Who's who

Arthur
Played by Sam Troughton
Son of Queen Igraine and King Uther Pendragon. Married to Guenever. Half-brother of Margawse and Morgan le Fay. Mordred’s father.

Having pulled the sword from the stone, Arthur becomes High King of Britain. His monarchy is threatened by a rebellion from King Lot and King Uriens, however. Lot sends Margwse to spy on his camp, Arthur seduces her and she becomes pregnant with Mordred. Merlin helps Arthur obtain Excalibur and he and Pellinore defeat the rebels, making peace with Lot's sons. Arthur marries Guenever. He kills Accolon who has been plotting against him with Morgan le Fay. When the affair between Guenever and Launelot is discovered he orders Guenever to be burnt at the stake. Launcelot recues her, so Arthur storms his castle and pursues him to France, though has to return to England on hearing that Mordred has usurped him, defeating Mordred’s forces at Dover. Gawain appears to Arthur as a ghost and warns him not to fight Mordred. A battle breaks out, however, and Arthur is mortally wounded by Mordred, whom he kills in turn. Arthur’s body is carried to the Vale of Avilion on a boat.

Where else might I have seen him?
Arthur is one of the most enduring characters of British legend. Mentions of an Arthurian king figure have been dated back to the 7th century, although this shadowy historical figure is soon mixed with myth. Some interesting representations of Arthur through the ages include Tennyson’s portrait of an almost godlike king in Idylls of the King. So perfect is he that, when making her excuses as to why she doesn’t love him anymore, Guenever explains: "One cannot gaze upon the sun too long." – a line picked up by the 1981 film Excalibur. Less sympathetic portrayals of Arthur include Mark Twain’s novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court where he is a bit ineffectual. In the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot (1960) he is a coward who refers to himself as 'Wart' - a name he keeps for much of Disney’s The Sword in the Stone (1963). Arthur is, of course, dealt with irreverently by the Pythons in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and subsequent musical comedy Spamalot (2005).
Guenever
Played by Kirsty Woodward
King Leodegrance’s daughter. Arthur’s wife, Launcelot’s lover.

Guenever marries Arthur but later has an affair with Launcelot. They are trapped in her chamber by Mordred and Agravain and Arthur orders her to be burned at the stake. Launcelot rescues her but the Cardinal Bishop or Rochester demands that she is returned to Arthur during the siege of Launcelot’s castle. After Arthur has been killed by Mordred, Launcelot seeks to find Guenever, but she rejects him and becomes a nun.

Where else might I have seen her?
As Arthur’s wife (or Launcelot’s lover) Guenever has been present in folklore since the 12th century. Some interesting portrayals of her include Tennyson’s in Idylls of the King where she is an unpleasant character set up as an example of an unfaithful wife. William Morris’s 1858 poem The Defence of Guenevere is the first to give her a voice, a tradition continued by poets such as Sara Teasdale in her poem Guenevere or Dorothy Parker's Guinevere at Her Fireside. In Camelot 3000, a DC Comics series, Guenever is reincarnated as Joan Acton, an American military commander.
Launcelot
Played by Jonjo O'Neill
A knight. Guenever’s lover.

Launcelot goes on the quest for the Holy Grail, but, despite being the best knight of Arthur’s court he does not achieve it, due to his love for Guenever. Launcelot wears Elaine of Astolat’s token as a disguise to the tournament in Winchester where he wins great glory. He rejects Elaine as he can only love Guenever. They have an affair, but are caught together by Mordred and Agravain. Arthur orders Guenever to be burnt at the stake, but Launcelot recues her. He accidentally kills Gareth during the rescue. He flees to France when his castle is besieged by Arthur and his troops following Guenever’s rescue, but returns after the final battle - though too late to save Arthur. He seeks out Guenever, but she rejects him. He becomes a monk and dies.

Where else might I have seen him?
Launcelot’s story - particularly the love affair with Guenever - has been told since the 12th century. Interesting interpretations include TH White’s 1958 novel The Once and Future King in which Launcelot sees himself as ugly and seeking a perfection that is unachievable due to his affair with Guenever. Launcelot is gay and in love with Arthur in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s novel The Mists of Avalon (1982) where he only sleeps with Guenever to achieve some kind of bond with Arthur. In Lerner and Lowe’s musical Camelot, Launcelot is a fairly arrogant knight, who Guenever initially dislikes, as do the rest of the court. Launcelot, of course, appears in Monty Python and the Holy Grail as a bumbling knight, paving the way for his appearance Sir Lancelot the Homicidally Brave in the spoof musical Spamalot.
Merlin
Played by Forbes Masson
A wizard

He helps Arthur find Excalibur and King Pellinore and is instrumental in defeating King Lot as well as crowning Arthur High King of Britain and revealing Arthur’s true identity as Igraine and Uther Pendgraon’s son. He is in love with Nimue and pursues her, but is eventually trapped by her underneath a giant rock for eternity.

