Le Morte D'Arthur Characters

Arthur the GreatFor someone who's the title character, King Arthur of England sure doesn't get too much face time in Le Morte D'Arthur, especially in comparison with star knights like Launcelot and...

Knight Numero UnoLauncelot is Arthur's star knight – the best and the bravest in battle, a man admired wherever he goes. In short, he's a rock star. How do we know? Well, (1) Launcelot almost alw...

Cornwall's LauncelotLike Launcelot, Trystram is an honorable, loyal vassal to his king (King Mark) who happens to be involved in a passionate love affair with that king's wife. It's a sticky situat...

When Gawain first arrives at Arthur's court, it's with two of his brothers and his mother, Morgause, who has come to spy on Arthur. It's not exactly a hero's entrance. Gawain's father, King Lot of...

Mr. IndependentThe story of Gareth's arrival and establishment in Arthur's court gets a whole book in Le Morte D'Arthur. Gareth, who is Gawain's brother and Arthur's nephew, initially chooses to ke...

Mordred is the bastard son conceived by Arthur when he sleeps with his sister, Morgause, by mistake. After Mordred is conceived, Merlin prophesies that the child will later destroy Arthur and his r...

The Other Best KnightIf Launcelot is the best of Arthur's knights on the battlefield, Galahad is his best Christian knight. His all-around awesomeness makes sense, given the fact that he's Launcelo...

Where's a Wizard When You Need One?Merlin is the handy wizard that makes stuff happen for much of the first part of Le Morte D'Arthur. If Arthur is Corleone, then Merlin's his wartime consigliere,...

The Lady TricksterShe schemes, she plots, she plans. Morgan le Fay, Arthur's aunt through his mother, Igrayne, is something of a thorn in the side of the Arthurian court. After Igrayne's marriage t...

When King Arthur marries Gwenyvere, daughter of King Lodegrean, he receives a huge round table with seats for 150 knights, as well as 100 knights to fill most of those seats as her dowry. Gwenyvere...

When Trystram first meets Isode, she is "the fayrest lady and maydyn of the world" (238.4) and her name, "La Beale Isode," French for "the beautiful Isode," tells us as much. She's also a skillful...

There are so many minor characters mentioned in Le Morte, that it just might take days to name them all. But we'll go ahead and give you the lowdown on the ones worth remembering.AccalonAccalon is...