Le Morte d'Arthur
The Death of Arthur
Summary
Le Morte d'Arthur, written by Sir Thomas Malory in the 15th century, is one of the most famous and influential retellings of the Arthurian legend. This epic work compiles various tales of King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table into a comprehensive narrative of chivalry, romance, and tragedy. First published in 1485, Le Morte d'Arthur has inspired countless adaptations across literature, film, and popular culture, while its exploration of honor, loyalty, and the downfall of Camelot continues to resonate with readers.
Plot
Consisting of eight tales, Le Morte d'Arthur begins when young Arthur becomes ruler of Britain after pulling the sword from the stone. Devoted to honor and chivalry, King Arthur establishes the Knights of the Round Table at Camelot and marries Guinevere. The knights embark on various quests, including the search for the Holy Grail. Meanwhile, Arthur's most celebrated knight, Lancelot, engages in a forbidden romance with Queen Guinevere.
Arthur's illegitimate son Mordred eventually reveals Lancelot and Guinevere's affair, leading to conflict. Lancelot flees and Arthur wages war against him in France. While Arthur is away, Mordred seizes the throne. Arthur returns to Britain to fight Mordred, culminating in a final battle where they mortally wound each other. As he is dying, Arthur commands Sir Bedivere to throw Excalibur into a lake. A mysterious hand emerges to catch the sword before it hits the water. Arthur is then taken away on a barge to the isle of Avalon.
Le Morte d'Arthur concludes with the deaths of Guinevere, Lancelot, and other key characters in the aftermath of Arthur's passing. Malory portrays the end of Arthur's reign and the downfall of the ideals of chivalry embodied by the Knights of the Round Table.
Themes
• Quest for honor and chivalric ideals
• Conflict between loyalty and passion
• Rise and fall of Camelot
• Power of fate and prophecy
• Dangers of pride and betrayal
• Religious symbolism and mysticism
• Tragedy of human flaws
Setting
Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur takes place in a fantastical version of medieval Britain and France during an unspecified time period. While the Arthurian legends are traditionally set in the 5th and 6th centuries, Malory's retelling contains many anachronisms and makes no attempt at historical accuracy. The world depicted is that of the High to Late Middle Ages, with armored knights, grand castles, and chivalric codes of honor replacing the post-Roman warriors and forts of the original Celtic myths.
Geographically, most of the action occurs in England. Key locations include Camelot, Arthur's capital, which is equated with Winchester. Other British settings mentioned include Astolat (Guildford) and the island of Avalon. The narrative also ventures to France, referred to as “Gaul," as well as more distant locales like Rome and the mystical realm of Sarras. Malory replaces the Saxon invaders of earlier tellings with Ottoman Turks as the pagan enemies threatening Arthur's Christian kingdom.
Within this pseudo-historical backdrop, Malory weaves in elements of fantasy and Arthurian legend. Magical islands, enchanted forests, and Merlin's supernatural abilities exist alongside the medieval courts and battlefields. The landscape is populated by not only noble knights and ladies but also by giants, fairies, and mythical creatures like the Questing Beast. This blending of the historical and fantastical creates a rich, romanticized setting that has captivated readers for centuries and come to epitomize the world of Arthurian legend.
Characters
• King Arthur: The legendary king of Britain and leader of the Knights of the Round Table. Son of Uther Pendragon.
• Guinevere: Arthur's queen and wife, who has an affair with Lancelot.
• Sir Lancelot: Arthur's most trusted knight and greatest champion, who falls in love with Guinevere.
• Merlin: The wizard who advises Arthur and helps him become king.
• Sir Gawain: Arthur's nephew and one of his most loyal knights.
• Sir Galahad: Lancelot's son, the purest knight who achieves the Holy Grail.
• Morgan le Fay: Arthur's half-sister and a powerful sorceress who opposes him.
• Sir Tristan: A knight famous for his doomed love affair with Iseult.
• Sir Percival: One of the knights who achieves the Holy Grail.
• Sir Bors: Lancelot's cousin and one of the Grail knights.
• Sir Kay: Arthur's foster brother and seneschal of Camelot.
• Sir Gareth: Gawain's younger brother, who proves himself as a great knight.
• Mordred: Arthur's illegitimate son who ultimately betrays him.
Quick facts
• The title is Anglo-Norman French and means “The Death of Arthur."
• Le Morte d'Arthur was one of the first books printed in England in 1485.
• Malory compiled and adapted the work from various French and English Arthurian romances.
• In William Caxton’s original printed edition, Le Morte d'Arthur consists of eight tales that were divided into 21 books.
• Le Morte d'Arthur standardized many elements of the Arthurian legend, such as the sword Excalibur and the Knights of the Round Table, that have become embedded in popular culture.
• The original manuscript was lost for centuries until rediscovered in 1934 at Winchester College.
• Le Morte d'Arthur heavily influenced later Arthurian works like Tennyson's Idylls of the King and T.H. White's The Once and Future King.
• Malory offered the first full account of Lancelot and Guinevere's affair in English literature.
• Sir Thomas Malory completed Le Morte d'Arthur between 1469 and 1470 while likely imprisoned at Newgate Prison in London.
• There is still debate over which historical Thomas Malory actually wrote the work.
About the author
Sir Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory was a 15th-century English writer best known for Le Morte d'Arthur, the definitive English-language chronicle of Arthurian legend. While Malory's precise identity remains contested, most scholars believe he was a knight from Warwickshire who lived from approximately 1415 to 1471. The most widely accepted candidate is Sir Thomas Malory of Newbold Revel, though other possibilities have been proposed.
Malory compiled and translated Le Morte d'Arthur from various French and English sources, unifying the sprawling Arthurian myths into a cohesive narrative. The work, first published by William Caxton in 1485, proved enormously influential and remains the primary source for most modern retellings of the Arthurian legends. Interestingly, Malory referred to himself as a “knight prisoner” in the text, suggesting he wrote at least part of it while incarcerated.
The leading candidate for Malory's identity, the Warwickshire knight, had a checkered past that included accusations of violent crimes and multiple imprisonments. This has led some scholars to question whether such a man could have authored a work espousing chivalric ideals. Alternative theories propose other candidates, including Thomas Malory of Papworth St. Agnes and Thomas Malory of Hutton Conyers. The latter has gained recent support through linguistic analysis suggesting northern origins for the text.