Jennifer Sun

Salmon

10/21/07

Thesis: Though Mordred is portrayed first as the traitor whose betrayal upturns the

whole Round table in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s “Historia regum Britanniae,” he often

takes the part of satan, the snake, or the shadow of Arthur.

I. Mordred’s extreme hate for Arthur and knighthood sprouts from early life

events.

a. In Mallory’s “Morte D’Arthur,” he is the bastard child of King Arthur and

his half sister Morgause.

i. Merlin prophesizes Mordred’s birth.

ii. King Arthur attempts to send all May Day children out to sea and

hope that his illegitimate son dies.

b. Mallory portrays Mordred as a nasty-tempered knight.

i. He is often defeated in jousting tournaments.

ii. He plays nasty and backhanded tricks on other knights.

II. Mordred betrays Arthur and the whole roundtable.

a. In every portrayal of betrayal, Mordred uses the adultery of Guinevere

to betray Arthur.

i. He either tries to seduce the queen himself or to uncover

Lancelot and Guinevere’s affair to the kingdom.

 ii. Mordred is after King Arthur’s throne.

b. Mordred is the one destined to kill Arthur.

i. Before the battle, Arthur dreams of “serpents, worms, and

beasts in a well”, all which symbolize Mordred’s role in regards

to Arthur.

ii. In the final battle, Mordred kills Arthur and dies himself.

III. Mordred, though the quintessential traitor, is important to the tale of

Arthur.

a. In some portrayals, Mordred shows responsibility and ability.

i. Arthur’s men choose Mordred to be the custodian of Britain on

the basis of his trustworthiness in the stanzaic Morte Arthur.

ii. Also in Morte Arthur, Mordred shows remorse for Gawain.

b. Mordred’s life shadowed the aspects of Arthur’s life, including his

downfall.

i. In “The Company of Camelot,” written by Staples and Spivack,

Merlin stands as Arthur’s repressed “dark side”, as the

animalistic side of Arthur’s humanity.

ii. The stanzaic Morte Arthur shows both Arthur and Mordred as

flawed, shown by the parallels in their downfalls.