What is your first thought when you think of King Arthur? Is it the shining knights valiantly fighting evil doers, is it Merlin casting magic spells, or is it the tragic love story of Guinevere and Lancelot? Several people over the years have taken on the challenge of re-imagining the Arthurian legends, shaping them for their own purposes, adding new interpretations to the old stories. One such retelling of the legends is the novel The Once and Future King written by the author T. H. White, a problematic man living during one of the most tumultuous periods in the twentieth century, World War II. Living in Ireland, White was privy to all the propaganda and political unrest, but none of the actual fighting. Living a rather solitary life White
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In his novel The Once and Future King, there are predominantly two main female characters, Morgause and Guinevere. Both Queens in their own right, both tied to King Arthur romantically. Morgause is the egotistical, narcissistic, hedonistic Queen of Lothian and Orkney. She's married to King Lot until his death, and is the mother to several of the Knights of the Round Table including, Gawaine, Gareth, Gaheris, Agravaine, and eventually Mordred. She's also a witch, much like her sister Morgan le Fay, and is often referred to as The Queen of Air and Darkness. While she is a witch, she is not a very powerful one, as most of her witchcraft is done with apathy, and her specific branch of magic focuses on the seduction of men, which she is admittedly very successful at. As a great beauty with long black hair and enthralling blue eyes, Morgause is quite a sought after paramour, and she is particularly interested in younger men. She's old enough to be Arthur's mother when she seduces him, however, a more disturbing fact is that Arthur is her estranged half-brother. Her accidental incestuous coupling with Arthur results in the birth of Mordred, who is prophesied to bring about the destruction of Arthur and the ruination of Britain as a whole. Fearing the power of her newborn son and …show more content…
The women use their personal charms, intelligence, and sometimes just their presence to move and shape the legend. Throughout the novel one thing that stands clear is Arthur’s desire to create a utopian society, and he does this by attempting to establish a harsh code of morals. This code was heavily influenced by the actions of Morgause, during the period of their own affair. Neither participant knew their biological relation as half-siblings in the beginning, but after the announcement that Morgause was pregnant with Arthur’s child and their relation was revealed action had to be taken. With Mordred’s birth, Arthur proclaimed that every infant of a certain age had to be killed (White 417). This declaration was one without mercy, but to Arthur it seemed to be the best action to take as it ensured the destruction of his potentially mortal enemy. Morgause in her seduction not only shamed Arthur but also gave rise to his ultimate destruction. What also added to Arthur’s eventual destruction was the affair between Guinevere and Lancelot. Professor Lis Marxen also describes how their relationship led to the ruin of Arthur, “Guinevere becomes the ultimate threat to Camelot and as a major cause of its downfall, as she is unable to produce an heir and undermines the stability of the realm by her continuous obsession with
In his novel The Once and Future King, there are predominantly two main female characters, Morgause and Guinevere. Both Queens in their own right, both tied to King Arthur romantically. Morgause is the egotistical, narcissistic, hedonistic Queen of Lothian and Orkney. She's married to King Lot until his death, and is the mother to several of the Knights of the Round Table including, Gawaine, Gareth, Gaheris, Agravaine, and eventually Mordred. She's also a witch, much like her sister Morgan le Fay, and is often referred to as The Queen of Air and Darkness. While she is a witch, she is not a very powerful one, as most of her witchcraft is done with apathy, and her specific branch of magic focuses on the seduction of men, which she is admittedly very successful at. As a great beauty with long black hair and enthralling blue eyes, Morgause is quite a sought after paramour, and she is particularly interested in younger men. She's old enough to be Arthur's mother when she seduces him, however, a more disturbing fact is that Arthur is her estranged half-brother. Her accidental incestuous coupling with Arthur results in the birth of Mordred, who is prophesied to bring about the destruction of Arthur and the ruination of Britain as a whole. Fearing the power of her newborn son and …show more content…
The women use their personal charms, intelligence, and sometimes just their presence to move and shape the legend. Throughout the novel one thing that stands clear is Arthur’s desire to create a utopian society, and he does this by attempting to establish a harsh code of morals. This code was heavily influenced by the actions of Morgause, during the period of their own affair. Neither participant knew their biological relation as half-siblings in the beginning, but after the announcement that Morgause was pregnant with Arthur’s child and their relation was revealed action had to be taken. With Mordred’s birth, Arthur proclaimed that every infant of a certain age had to be killed (White 417). This declaration was one without mercy, but to Arthur it seemed to be the best action to take as it ensured the destruction of his potentially mortal enemy. Morgause in her seduction not only shamed Arthur but also gave rise to his ultimate destruction. What also added to Arthur’s eventual destruction was the affair between Guinevere and Lancelot. Professor Lis Marxen also describes how their relationship led to the ruin of Arthur, “Guinevere becomes the ultimate threat to Camelot and as a major cause of its downfall, as she is unable to produce an heir and undermines the stability of the realm by her continuous obsession with