brother,giving birth to his son Mordred. When Arthur betrays Avalon by breaking his promise tobe faithful to Avalon and the Goddess, Morgan attempts to place her lover and step-sonAccolon on the throne instead of Arthur. This attempt is unsuccessful and fatally woundsAccolon. These five very different portrayals of Morgan le Fay stem from five very differentsocieties. Understanding the social climate in which these novels were written is key tounderstanding the manner in which Morgan is portrayed. The political and social issues ofthe day, such as war and religious tension, frequently effect the way authors choose topresent their topics and characters, and this is especially the case with the accounts of theArthurian legend and Morgan Le Fay.Monmouth wrote his book The History of the Kings of Britain amongst politicaland society turmoil. During the time he was writing, Henry I was the King of England.After his death, Henry’s daughter Matilda was to inherit the throne, but instead Henry’snephew, a man by the name of Stephen of Blois, usurped Matilda’s right to be Queen andadopted the crown himself, claiming that Matilda was not fit to rule. Stephen began hisreign five years before Monmouth finished his The History of the Kings of Britain. Thisundoubtedly had an effect on Monmouth’s portrayal of Morgan. If Morgan was involved,or indeed if Anna played any major part in the legend, it would show to hiscontemporaries that women have played key parts in the country’s history and that,perhaps, they are fit to rule nations after all. This would have caused outrage and, asMonmouth had hoped to gain some recognition by higher powers by writing his history,would not have furthered his political ambition in any way. Another factor that undoubtedly influenced Monmouth’s depiction of Morgan isthe twelfth century view on women. Women had little rights- rather they were theproperty of their fathers until marriage an...
