Le Morte d’Arthur: Book 20 Summary & Analysis

For the first time, the affair between Guenever and Launcelot that has long been common knowledge at court breaks out into the open, as Agravaine, seemingly out of jealousy, proclaims what everyone knows to be true, but has kept quiet out of respect for Guenever, Arthur, and Launcelot, and for fear that the court and even, perhaps, the very kingdom may begin to unravel.

Agravaine chooses not to listen to his brothers Gawaine, Gareth, and Gaheris, who have split off from Agravaine and Mordred concerning whether or not to share the truth with Guenever. While Arthur’s full inner emotions are not shared with us, it seems that he reacts ambivalently, both refusing to believe the news immediately, and curious enough to know whether or not it’s true that he agrees to Agravaine’s plan.

Launcelot’s decision to sleep with Guenever anyway is shown to be overly prideful, as he even puts her into danger once the knights surround them. The knights are now clearly divided into two camps.

Launcelot may not be able to fight one against a dozen knights, but he begins by killing the first knight in order to show that he is not a coward and is, as he long has been, a remarkable knight. But his slaying of the first knight is also just a warning not to continue, since he promises not to flee and instead to face proper accusation as a traitor. Agravaine and Mordred’s to accept this raises the stakes of the conflict, as does Launcelot’s killing of Agravaine.

Sir Bors has been predicting that Launcelot’s behavior, as well as that of his rivals, may well lead to disaster, but now he acts himself in accordance with his loyalty to Launcelot.

The book portrays Launcelot and Guenever’s affair ambivalently, and Bors’s position in particular is a realist one—rather than bemoaning lost chances, he counsels Launcelot to face current facts.

Arthur seems almost as upset that Launcelot has fought against his fellow knights, contributing to the destruction of the Round Table, as he is that Launcelot has been having an affair with his wife behind his back. Indeed, the tragedy of these scenes is that none of the characters seem truly angry at each other, but they are forced to take drastic action because of the codes of honor and conduct they adhere to. Gawaine remains loyal to Launcelot as well as to Arthur, given that he cannot find a way to justify the dishonorable actions of his own brother. Despite Gawaine’s suggestions, Arthur believes that his knights’ actions will trigger a series of inevitable consequences.

Gareth and Gaheris now position themselves firmly on the side of the queen and, by proxy, Launcelot. For a third time, Launcelot enters to rescue Guenever, but this rescue attempt does not go nearly as successfully as previous ones, and he accidentally kills knights who are both loyal to him and dear to Arthur. Chance and accident are crucial aspects of the book’s tragic finale.

Arthur realizes that the fellowship of the Round Table is irreparably lost, but he still seeks to avert the worst of the damage, since he understands that the atmosphere at court could in fact grow worse.

Once Arthur is faced to face with Gawaine, he cannot lie to him. Now, although Gawaine had remained loyal to Launcelot and Guenever before (even when Launcelot killed Agravaine), his loyalty to his own family—especially since his brothers were blameless, unlike Agravaine—now triumphs, and his hotheaded temper takes over.

Launcelot is reluctant to fight against Arthur’s knights, since it was never Launcelot’s own wish to create a rift between members of the Round Table. Arthur himself seems equally unwilling to go to war against his friend, but for some reason the king now appears to be driven by the will of Gawaine, who is still seeking to avenge his brothers’ death.

For Arthur, the most important thing has always been to maintain unity among his subjects, while for Gawaine, desire for revenge gains the upper hand. It seems strange that Arthur follows Gawaine’s wishes rather than his own, and this only adds to the tragedy of this conflict.

Now, for the first time, knights of the Round Table do battle against each other not in the context of a friendly tournament, but to the death. Launcelot is walking a careful, fraught line by doing battle even while attempting to save Gawaine and Arthur. Even the Pope now becomes involved, suggesting just how high the stakes of the civil war in Arthur’s court have grown.

Again it is Gawaine rather than the king of England himself who prevents peace, as his desire for revenge is so great that it starts to tear the kingdom apart.

Once again, Launcelot attempts to describe some of the mitigating actions that should allow Gawaine and Arthur to forgive him—both his own honor in defending them, and other knights’ dishonor.

Gawaine had turned from pledging loyalty to Launcelot to pledging loyalty to Arthur as Launcelot’s enemy, but now those very sides are disintegrating themselves, as Gawaine extracts himself from any kind of competitive alliance in order to vow individual vengeance.

Launcelot’s departure from court is portrayed as a great tragedy, despite the fact that his affair with Guenever was always, legally speaking, treason. However, the book seems to privilege Launcelot’s honorable behavior as a knight more than it condemns his weakness with women, something for which he never repents (except during his quest for the Sangreal).

Now Arthur’s court is officially split, as Launcelot’s men begin to spread out into foreign lands and create their own kingdom.

Arthur and Gawaine have become the aggressors as they continue to seek to destroy Launcelot, even now that he has a foreign kingdom. But it is clear that Gawaine rather than Arthur is leading this attack.

Now Launcelot realizes that he has lost his best attempt to make peace, and he must be forced to do battle against Arthur’s men. A siege, rather than a face-to-face battlefield fight, suggests just how passively Launcelot wants to respond to Gawaine’s aggression, so as to prevent bloodshed. But finally, to protect his honor he must meet Gawaine.

Gawaine and Launcelot are only equally matched initially because Gawaine has been strengthened through this magical gift. However, when they fight with only their natural skills, Launcelot once again shows himself to be the greatest. He refuses even to end the civil war by killing Gawaine dishonorably.

With Gawaine wounded but not dead, the civil war is doomed only to be paused rather than ended. This scene is one of notable repetition with the earlier battle scene, suggesting that the two sides seem condemned to constant, unending battle between each other—despite the fact that neither considers the other a true enemy.