Le Morte d’Arthur

by

Sir Thomas Malory

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Arthur’s wife and the lover of the knight Launcelot. Guenever seems to love Arthur as well, remaining politically loyal to him throughout the book, though until the downfall of the empire she refuses to give up her affair with Launcelot even when it appears she might be burned at the stake for treason. Guenever also enjoys the support and love of the knights of the Round Table, for whom she serves as a symbol of the feminine honor that they claim to fight for. In fact, it is only once some of the knights definitively turn away from Guenever, no longer worshipping her as their beloved queen because of their jealousy of Launcelot, that the kingdom begins to unravel—suggesting that it was Guenever who managed to hold competing interests together for so long.

Queen Guenever Quotes in Le Morte d’Arthur

The Le Morte d’Arthur quotes below are all either spoken by Queen Guenever or refer to Queen Guenever. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Honor and Chivalry Theme Icon
).
Book 9 Quotes

Queen Morgan loved Sir Launcelot best, and ever she desired him, and he would never love her nor do nothing at her request, and therefore she held many knights together for to have taken him by strength. And because she deemed that Sir Launcelot loved Queen Guenever paramour, and she him again, therefore Queen Morgan le Fay ordained that shield to put Sir Launcelot to a rebuke, to that intent that King Arthur might understand the love between them.

Related Characters: King Arthur, Queen Guenever, Sir Launcelot du Lake, Morgan le Fay
Page Number: Vol 1, 464
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 10 Quotes

For an it happeth an envious man once to win worship he shall be dishonoured twice therefore; and for this cause all men of worship hate an envious man, and will shew him no favour, and he that is courteous, and kind, and gentle, hath favour in every place.

Related Characters: Queen Guenever (speaker), Sir Palomides
Page Number: Vol 2, 172
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 18 Quotes

For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that lusty month of May, in something to constrain him to some manner of thing more in that month than in any other month, for divers causes. For then all herbs an trees renew a man and woman, and likewise lovers call again to their mind old gentleness and old service, and many kind deeds that were forgotten by negligence. For like as winter rasure doth always arase and defase green summer, so fareth it by unstable love in man and woman. For in many persons there is no stability; for we may see all day, for a little blast of winter’s rasure, anon we shall deface and lay apart true love for little or nought, that cost much thing; this is no wisdom nor stability, but it is feebleness of nature and great disworship, whosomever uses this.

Related Characters: Queen Guenever, Sir Launcelot du Lake
Page Number: Vol 2, 425
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 21 Quotes

Through this man and me hath all this war been wrought, and the death of the most noblest knights of the world; for through our love that we have loved together is my most noble lord slain.

Related Characters: Queen Guenever (speaker), King Arthur, Sir Launcelot du Lake
Page Number: Vol 2, 523
Explanation and Analysis:

Then Sir Launcelot saw her visage, but he wept not greatly, but sighed.

Related Characters: Queen Guenever, Sir Launcelot du Lake
Page Number: Vol 2, 526
Explanation and Analysis:
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Queen Guenever Quotes in Le Morte d’Arthur

The Le Morte d’Arthur quotes below are all either spoken by Queen Guenever or refer to Queen Guenever. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Honor and Chivalry Theme Icon
).
Book 9 Quotes

Queen Morgan loved Sir Launcelot best, and ever she desired him, and he would never love her nor do nothing at her request, and therefore she held many knights together for to have taken him by strength. And because she deemed that Sir Launcelot loved Queen Guenever paramour, and she him again, therefore Queen Morgan le Fay ordained that shield to put Sir Launcelot to a rebuke, to that intent that King Arthur might understand the love between them.

Related Characters: King Arthur, Queen Guenever, Sir Launcelot du Lake, Morgan le Fay
Page Number: Vol 1, 464
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 10 Quotes

For an it happeth an envious man once to win worship he shall be dishonoured twice therefore; and for this cause all men of worship hate an envious man, and will shew him no favour, and he that is courteous, and kind, and gentle, hath favour in every place.

Related Characters: Queen Guenever (speaker), Sir Palomides
Page Number: Vol 2, 172
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 18 Quotes

For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that lusty month of May, in something to constrain him to some manner of thing more in that month than in any other month, for divers causes. For then all herbs an trees renew a man and woman, and likewise lovers call again to their mind old gentleness and old service, and many kind deeds that were forgotten by negligence. For like as winter rasure doth always arase and defase green summer, so fareth it by unstable love in man and woman. For in many persons there is no stability; for we may see all day, for a little blast of winter’s rasure, anon we shall deface and lay apart true love for little or nought, that cost much thing; this is no wisdom nor stability, but it is feebleness of nature and great disworship, whosomever uses this.

Related Characters: Queen Guenever, Sir Launcelot du Lake
Page Number: Vol 2, 425
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 21 Quotes

Through this man and me hath all this war been wrought, and the death of the most noblest knights of the world; for through our love that we have loved together is my most noble lord slain.

Related Characters: Queen Guenever (speaker), King Arthur, Sir Launcelot du Lake
Page Number: Vol 2, 523
Explanation and Analysis:

Then Sir Launcelot saw her visage, but he wept not greatly, but sighed.

Related Characters: Queen Guenever, Sir Launcelot du Lake
Page Number: Vol 2, 526
Explanation and Analysis: