Hello everyone,
I think it is relatively safe to say that the fall of Camelot and the death of King Arthur was not by ones or two persons doing. The nights of the round table are having issues with accepting King Arthur for forgiving Sir Lancelot. Some won’t stand for it, while others will not speak negatively about the king as he made them the knights they are today. Having this disagreement would later commit to the overall death of king Arthur and the fall of Camelot. Now one can argue that the disagreements of the knights were influenced by the actions of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere. A lot of the issues could have been avoided had Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere not fallen in love making Sir Lancelot a prime target for opposition.
King Arthur refusing to take in his son Sir Mordred was also a heavy point in the fall of Camelot. Had he taken him in and guided him, he could have avoided his own death. When King Arthur called for a treaty, they did not trust one another. Stating that if either of them see a single sword be drawn, to battle fiercely. “When King Arthur should depart, he warned all his host that and they see any sword drawn, ‘Look ye come on fiercely, and slay that traitor Sir Mordred, for in no wise trust him.” (Malory 511).Well, when an adder bit one of the soldiers feet, he didn’t think much, drew his sword, and slain the adder. With that, they trumpets blared and the battle began. Thousands of men died, from both sides. Eventually Sir Mordred was slain by King Arthur, but not without a fight. As King Arthur stabbed his son, Mordred responded with a swift sword swipe to the side of the head that pierced the helmet, leading to the kings’ ultimate demise.
In the end, it seems as both men and women are to blame for the actions that took place. Whether it be Queen Guinevere, or any of the knights and kings. They all are to blame. They could have avoided the fall of Camelot and the death of a husband and father. After the death of King Arthur, Queen Guenivere went away to become a nun, living out the rest of her life worshiping God and repenting from the sinful ways she had lived. “When Queen Guenivere understood that King Arthur was dead and all the noble knights, Sir Mordred, and all the remnant, then she stole away with five ladies with her, and so she went to Amesbury; and there she let make herself a nun, and wore white clothes and black, and great penance she took upon her as ever did sinful woman in this land. And never creature could make her merry; but ever she lived in fasting, prayers, and alms-deeds, that all manner of people marvelled how virtuously she was change.” (Malory 517).
Overall I enjoyed reading the stories from this book that we have covered over the last two weeks. However, I will admit that at times I would have to take a step back and re-read the words as they can be hard to understand at times.
Works Cited
Malory, Thomas, and Helen Cooper. Le Morte Darthur: The Winchester Manuscript. Oxford University Press, 1998.
