King Arthur/Characters: Difference between revisions

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* [[One Steve Limit]]: Averted. There are several women named Elaine, and there are several different women who occassionally share the title "Lady of the Lake". There are also two Ectors, Arthur's foster-father Ector and Lancelot's half-brother Ector de Maris, and two men named Bors, King Bors and his son Bors of the Round Table.

* [[Sir Not Appearing in This Trailer|Sir Not Appearing In This Book]]: Merlin's liege, Master Blaise is mentioned once in passing but never appears nor does anything to affect the plot.

* [[Spell My Name With an S]]: Variant spellings of names abound.

* [[Spell My Name With an "S"]]: Variant spellings of names abound.

== King Arthur's Court ==

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* [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]

* [[Big Good]]

* [[Brother Sister Incest]]: His tryst with his half-sister Morgause produces Mordred, who eventually betrays him.

* [[Brother-Sister Incest]]: His tryst with his half-sister Morgause produces Mordred, who eventually betrays him.

* [[The Captain]]

* [[Character Title]]

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* [[The Messiah]]: His eventual return during Britain's greatest need.

* [[Mutual Kill]]: With Mordred.

* [[Nice Job Breaking It Herod]]: Arthur decides to round up all of the babies born on May Day and send them out on a rickety boat because Merlin prophesied that a child born on this day would destroy him. One baby (Mordred) survived.

* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Herod]]: Arthur decides to round up all of the babies born on May Day and send them out on a rickety boat because Merlin prophesied that a child born on this day would destroy him. One baby (Mordred) survived.

* [[Pre Ass Kicking One Liner]]: Spouts off several in the "Lucius" section of ''[[Le Morte Darthur (Literature)|Le Morte Darthur]]''.

* [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]]: Spouts off several in the "Lucius" section of ''[[Le Morte Darthur (Literature)|Le Morte Darthur]]''.

* [[To Be Lawful or Good]]: Modern writers tend to make him quite conflicted over his decision to burn Guinevere at the stake in order to show that the queen isn't above the law, with some even depicting him as secretly hoping Lancelot will save her. Originally, this was very much ''not'' the case.

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* [[Dirty Old Man]]: [[Depending On the Writer]], this was his behavior toward Nimue.

* [[Eccentric Mentor]]

* [[Half Human Hybrid]]: In most versions he is the son of a nun who was raped by a demon. This explains why he has magical powers but can only use them for good.

* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]: In most versions he is the son of a nun who was raped by a demon. This explains why he has magical powers but can only use them for good.

* [[Historical Hero Upgrade]]: From manipulative jerk and [[Trickster Archetype]] to wise and caring advisor.

* [[Merlin and Nimue]]: [[Trope Namer]]

* [[Merlin Sickness]]: The [[Trope Namer]]. Merlyn from T.H. White's ''[[The Once and Future King]]'' is afflicted with this.

* [[The Obi Wan]]

* [[The Obi-Wan]]

* [[Omniscient Morality License]]: Merlin gives Uther the appearance of Gorlois so he can father Arthur upon Igraine, then has Arthur snatched away at birth and given to Ector, arranging the "sword in the stone" test as well, presumably so that events would happen as he prophesied. Not revealing Arthur's true parentage led to many rebellions during the early years of his reign, as well as the conception of Mordred and the May Day massacre.

* [[Robe and Wizard Hat]]: Probably the [[Trope Codifier]]

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* [[The High Queen]]

* [[Smart People Play Chess]]: Apparently one of the most skilled players in the court.

* [[Spell My Name With an S]]: Too many alternate spellings to mention here. Gwynyvere, Guenevere, etc.

* [[Spell My Name With an "S"]]: Too many alternate spellings to mention here. Gwynyvere, Guenevere, etc.

