power that allowed her tohelp drive the English out of France and seat Charles VII on the throne as king of France.Because England’s latest attempts to increase their empire were dampened by a mysticalgirl, Malory’s depiction of Morgan must have been influenced. There would be immediatesuspicion and connotations in relation to Joan of Arc. If Morgan was interested inArthur’s good rather than his downfall the similarities between her and Joan of Arc wouldhave been uncanny. Malory could not write to the English audience a book that promotesa heroine like Joan of Arc, so instead he must make her evil. Aside from this, there was a genuine belief in 15th century western society thatwomen alone were responsible for all the problems in the world. This theory comes fromGenesis, because Eve eats the fruit before Adam then persuades him to eat of the fruit. Itwas a common belief in churches in Malory’s day that women needed to be watched at alltimes and never trusted, because they all wanted to continue sinning in the way Eve did.Malory successfully continues that trend, as there are no virtuous female characters in LeMorte d’Arthur. Morgan, Morgause and Guinevere are all shown in a very negative light,while Lancelot, who is an adulterer and is unfaithful to his King, and Arthur, who isincestuos, are not shown in such a negetive light.The Once and Future King is filled with important cultural and historicalconnotations and contexts that it is important to grasp in order to fully understand thenovel. It was written as an allegory to World War Two and the political situation thatsurrounded it. T. H. White’s treatment of Morgan is such that it reflects certain aspects ofthe society and he war during which White wrote. A basic understanding of World War Two is important in understanding the ideasbehind The Once and Future King. The war began as a European conflict betweenGermany and the English-French coalition. A...
