Importance Of Loyalty In Morte D Arthur

Loyalty: The Pillar of Camelot

The medieval tales of Arthurian times stress profound values of the fifteenth - century kingdom of Camelot. At a time when faithfulness and nobility guide daily life, the legends of King Arthur, Merlin, and the knights help uphold the virtue of loyalty. In Morte D’Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory uses his first - hand experiences to retell the legend of these Arthurian figures with the ultimate goal of emphasizing the need for devotion in medieval England. John Boorman’s film adaptation, Excalibur, brings to life these characters helping to promote adherence of trust in a kingdom that places vital importance on the code of chivalry. In the medieval epic, Morte D’Arthur, and the film, Excalibur, the concept of loyalty is paramount in the development of relationships that King Arthur has with Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table.

Loyalty is

In the film, Excalibur, Boorman allows the audience to see the development of a prosperous kingdom and the prestige place on the fellowship of these knights. Not only does King Arthur show loyalty to his knights, the knights, in turn, also reciprocate. Loyalty is recognized as being owed not only to God but to one’s King. As the sole creator of the Knights of the Round Table, King Arthur has trust in these knights with the deep belief that they will always remain loyal to him. Upon discovering the sin committed between his wife and best friend, he nevertheless values his kingship before love. Arthur states, “And much more I am sorrier for my good knights’ loss than for the loss of my fair queen; for queens I might have enough, but such a fellowship of good knights shall never be together in no company” (Malory 336). For the king, brotherhood, loyalty, and the knightly code are more important than emotional entanglements. Lancelot and his knights are more of a liability to Arthur than the enchanting