King Arthur In Malory's Literature

King Arthur is, of course, the central character of the Arthurian tales. However, unlike any normal character, Arthur’s development is unique. Instead of becoming more developed as a character, he becomes a force of his own. Because Arthur’s development is mythic and almost beyond human, he ends up as a non-character, lacking human characteristics and functioning more like a metaphor for God than as a person. Arthur has numerous roles throughout Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of Briton, “Culhwch and Olwen,” and Malory’s works. Arthur is a warrior. He receives that depiction in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of Briton. He fights and conquers, defeating the Scots, Picts, Danes, Saxons, Finns, and Romans. He is a King as shown

The most important being his relationship with Guinevere. Arthur’s relationship with Guinevere is complex. She is his wife, Arthur loves her, but he seems very distant towards her. Part of that is because she is cheating on him with Lancelot, but the larger part is that Arthur seems incapable of romantic love. Malory’s works “The Poisoned Apple” and “Slander and Strife” show this dynamic especially. In both of these stories, Guinevere is facing death by burning at the stake. In “The Poisoned Apple”, she faces an accusation for murdering Patrice, a knight of the round table and the other knights call for her death. Arthur just accepts that this is what has to happen. He does ask another knight to fight for her but does not seem that concerned about her possible death. He seems even more detached in “Slander and Strife.” Even though Guinevere faces death for “treason,” which is a betrayal of Arthur by sleeping with Lancelot, Arthur does not seem angry. She has to die because she committed treason; he is not impassioned with anger. In “The Vengeance of Sir Gawain,” Arthur’s relationship with both Gawain and Lancelot becomes clear. He is an outside force arbitrating, and quite unwillingly so, the conflict between Gawain and Lancelot. Arthur should be angry at Lancelot for sleeping with his wife, but he is not. He is simply sad that he has to fight with Lancelot. This shows Arthur as more symbolic of justice