Where else might I have seen him?
Merlin appears as a kind of magical side-kick to Arthur from the 12th century where Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his History of the Kings of Britain (1138) associates a King Arthur figure with the mythic figure Myrddin from 6th century Welsh poems. In his novel The Once and Future King, TH White’s Merlin lives backwards, which is how he knows the future, and takes a significant role in Arthur’s philosophical education. In 1885 Edgar Fawcett’s opera The New King Arthur parodies the story and features a Merlin who is questing after the Holy Grail of cosmetic products in order to turn Nimue into a pre-Raphaelite beauty! One of the most recent re-castings of Merlin is the BBC TV drama series Merlin, where Merlin is a young boy, the same age as Arthur, who has to keep his magic powers secret.
Mordred
Played by Peter Peverley
Son of Arthur and Margawse.

Mordred is presented to Arthur as his son by Margawse only when he is an adult. He and his half-brothers Gawain and Agravain murder Lamorak, who has been having an affair with their mother. Mordred, with Agravain, trap Guenever and Launcelot together in her chamber; revealing their affair. While Arthur is in France pursuing Launcelot, Mordred proclaims himself King, saying that Arthur is dead. Arthur returns to Britain and defeats Mordred’s forces. The ghost of Gawain warns Arthur not to confront Mordred, but a battle breaks out and Mordred mortally wounds Arthur, though he himself is also killed by Arthur.

Where else might I have seen him?
Geoffrey of Monmouth, a 12th century cleric historian, introduces Mordred as Arthur’s usurper and throughout medieval and modern literature Mordred is generally portrayed as a villain – Arthur’s nemesis. TH White’s Mordred in his novel The Once and Future King is a Hitler type character: a mad leader of a popular party. Mary Stewart’s novel The Wicked Day (1983) takes a more neutral stance on Mordred, and the 1981 film Excalibur depicts a rather unusual gold-clad sci-fi Mordred.
Margawse
Played by Christine Entwisle
King Lot’s wife, Queen Igraine and the Duke of Tintagel’s daughter, Morgan le Fay’s sister, Arthur’s half-sister. Mother of Gawain, Agravain and Gareth (with Lot) and Mordred (with Arthur).

Before it is revealed that they are related, she is sent to spy on Arthur’s camp by Lot, where Arthur seduces her and she becomes pregnant with Mordred who she gives birth to as Arthur marries Guenever. Later, she has an affair with Lamorak and is beheaded by her son Agravain.

Where else might I have seen her?
In Tennyson’s cycle of poems Idylls of the King he omits anything about Arthur’s seduction of Margawse, as Victorian sensibility would not allow for a king to sleep with his half-sister. In TH White’s 1958 novel The Once and Future King, Margawse is portrayed as a kind of witch who neglects and bullies her sons, causing them to live a feral existence.
King Lot
Played by James Traherne
Married to Margawse. Father of Gawain, Agravain and Gareth.

Lot leads an initial rebellion against Arthur when he becomes King, along with King Uriens. He sends Margawse to spy on Arthur’s camp (before it is revealed that Arthur is her half-brother) where Arthur seduces her. Arthur defeats Lot’s forces and Lot is killed by Pellinore.

Where else might I have seen him?
The 12th century cleric-historian Geoffrey of Monmouth writes that Lot married Anna, one of Arthur’s sisters, and is the father of Mordred and Gawain. Lot is a pirate in John Masefield’s poem The Taking of Morgause who kidnaps Margawse before marrying her.
Gawain
Played by Oliver Ryan
Son of Margawse and Lot. Brother of Agravain and Gareth.

All of Lot’s sons are involved in the initial rebellion against Arthur, but he makes peace with them. Later, they all kill Pellinore, however, who previously killed Lot. Gawain offers to help Pelleas win the love of Lady Ettard, though betrays Pelleas by sleeping with her himself. Along with Agravain and Mordred, he murders Lamorak, having discovered the affair with his mother. Gawain is one of the Holy Grail knights, although fails to achieve the Grail. He battles with Launcelot in Beaunne, where he is defeated. Dying, he forgives Launcelot and appears to Arthur as a ghost, urging him not to do battle with Mordred.