* [[Tsundere]]

* [[Worlds Most Beautiful Woman]]

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* [[Sailor Earth]]: He wasn't introduced into the myths until the twelfth century, with [[Chretien De Troyes (Creator)|Chretien De Troyes]]'s ''Lancelot, Knight of the Cart''.

* [[Sixth Ranger]]: He doesn't show up at the Round Table until long after it's assembled.

* [[Spell My Name With an S|Spell My Name With A U]]: Sometimes spelled "Launcelot".

* [[Spell My Name With an "S"|Spell My Name With A U]]: Sometimes spelled "Launcelot".

=== Gawain ===

* [[Alternate Character Interpretation]]: In some stories he's Arthur's best knight and the ideal of chivalry. In others he's a flawed but principled hero. In other ones he's a boorish, impulsive [[Ax Crazy]] Antihero

* [[Anti Hero]]

* [[Anti-Hero]]

* [[The Big Guy]]: [[Trope Codifier]].

* [[Clear My Name]]: One of his adventures in ''Parzival'' has him doing this.

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** Of course, the chess pieces are described as being ten times as large as normal ones, and are also used as impromptu missile weapons at one point, so (assuming a board of equivalent size) that's actually not too impractical.

* [[The Power of the Sun]]: Some versions of the legends have him gain strength as the sun rises in the sky and lose it when it sets.

* [[Spell My Name With an S]]: Alternatively spelled Gawan, Gauvain, Gavan, etc.

* [[Spell My Name With an "S"]]: Alternatively spelled Gawan, Gauvain, Gavan, etc.

* [[You Killed My Father|You Killed My Brothers]]: The cause of his feud with Lancelot that brings down the Round Table.

=== Gareth ===

* [[Bishonen]]

* [[Luke I Am Your Father|Gawain, I Am Your Brother]]

* [[Luke, I Am Your Father|Gawain, I Am Your Brother]]

* [[Sailor Earth]]: Possibly as late as 1470, as there's speculation that he was Malory's original creation.

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* [[No Social Skills]]: After the death of his father, Percival's mother takes him to the Welsh forests where she raises him ignorant to the ways of men until the age of 15.

* [[Power Trio]]: With Galahad and Bors.

* [[Spell My Name With an S]]: Alternatively spelled Perceval, Percivale, Parzival, or Parsifal.

* [[Spell My Name With an "S"]]: Alternatively spelled Perceval, Percivale, Parzival, or Parsifal.

=== Galahad ===

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* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Being told that you're the bastard son of the king and his half-sister, prophesied to destroy the kingdom and do more harm in your lifetime than all your ancestors did good kind of does that to you. He came out of it...uh, pretty badly, actually.

* [[Mutual Kill]]: He and Arthur.

* [[Shoot the Messenger]]: Murdered the prophetic priest who revealed the truth about his life to him. Lancelot was pissed...[[~~Its~~ All About Me|because the priest was going to reveal]] ''[[~~Its~~ All About Me|his]]'' [[~~Its~~ All About Me|future next.]]

* [[Shoot the Messenger]]: Murdered the prophetic priest who revealed the truth about his life to him. Lancelot was pissed...[[It's All About Me|because the priest was going to reveal]] ''[[It's All About Me|his]]'' [[It's All About Me|future next.]]

* [[Tragic Villain]]: Particularly in modern interpretations. Still, it's not as if he ''asked'' Morgause and Arthur to sleep together.

=== Palomides ===

* [[Green Eyed Monster]]: Most of the reason he alternates between seeing Tristram as a brother-in-arms and wanting to gut him is because they are both in love with La Beale Isoud. [[Spell My Name With an S|Er, Isolde? Yseult? Whatever.]]

* [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: Most of the reason he alternates between seeing Tristram as a brother-in-arms and wanting to gut him is because they are both in love with La Beale Isoud. [[Spell My Name With an "S"|Er, Isolde? Yseult? Whatever.]]

* [[Humans Are White]]: Not the only ex-Saracen knight, but certainly the most prominent.

