Mordred
From Zeugma
The story of Mordred has evolved over the ages, and differs slightly in each of the major tellings. Here is just a slight overview of each different source's tale:
Geoffrey of Monmouth:
Here, Mordred is represented as the brother of Gawain (one of Arthur's knights) and son to King Loth and Arthur's sister (making him and Gawain Arthur's nephews). This story simply explains that when Arthur departs for war and leaves the country and the care of his wife Guinever in Mordred's hands, Mordred takes both for himself. Arthur then returns to enact revenge and Guinever flees to a nunnery. In this version, Guinevere is portrayed as a willing accomplice in Mordred's plan for power. At Mordred and Arthur's final battle, Arthur humiliates Mordred, kills him, but is fatally wounded in turn. However, he flees to Avalon for healing.
Alliterative Morte Arthur; Anonymous:
This particular story expands slightly on the character of Mordred, describing him as "proud and insolent" and also includes the death of Gawain at Mordred's hands. Gawain, furious at Mordred's treachery, and known for his temper, tracks down his brother, but loses the fight. The interesting aspect of this version of the story is that it grants Mordred one moment of remorse, one instance to feel sympathy towards him. After killing Gawain, Mordred laments the murder of his brother and the destruction of the dream of The Round Table.
Morte Darthur; Sir Thomas Malory
This is probably the most well known version of the story, and definatley the most fleshed out. In this particular telling, Merlin prophecizes Mordred's birth to Arthur and his sister, making Mordred both Arthur's son and nephew. In order to cover up this evidence of incest, Arthur orders all babies born on May Day to be put out to sea. Mordred's ship sinks and he is washed ashore and raised as their son. He eventually returns to Arthur's court, where he learns of and capitalizes on his newly-found family. He is known to be treacherous, decieving, cunning, subtle, and deeply hateful. Resentful and angry towards Arthur for his attempted murder and scorn, Mordred becomes determined to destroy Arthurs dream: the Round Table. He also decides to use the two people whom Arthur loves most, Lancelot and Guinever, to do it.
Everyone knows of Guinvere and Lancelot's love, and Mordred decides to take advantage of the situation. Lancelot goes to see Queen Guinevere and is attacked by Mordred and twelve of his men. Lancelot manages to kill all of them except Mordred, including Agravaine (Mordred's half brother and accomplice) and two of Gawain's sons). Mordred flees and tells Arthur, who has no choice but to burn Guinevere at the stake for her treachery and unfaithfulness. Lancelot comes to her rescue, and in the ensuing chaos, kills Gawain's two brothers. Under the law, Arthur has no choice now but to put Lancelot to death as well.
Arthur leaves the country with Lancelot to carry out his punishment, leaving the country, and Guinevere, in Mordred's care. Mordred sets up a parlaiment, crowns himself king, and hopes to wed Guinevere, even though she is the wife of his father/uncle. Guinevere manages to escape and flees to the Tower of London. Arthur, meanwhile, learns of Mordrid's treachery, and returns home to kill him. A great battle ensues, the second part of which results in a parley, or peace talk. However, when one of the men is stung and tries to kill the animal, everyone else thinks that the peace has been broken and the fighting is on; all of Arthur's loyal knights are killed. Arthur does finally manage to kill Mordred, but in so doing, sufferes a mortal wound himself. Both Lancelot and Guinevere die of grief. The Round Table, and all it stood for, is over.
The concept of Mordred can be seen in several places in Lewis' That Hideous Strength, mainly at the end of the last chapter. In 17.4, Dimble explains that the Arthurian legend has actually played a very real part in the known history of England. There was "a haunting," he said, that "something we may call Britain is always haunted by something we amy call Logres...After every Arthur, Mordred; behind every Milton, a Cromwel..." England is prey to two different entities who are responsible for producing both good and bad people, such as Arthur and Mordrid.
Furthermore, in Morte Darthur, after Mordred has taken Arthur's kingdom and Arthur is returning to recalim it, Mordred tells the people that the only thing Arthur will bring them is war, and that there will be only joy if they stay with him. This is similar in essence to the N.I.C.E.'s propaganda which perverts the true context and motive behind everything that is going on. They twist the people's opinions and thoughts so as to better serve their own purposes, their planned dominion over the whole world, their defeat of "Arthurian" people, or the "good guys."
JP
.... I got nothing....
-CM
Mordred, Oedipus and C.S. Lewis
It seems that the Mordred in Malory's Morte Darthur is similar to the famous Greek mythological character, Oedipus. As most know, Oedipus was prophesied to kill his father and marry his mother. When Oedipus' father, Laius, first finds out about the prophecy, he has a herder kill Oedipus, but, out of the goodness of his conscience, the herder doesn't kill Oedipus and, thus, the prophecy is fulfilled. Although, Mordred's story is not exactly the same as Oedipus', the concepts of incests and a son destroying his father are extremely present. Mordred is the son of King Arthur and Arthur's sister. Merlin prophesises this incest to Arthur and, to keep from a life of humiliation and indignity, Arthur, like Laius, tries to have Mordred killed by sending off to sea to drown. However, the sea, like the herder, spares Mordred's life and he is washed up on shore and raised by an elderly man until he is fourteen years old. When Mordred finds out about his true past with Arthur, Mordred immediately loathes Arthur. Mordred then seeks Arthur out in order to destroy him. Mordred comes upon his chance to ruin Arthur when he finds out about the affair between Guinevere and Lancelot and then plans to reveal their treachery. Now, although, Mordred doesn't marry his mother, he becomes involved with his Stepmother Guinevere in a tragic way, just like the tragedy between Oedipus and his mother. Both mothers from either story die in greif in the end. To complete the story of Mordred, Mordred kills Arthur with a fatal wound after he dies himself. Thus, the story concludes similarly to Oedipus' legend.
Now, this connects with C.S. Lewis', That Hideous Strength, in chapter 17.4, during the "dinner over at St. Anne's...[with] the men..., Ransom crowned,...[and] Grace Ironwood opposite him" (365). Here, a dicussion over the inevitable "laws of Nature" (366) occurs between MacPhee, the Director, and Grace Ironwood. Grace states that "the laws of the universe are never broken...[and that it's a] mistake...to think that the little regularities we have observed on one planet for a few hundred years are the real unbreakable laws; whereas they are the only remote results which the true laws bring about more often than not; as a kind of accident" (366). This philosohy is seen in both stories of Mordred and Oedipus separately and compared.
Also, to add to the connection of Lewis, Mrs. Dimble is described as having "prophesied" the good cooking of the men (365). Maybe, that can be a symbol of a prophecy of the discussion following the good cooking. ---C.Fitz.
