In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, the battle between King Arthur and Accolon in Book IV is significant because it establishes Morgan as a primary antagonist to Arthur, Nimue as a force who can and will (mostly) work on Arthur’s behalf, and reaffirms Arthur’s honor and knightly prowess.
With Merlin trapped and his magic unavailable to aid Arthur, Morgan and Nimue, step in to oppose and support Arthur, respectively. Both women are powerful female wielders of necromancy at this point; Morgan learned necromancy at the nunnery where she was raised (4) and Nimue “made Merlin good cheer till she had learned of him all manner thing that she desired” (102). From their background, it would be logical to assume that Morgan, who learned magic in a nunnery – under holy women – would be the one to use it for good, and Nimue, having gotten her abilities through trickery and manipulation, would use magic for her own selfish gain. However, Morgan goes to elaborate lengths to kill Arthur, setting up a battle between Arthur and her lover, …show more content…
Accolon has every advantage, since he has both Excalibur, which never misses, and the scabbard, which protects him from being injured; as a result, Arthur loses so much blood that, according to Malory, he should have long since collapsed from his injuries. Nevertheless, Malory states that Arthur was “so full of knighthood that knightly he endured the pain” and “all men that beheld him said they saw never knight fight so well as Arthur did considering the blood that he bled” (116). Even when his sword breaks, Arthur “held up his shield and lost no ground, nor bated no cheer” (116). Accolon tries to persuade Arthur to surrender, and Arthur refuses in a stirring speech that affirms the nobility of his
With Merlin trapped and his magic unavailable to aid Arthur, Morgan and Nimue, step in to oppose and support Arthur, respectively. Both women are powerful female wielders of necromancy at this point; Morgan learned necromancy at the nunnery where she was raised (4) and Nimue “made Merlin good cheer till she had learned of him all manner thing that she desired” (102). From their background, it would be logical to assume that Morgan, who learned magic in a nunnery – under holy women – would be the one to use it for good, and Nimue, having gotten her abilities through trickery and manipulation, would use magic for her own selfish gain. However, Morgan goes to elaborate lengths to kill Arthur, setting up a battle between Arthur and her lover, …show more content…
Accolon has every advantage, since he has both Excalibur, which never misses, and the scabbard, which protects him from being injured; as a result, Arthur loses so much blood that, according to Malory, he should have long since collapsed from his injuries. Nevertheless, Malory states that Arthur was “so full of knighthood that knightly he endured the pain” and “all men that beheld him said they saw never knight fight so well as Arthur did considering the blood that he bled” (116). Even when his sword breaks, Arthur “held up his shield and lost no ground, nor bated no cheer” (116). Accolon tries to persuade Arthur to surrender, and Arthur refuses in a stirring speech that affirms the nobility of his