The Once and Future King Summary

The narrative begins with a young boy known as the Wart, who is raised in the castle of his foster father, Sir Ector. His playmate, Kay, is Sir Ector’s son and is groomed for knighthood. The Wart’s life changes when he gets lost in the forest and encounters Merlyn, a powerful wizard who becomes his tutor. Merlyn exposes the Wart to life lessons by transforming him into various animals. The Wart later serves as a squire to Kay, now a knight. Upon the death of the English King, Uther Pendragon, a tournament is held in London to identify the rightful king - whoever can pull out a sword lodged in a rock. The Wart, while running an errand for Kay, successfully pulls out the sword, making him the new king of England.

Now known as King Arthur, he faces rebellion, particularly from King Lot of Orkney. Meanwhile, Lot’s sons vie for the affection of their mother, the cruel Morgause, who is also Arthur’s half-sister. Arthur begins planning his reign post-war, with guidance from Merlyn, and establishes the Knights of the Round Table to protect the weak. Arthur manages to defeat Lot’s army with the help of French kings, Bors and Ban. Morgause, however, arrives at Arthur’s court with her children, under the guise of peace. Unbeknownst to Arthur, she uses magic to seduce him and, despite being his half-sister, their incestuous union ultimately leads to his downfall.

The narrative then focuses on Lancelot, a great knight embroiled in moral conflicts. His reputation is built on numerous quests, during the last of which he is deceived into sleeping with Elaine. This sparks jealousy in Queen Guenever, which drives Lancelot to madness. He is eventually found by Elaine and restored to health. Arthur’s kingdom begins to crumble and in a bid to distract his knights, he sends them on a quest for the Holy Grail. Upon his return, Lancelot resumes his affair with Guenever. Their relationship is eventually revealed by Mordred, Arthur’s son from his union with Morgause, leading to trials and subsequent rescue missions. As Arthur and his remaining knights lay siege on Lancelot’s castle, Mordred seizes the throne. On the eve of his final confrontation with Mordred, Arthur reflects on his life journey, confident that his legacy would endure past his last day.