Where else might I have seen him?
In Arthurian literature from 12th to the 14th century, Gawain is most important hero. After that, it becomes Launcelot. He is, of course, the hero of the Medieval Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Gawain is depicted as a foolish knight in Tennyson’s poem Passing of Arthur but presented more positively in Gillian Bradshaw's Down the Long Wind trilogy, Hal Foster's comic strip Prince Valiant and the Birtwistle and Harsent opera Gawain.
Agravain
Played by Dharmesh Patel
Son of Margawse and Lot. Brother of Gawain and Gareth.

All of Lot’s sons are involved in the initial rebellion against Arthur, but he makes peace with them. The three sons all murder Pellinore later, however, who killed Lot. Having discovered the affair between his mother and Lamorak, he beheads Margawse then murders Lamorak with his brothers. Agravain traps Launcelot and Guenever in her chamber and is killed by Launcelot.

Where else might I have seen him?
In TH White’s novel The Once and Future King (1938-58) Agravain is given a considerable role. Like White, Mike Poulton’s adaption for this show has Agravain killing Margawse, whereas in Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur she is killed by Gaheris, another of Agravain’s brothers. Jerry Zucker’s film First Knight (1995) portrays a more heroic Agravain.
Gareth
Played by Gruffudd Glyn
Son of Margawse and Lot. Brother of Gawain and Agravain.

Gareth turns up at Arthur’s court in disguise and asks for food and lodgings, so is put to work in the kitchens. A year later, Lynet appears asking for someone to rescue her sister from the Red Knight, so Gareth volunteers. Lynet is disgusted as she believes he is just a kitchen hand. Gareth achieves a series of conquests, but Lynet remains unimpressed until he defeats the Red Knight and reveals his true identity. They marry. Later, Gareth is accidentally killed by Launcelot during the rescue of Guenever.

Where else might I have seen him?
Gareth’s character goes back to the 12th century in French romantic literature, although the tale of his conquests and wooing of Lynet seems to be an invention of Malory. More recent versions of his story include Tennyson’s poem Gareth and Lynette and E.M.R Ditmas’ book Gareth of Orkney.
Morgan le Fay
Played by Noma Dumezweni
King Uriens’ wife, Accolon’s lover, daughter of Queen Igraine and the Duke of Cornwall, sister of Margawse and half-sister of Arthur.

Although related to Arthur, she plots against him with Accolon, to whom she gives Excalibur to kill Arthur with. However, Arthur retrieves Excalibur and defeats Accolon. She is, however, one of the women who takes Arthur on the barge to Avilion to be healed.

Where else might I have seen her?
Morgan le Fay originates from Celtic mythology although, after Malory, seems to vanish until the 19th century. The pre-Raphaelites painted her in a more positive light, after Tennyson’s largely anti-feminist portrayal in Idylls of the King. In her 1982 novel The Mists of Avalon Marion Zimmer Bradley makes her the central figure of the story. In a number of modern novels, as well as John Boorman’s 1981 film Excalibur she is the mother of Mordred, not Margawse.
King Uriens
Played by David Rubin
Husband of Morgan le Fay

He questions the legitimacy of Arthur’s monarchy and, with King Lot, begins a rebellion. They do not succeed, however, and Uriens eventually makes peace with Arthur once it is revealed that Arthur is the son of Queen Igraine and King Uther Pendragon and the half-brother of his wife.

Where else might I have seen him?
Like many Arthurian characters, King Uriens dates back to the 12th century French romances. Geoffrey of Monmouth, a Welsh cleric-historian, suggests that he is King Lot’s brother, in his (largely mythical) History of the Kings of Britain (1138).
Nimue
Played by Debbie Korley
A Lady of the Lake

Nimue is one of the Ladies of the Lake, but not the one who keeps Excalibur. She traps Merlin, who pursues her, under a giant rock for eternity. She helps Arthur to defeat Accolon and recover Excalibur. She also nurses a pining Pelleas back to health after he has been betrayed by Gawain and Lady Ettard and they fall in love.

Where else might I have seen her?
Since early 13th century literature, Nimue has divided writers and artists as to whether she is a force for good or evil. In his poetic Idylls of the King, Tennyson suggests she is purely evil, and compares her to a serpent. In Marion Zimmer Bradley’s novel The Mists of Avalon, Nimue is sympathetic and commits suicide herself following Merlin’s death. Merlin’s love is also reciprocated by the Nimue character in the1998 television miniseries Merlin.
Percival
Played by Dyfan Dwyfor
A knight. Son of King Pellinor and brother of Lamorak.

