Thomas Malory s Morte Darthur The Tale Of Launcelot And...

â€Å"Morte Darthur†: A research paper for English 325 In Thomas Malory s Morte Darthur the tale of Launcelot and Guinevere’s betrayal and the tragedy that ensues is the prevailing end of the arthurian legend. Malory writing as a prisoner accused of treason took vested interest in the betrayal of Arthur by Guinevere and one of his most popular knights. Most likely due to the fact that Malory saw himself and hope for mercy in the character Launcelot and made that evident in the story he wrote.Ultimately Malory wrote the Morte to absolve himself of wrongdoing, but it is also rife of subtle criticisms of royalty. Specifically their incompetence, lust for power and abuse of it, and how the fighting class, the one Malory belongs too pays the†¦show more content†¦The abuse of power perpetuated by monarch’s and how that justification use started wars also makes its way into Malory’s writing. Despite the affair being well known as long as it wasn’ t proven Arthur felt no obligation to pursue either of the lovers for treason and infidelity. Once the cat is out of the bag however and Guinevere is prepared for the stake is when Launcelot swoops in to save the day and establish himself as the hero of this story. While Arthur had every legal right to burn Guinevere at the stake for treason the fact that she avoided punishment at all is significant to Malory’s idea that the monarchy abuses their power because they are ultimately the judge jury and executioner as well the body government in which all laws must be approved by. The ridiculousness of laws against treason were overwhelming in the time Malory was writing. â€Å"Any crime that touched upon the king or the welfare of the kingdom in anyway even remotely could thus be defined as treason† (Muckerheide, 49) the definition of treason was insanely broad and as Muckerheide points out â€Å"It was easier to get a conviction for treason than any of the more precisel y defined felonies† (Muckerheide, 49). This idea that the arm of the law was to