# Ettarre — Idylls of the King character guide

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

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Ettarre King Arthur

**First appearance:** 0010-pelleas-and-ettarre

## Snapshot

A great lady of the land who wears her beauty like a weapon and finds Pelleas's worship merely tedious.

## Who they are

Ettarre commands knights and damsels and expects her name cried as Queen of Beauty in the lists, so she flatters the strong young stranger into fighting for her circlet. When Pelleas's tenderness and bashfulness become a burden, she mutters that she has lighted on a fool, raw yet so stale. Her cold amusement sets the trap at the heart of the idyll: a lady who can win devotion but never return it.

## In the story

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

A great lady who scorns Pelleas despite his devotion, and later sleeps with Gawain.

## Links

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