Le Morte d'Arthur

Note: The Death of King Arthur: The Immortal Legend is a modern retelling of Malory's Le Morte d’Arthur, adapted by Peter Ackroyd. Find the full study guide for The Death of King Arthur here. What follows is a plot summary of Malory's original work.

Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, meaning “the death of Arthur” is a retelling of previous stories of the legend of King Arthur and familiar characters including Lancelot, Merlin, and Guinevere. These tales of the Knights of the Round Table, believed to have been written in 1469, were initially published in 1485. Subsequent authors to have used Malory’s work as source material include T. H. White in his The Once and Future King, Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queen, and Alfred Tennyson in The Idylls of the King. The legends upon which Malory based his work were mainly of French origin and date from the early decades of the thirteenth century. Those stories consisted mostly of romances focusing on Launcelot. There may be historical roots stemming from King Arthur and his knights and their search for the Holy Grail, but overall, the events are thought to be fictional in nature. Morte Arthur is a fourteenth century English poem from which Malory may also have drawn inspiration.

As the story begins, Uther Pendragon is England’s king. He desires the wife of the Duke of Tintagil. Uther and the wife, Igraine, have a child named Arthur who is being raised by another family and who, according to a prediction by Merlin the sorcerer, is destined to become the king. When Uther dies, the kingdom faces turmoil, and the throne is unclaimed until the young Arthur pulls the sword Excalibur from a stone, thus ascending to the throne. Other kings feel Arthur is unworthy, leading to war from which Arthur emerges victorious. Once he has learned his real identity, Arthur accepts his destiny. Prior to this, however, Arthur had a child, Mordred, with his half-sister. Mordred’s destiny is to destroy Arthur and the kingdom. Arthur creates a moral code for his Knights of the Round Table, which for some time is able to keep peace within the kingdom.

Book I of Le Morte d’Arthur is centered on Arthur’s birth and his rise to power. It tells of his success in battles and becoming allied with French kings Ban and Bors. Also included in this section is the attempt of Arthur to take the life of Mordred, the incestuous son fated to destroy his kingdom. The plot also explains the prophecies of Merlin that predict both the rise and fall of the Knights of the Round Table.

Book II includes the story of the Knight with Two Swords, Sir Balin. Sir Balin along with his brother, Sir Balan have exploits that include defeating Arthur’s enemy King Rience of North Wales. Additionally they help Arthur in his quest to defeat the twelve kings of the North. Their adventures come to an end when, as the result of a case of mistaken identity, they end up taking each other’s lives.

In Book III, the Round Table is introduced along with a series of adventures in which characters such as Arthur’s nephew King Pellinore, Sir Gawaine, and Sir Tor, who is Pellinore’s son, are brought into the storyline. This section also features the marriage of Arthur to Guinevere.

In Book IV, the sorcerer Merlin is buried alive by Nimue, the Damsel of the Lake. There is a war involving the knights of King Arthur and the five kings of the North. A new enemy enters the story in the person of Morgan le Fay, Arthur’s half-sister.

Representatives of the Roman Emperor Lucius arrive at the beginning of Book V. They demand that Arthur pay a truage tax that he owes Rome. When he refuses, Lucius musters his forces and declares war on England. Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table accept the challenge and emerge victorious. They continue to move through Europe, and eventually, Arthur and his forces arrive in Rome, where he becomes the new emperor. Book V is also where Sir Launcelot becomes a main character.

Events involving Launcelot become the focus in Book VI. Here, he defeats Sir Turquine, battles and wins out over two giants, and escapes from Morgan le Fay. He gains the reputation of being the best knight among the members of the Round Table, and also the greatest knight in the world. He realizes his love for Queen Guinevere,but also realizes that he should never marry, as that would stand in the way of his adventures.

Book VII is considered to be the only part of Malory’s book that was not inspired by earlier sources. At the onset of Book VII a stranger arrives in Arthur’s court. He is mocked by Sir Kay, who refers to him as Beaumains, or “fair-hands.” Beaumains remains for a year and is eventually knighted by Launcelot and seeks adventure with the damosel, Linet. Buaumains turns out to be Sir Gareth, a son of King Lot and Queen Margawse. and a brother of Gawaine. Gareth proves his worthiness by killing Arthur’s enemy, the Black Knight, and other enemies of the court. He ultimately becomes the fourth most powerful knight in the kingdom.

Le Morte d’Arthur serves as a bridge of sorts between the earlier versions of the tales of King Arthur and the numerous respected works that followed it. Sir Thomas Malory’s telling of the legends and its universal themes of love, betrayal, and adventure is frequently cited as the first novel written in English.