SUMMERS, KAREN CRADY, Ph.D. Reading Incest - The University ...

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Lo ye all Englysshemen, se ye hat what a myschyff here was? For he that was the
moste kynge and nobelyst knight of the worlde, and moste loved the felyshyp of
noble knyghtes, and by hym they all were upholdyn, and yet might nat thes
Englyshemen holde them contente with hym. Lo thus was the olde custom. Alas!
Thys ys a greate defaughte of us Englysshemen, for there may no thynge please
no terme. (1129.5-14)
Thus knight and commoner—two of the three estates—share blame for the fall, in a form
of estates criticism like that found in Confessio Amantis and The Canterbury Tales. The
disloyalty of Arthur’s knights and his people make it difficult and eventually impossible
for him to keep his kingdom intact.
After a long, fruitless siege of the castle in France, a papal bull arrives, ordering
Arthur to take Guenevere back and to make peace with Lancelot. Arthur returns to
England, and Lancelot brings Guenevere back as promised. But Arthur, egged on by an
enraged Gawain, who lost all four of his brothers fighting Lancelot, followed Lancelot
back to France to take revenge, leaving Mordred in charge of his kingdom and his wife.
After several weeks Arthur heard that Mordred had counterfeited a letter declaring Arthur
dead. Mordred crowned himself king and made plans to marry Guenevere. Arthur and
his loyal knights hurried to England and the final battle began. Gawain, weakened by his
fights with Lancelot, is killed.
Malory gives to this tale the title “The Day of Destiny.” It is an apt title, for
Merlins’ long-ago prophesy is fulfilled. Mordred was the result of the thing which
displeased God—Arthur’s unrepented incest. Arthur committed this sin unknowingly,
but Mordred would do so with fully comprehended malicious intent; in fact, he would
compound and double the sin of incest, passing on his father’s legacy in this fashion.