101 pages • 3 hours read
Marion Zimmer BradleyA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 3
Part 1, Chapters 4-6
Part 1, Chapters 7-10
Part 1, Chapters 11-13
Part 1, Chapters 14-16
Part 1, Chapters 17-20
Part 2, Chapters 1-3
Part 2, Chapters 4-6
Part 2, Chapters 7-11
Part 2, Chapters 12-14
Part 2, Chapters 15-17
Part 3, Chapters 1-3
Part 3, Chapters 4-6
Part 3, Chapters 7-10
Part 3, Chapters 11-13
Part 4, Chapters 1-3
Part 4, Chapters 4-6
Part 4, Chapters 7-10
Part 4, Chapters 11-13
Part 4, Chapter 14-Epilogue
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
Gwenhwyfar is plagued with dreams of Morgaine taking her to the Beltane fires to be received by Lancelet. She begs Arthur to ban the ritual, but Taliesin intervenes, saying that the peasants have few other sources of genuine joy and that it would be unfair of Arthur to dictate an individual’s innermost thoughts and beliefs. Gwenhwyfar says that a ruler must use their power to enforce right and wrong.
Arthur leads Gwenhwyfar to the edge of Camelot’s walls. He reflects on his promise and appears apprehensive at his betrayal. Gwenhwyfar is concerned that his head is filled with “pagan nonsense” and reminds him, “[W]hen you turned to the one true God, then did he give you that greatest of victories, so that you drove the Saxons forth from this island for all of time” (427). Arthur says there is no way to guarantee the security of any land forever. As they sit on the wall, they see Kevin riding up to the castle, accompanied by a mysterious figure they eventually recognize as Morgaine, who has been missing for five years. Morgaine does not respond to any questions about where she has been, saying only that she “had ill fortune […] on the road” (429).
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