ensues, and Pellanor kills the king, and Arthur manages a great victory over his enemies. Merlin warns Arthur that he must guard his scabbard, and that the woman to whom he gives it, will steal it. Arthur gives it to Morgan le Fay, his sister, who gives the scabbard to her lover. After many battles, Balyn dies in battle with his brother, the two having killed one another by mistake. Merlin fixes Balyn's sword so that no man can use it except for Launcelot or Galahad. Against Merlin's advice, Arthur married Guinevere. Her dowry is the Round Table, which seats 150, the seats of which Merlin fills with as many knights as he can find. One of the new knights is Lot's son, Gawain. After some minor skirmishes, Arthur establishes the new code for the knights of the Round Table.