Essay On Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D Arthur

Over half of all murders are motivated by revenge, according to a study of crime in New York City (Murder in New York City, 2010). And for what? While the initial act of revenge may provide satisfaction, its ramifications are detestable, ranging from prison to even a death sentence. Avenging a past wrong, no matter how noble the cause, rarely ends pleasantly. Because of this, authors use vengeful characters to teach readers about the idiocy of seeking retribution. Take Sir Thomas Malory, for example, and his rendition of Arthurian Legend. King Arthur’s code of chivalry, the rules his Knights of the Round Table must live by, bans the act of vengeance in an attempt to prevent the knights from committing wrong deeds. Unsurprisingly, they often break the code and suffer dire consequences. Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur expresses that revenge rarely provides a solution and always creates more problems than originally existed. Sir Modred succeeds in his …show more content…
After Sirs Modred and Agravaine reveal the affair between Sir Launcelot and Gwynevere, Launcelot kills the brothers of Sir Gawain in an attempt to flee Gywnevere’s bedchambers (501). Because of this, Sir Gawain pushes King Arthur into fighting against Launcelot, even to the point of a civil war (505). This war brings about the fall of Camelot, and the death of many knights, including King Arthur and Sir Gawain himself (519). While dying, Gawain shows remorse for his actions, repenting “bitterly that [he] may not be reconciled to Sir Launcelot” and acknowledging that, had he not avenged the death of his brothers, the war would never had occurred (519). His grief conveys that the revenge he once so intensely desired became insignificant and only served to hurt himself and others around him. Sir Gawain’s devastation and death teach readers about the regrets and remorse that follow thoughtless