# King Arthur — Idylls of the King character guide

> King Arthur in Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Arthur, Sir Arthur, the King, This gray King

**First appearance:** 0002-the-coming-of-arthur

## Snapshot

The battle-forged king who binds his knights to vows of impossible purity, ruling Britain through a Round Table built on trust and a word he treats as God in man.

## Who they are

Arthur enters the idylls as the rightful king whose origins are shadowed in rumor, some calling him baseborn, others dreaming he dropped from heaven. He wins Leodogran's daughter Guinevere by service in war and swears deathless love to those who fight beside him, making loyalty the foundation of his reign. His faultless idealism, the very thing that draws knights to Camelot, will prove as dangerous as it is noble, for he asks men to become what he is.

## In the story

### [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/dedication)

Invoked as the 'king's ideal knight' to whom Prince Albert is compared.

### [Idylls of the King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/idylls-of-the-king)

Central figure of the idylls, embodying the ideal king whose vision of Camelot ultimately crumbles.

### [The Coming of Arthur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/the-coming-of-arthur)

Newly crowned, Arthur aids Leodogran, defeats rebel kings, marries Guinevere, and refuses tribute to Rome.

### [Gareth and Lynette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/gareth-and-lynette)

Grants Gareth's boon to serve in the kitchens, judges a woman's plea with justice, and rejects King Mark's tribute, upholding the honor of knighthood.

### [The Marriage of Geraint](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/the-marriage-of-geraint)

The King who grants Geraint permission to leave court and defend his marches.

### [Geraint and Enid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/geraint-and-enid)

Appears to commend Edyrn's transformation and to cleanse the land of corruption.

### [Balin and Balan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/balin-and-balan)

Overthrows Balin and Balan at the fountain, reconciles them to the court, and grants Balin permission to bear Guinevere's crown on his shield.

### [Merlin and Vivien](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/merlin-and-vivien)

The blameless king, whose purity and court are the targets of Vivien's scorn and manipulation.

### [Lancelot and Elaine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/lancelot-and-elaine)

Orders Elaine's honorable burial and urges Lancelot to marry her, expressing disappointment.

### [The Holy Grail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/the-holy-grail)

Warns the knights against the quest; returns to find the hall shaken; questions each knight upon their return.

### [Pelleas and Ettarre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/pelleas-and-ettarre)

Makes Pelleas a knight and presides over the tournament.

### [The Last Tournament](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/the-last-tournament)

Arthur leaves Camelot to lead younger knights against rebels in the North, troubled by the decay of chivalry.

### [Guinevere](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/guinevere)

Mentioned as the wronged king, waging war against Lancelot; his grief is contrasted with Guinevere's.

### [The Passing of Arthur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/the-passing-of-arthur)

Mortally wounded, Arthur commands Bedivere to return Excalibur to the lake and is taken by barge to Avalon, expressing his disillusionment with his kingdom and his faith.

### [To the Queen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/chapters/to-the-queen)

Referenced as the subject of the 'old imperfect tale' and as 'that gray king' whose name is a ghost.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/characters/arthur
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/idylls_of_the_king_se/characters