* [[Kick the Dog]]: On the receiving end of one. After she convinces Tristram to spare his life following on of their clashes, Isolde makes Palomides deliver a message to Guinevere stating that there were but four true lovers within the land: Guinevere and Lancelot and Tristram and Isolde. ''Ouch.''

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=== Morgause ===

* [[Brother Sister Incest]]: Though neither she nor Arthur were aware of it at the time.

* [[Brother-Sister Incest]]: Though neither she nor Arthur were aware of it at the time.

* [[Composite Character]]: Possibly inverted. Some scholars suggest that she and Morgan Le Fay were the same character until some scribe made a translation error and accidentally split them into two separate characters.

* [[Grandma What Massive Hotness You Have]]: After five sons and a number of daughters, she still had enough of it goin' on to bed Sir Lamorak, who was at ''least'' twenty years younger than her.

* [[Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!]]: After five sons and a number of daughters, she still had enough of it goin' on to bed Sir Lamorak, who was at ''least'' twenty years younger than her.

* [[Historical Villain Upgrade]]: Modern writers tend to make her a scheming villainess, often by making her aware of her relationship with Arthur when she sleeps with him, or by combining her with Morgan Le Fay. Originally, she seems to have been a generous and friendly person. ''[[Really Gets Around|Very]]'' friendly.

* [[Honey Trap]]: Malory states that Lot sent her over to Arthur's court in this capacity.

* [[Out With a Bang|Out Shortly After A Bang]]: Her son Gaheris, incensed at seeing her in bed with the son of Pellinore (who killed Lot, the Orkney brothers' father), lopped her head off.

* [[Spell My Name With an S]]: Margawse, Morgawse, Margause, [[Odd Name Out|Bellicent...]]

* [[Spell My Name With an "S"]]: Margawse, Morgawse, Margause, [[Odd Name Out|Bellicent...]]

* [[Your Cheating Heart]]

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* [[Evil Matriarch]]: Many versions make her this to Mordred.

* [[Evil Sorcerer|Evil Sorceress]]/[[Wicked Witch]]: Depending on the version she can lean more towards one or the other stereotype.

* [[Green Eyed Monster]]: Apart from the incident in [[Your Cheating Heart]] below, part of Morgan's hatred for Guinevere may have stemmed from the fact that she herself wanted to sleep with Lancelot.

* [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: Apart from the incident in [[Your Cheating Heart]] below, part of Morgan's hatred for Guinevere may have stemmed from the fact that she herself wanted to sleep with Lancelot.

* [[Heel Face Turn]]: In time she seems to have mellowed out and gotten along well with Arthur, to the point of letting him visit her castle for a week. Of course she still tried to convince him of Guinevere's unfaithfulness, but [[Selective Obliviousness|he didn't believe her]].

* [[Hot Witch]]

* [[Legion of Doom]]: At one point King Mark appeals to her to get a bunch of evil sorcerers and known evil knights together in order to ravage Arthur's kingdom.

* [[Murder Is the Best Solution]]: Tried to kill her husband King Uriens, but was stopped by their son Ywain.

* [[Spell My Name With an S]]: Morgan, Morganna, Morgaine, etc.

* [[Spell My Name With an "S"]]: Morgan, Morganna, Morgaine, etc.

* [[Your Cheating Heart]]: Cheated on Uriens with Guinevere's cousin Guiomar. When Guinevere found out she had Guiomar banished. (Understandably, Morgan was rather peeved when [[Hypocrite|Guinevere started her affair with Lancelot.]]) She then proceeded to take on several lovers without actually getting a divorce.

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* [[Hot Witch]]

* [[Merlin and Nimue]]: [[Trope Namer]]

* [[Spell My Name With an S]]: Nyneve, Nimue, Nimueh, Vivian

* [[Spell My Name With an "S"]]: Nyneve, Nimue, Nimueh, Vivian

* Trickster