SPJoeHo-+The+Once+and+Future+King

The Once and Future King

__Summary__

Book I - The Sword and the Stone. The first part of the novel follows Arthur when he's a young boy. He goes by the name of Wart during this time of his life and lives on the estate of Sir Ector. The majority of this section follows Wart (Arthur) being taught by Merlyn, the magician. Merlyn teaches Wart by using his magic to transform him into a variety of different animals such as a fish and a hawk. In the later part of this section it's announced that the King of England has died without an heir. The next king will be whoever can pull a magical sword from a stone. When Wart is out on a errand for Sir Ector he accidentally stumbles upon the sword and pulls it from the stone. Arthur is declared the next King of England.



Book II - The Queen of Air and Darkness In the second part of the novel Arthur deals with the troubles of becoming King. He faces various rebelling factions including the Lot the King of Orkney. This is the section of the novel where Arthur forms the Knights of the round table, an order of knights with the goal of protecting the weak. After the war ends, Lot's wife Morgause comes to reconcile with Arthur and seduces him with magic. This seduction proves to be downfall of Arthur later on in the story

Book III - The Ill-Made Knight In this section of the novel the focus of the story shifts from Arthur to Lancelot. Lancelot is the greatest knight of the round table and in this section we get to see many of his journeys and accomplishments. One of the journeys we hear about is the quest for the holy grail, a common and well known quest in Arthurian legend. We also see the affair between Lancelot and Arthur's wife Guenever in this section. Though for now it stays a secret.

Book IV - The Candle in the Wind In the final section of the book, Mordred is older and seeks to seize the throne. To do this he reveals the affair between Lancelot and Guenever to Arthur. Arthur tries to punish the lovers but they flee and take refuge in Lancelot's castle. Arthur pursues them and lays siege to his best friend's castle. This gives Mordred the opportunity to seize the throne and take control over the kingdom. The story ends with Arthur preparing to confront Mordred to take back his throne.

__Characters__

Arthur Arthur is the protagonist of the majority of the novel. The story centralizes around his life before and during his rule as King of England.

Merlyn Merlyn is a magician who meets Arthur when he is very young. He goes on to advise Arthur as the young King grows. Merlyn is a very mysterious individual with a lot unknown about him.

Lancelot Lancelot is Arthur's greatest knight. He eventually has an affair with Guenever which drives him and Arthur apart. He is the central focus of the third portion of the book, The Ill-Made Knight, where we learn of his history.

Guenever Guenever is Arthur's wife. Her true significance in the story is the affair between her and Lancelot. This affair stays secret for a while, but once it comes out it leads to Arthur ultimately losing the throne. Mordred Mordred is Arthur's son with the evil and manipulating Queen Morgause. In the final section of the story he tries to seize the throne from Arthur. The confrontation of him and Arthur is the end of the story, at least an allusion to this confrontation.

__Related Works__

The legend of King Arthur began with the writings of a French author named Chretien de Troyes and have evolved from that. Below are some examples of popular incarnations of King Arthur and his knights.

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Website for Arthurian Studies [|Biography of TH White] [|A review of The Once and Future King]