ABSTRACT
Readers with preconceptions of King Arthur as a great king are sometimes disappointed by Malory’s Arthur and find him an inconsistent blend of strengths and weaknesses. Although most critics believe that Malory admired Arthur, 1 some have argued that Malory intentionally presented him as a weak king largely responsible for the downfall of his realm. In the words of one critic, “When one looks at the King’s real actions, one may wonder indeed how he ever got his splendid reputation.” 2 Such statements fail to give sufficient weight to Malory’s praise for Arthur throughout his book as the “floure of kyngis” who does his “trew parte” in battle as a “noble kynge” should, as a king praised above all others as the “moste man of worshyp crystynde,” whose “grete goodnes” caused the Pope to attempt to end the war between him and Lancelot. 3 Since no one has been able to argue that Malory created a narrator whose words are to be interpreted ironically, the logical conclusion is that although Arthur, like the other major characters—Lancelot, Guenevere, and Gawain—makes mistakes that contribute to the tragic destruction of his kingdom, Malory nevertheless had much greater admiration for him than some readers do.