He achieves the Holy Grail first, though not before meeting Lucifer, disguised as a beautiful woman, who attempts to seduce him and prevent him reaching the Grail.

Where else might I have seen him?
Percival appears in numerous French romances of the Middle Ages. He is also the narrator of Tennyson’s poem The Holy Grail from Idylls of the King - as well as being the subject of Wagner’s final opera: Parsifal. The 1990 film The Fisher King is a modern take on his story.
King Pellinor
Played by Richard Katz
A knight. Father of Lamorak and Percival.

Pellinore is a champion knight who helps defeat Lot and Uriens in their rebellion against Arthur. He kills King Lot and is later ambushed and murdered by Lot’s sons Gawain and Agravain.

Where else might I have seen him?
In 13th century French romance literature Pellinore is largely known for chasing the mythical Questing Beast which he never seems to be able to hunt down. In both TH White’s novel The Once and Future King (1938-58) and the 1960 Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot (and subsequent 1967 film of the same name) Pellinor is a bumbling old man, used as a comic device.
Lamorak
Played by Dyfan Dwyfor
Son of King Pellinor and Percival’s brother.

Lamorak has an affair with Margawse and is then killed by her sons Gawain, Agravain and Mordred.

Where else might I have seen him?
Lamorak appears in the 13th century romance Prose Tristan – a version of the story of Tristan and Iseult . He has not been nearly as popular a character as Percival in Arthurian tradition, although he has recently turned up in the form of an iPhone game in ‘Sir Lamorak's Quest: The Spell Of Release’ by Michael Daley.
Ector
Played by James Howard
Kay’s father.

Ector adopts Arthur and raises him before it is revealed who his real parents are. He is the first to realise that Arthur is the destined King after he pulls the sword from the stone.

Where else might I have seen him?
Arthur’s foster father appears in 12th century French romantic poems and the Middle English Prose Merlin.
Kay
Played by Joseph Arkley
Ector’s son.

Kay is made Seneschal (similar to our Prime Minister) when Arthur is crowned king. He is a bit of a bully, however, and taunts Gareth while he is in the guise of a kitchen boy. Gareth eventually defeats him.

Where else might I have seen him?
Kay features in much Arthurian literature from the 12th to the 21st century. Most prominently, he features in T.H. White’s Arthurian fantasy novel The Once and Future King (1938-58) which is the basis of the Disney film The Sword in the Stone.
Bernard of Astolat
Played by James Howard
Father of Elaine and Lavaine.

Bernard puts Launcelot up in his castle on his way to Winchester for the tournament, where Elaine falls in love with him. He suggests Lavaine accompanies Launcelot to the tournament.

Where else might I have seen him?
Bernard usually features wherever Elaine’s story is told, so most notably in Tennyson’s idyll Lancelot and Elaine (1859) and his famous poetic ballad The Lady of Shalott (1833).
Elaine
Played by Mariah Gale
Daughter of Bernard of Astolat and sister of Lavaine.

Elaine falls in love with Launcelot. She gives him her token to wear at the tournament in Winchester, which he does, but only as a disguise. After the tournament, believing he loves her too, she swears her love to Launcelot who rejects her as he loves Guenever. Elaine dies with grief.

Where else might I have seen her?
Most famously, Elaine’s story is re-told in Tennyson’s poem The Lady of Shalott as well as in his idyll Lancelot and Elaine. The image of a woman who dies for love was popular in Victorian art although the romantic notion was challenged by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps in her short story The Lady of Shalott in 1879 where her death is pathetic, rather than romantic. Modern day re-workings include teen fiction book Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell (2007) where Elaine has a happier ending. Similarly in Avalon High (2005) by Meg Cabot where ‘Ellie’ becomes more of a Lady of the Lake character rather than the traditional romantic victim.
Lavaine
Played by Dyfan Dwyfor
Son of Bernard of Astolat and brother of Elaine.

He accompanies Launcelot to the tournamentin Winchester, and, when Launcelot is injured, takes him to Baudwin to heal. He swears allegiance to Launcelot, although he rejects his sister.

Where else might I have seen him?
Like Bernard, Lavaine generally appears wherever Elaine’s story is told, although he has a more prominent part in The Water Carriers, a Victorian poem by Oscar Fay Adams.
Queen Igraine
Played by Simone Saunders
Wife of the Duke of Cornwall and then King Uther Pendragon. Mother of Arthur (with Uther Pendragon) and Margawse and Morgan le Fay (with the Duke of Cornwall).

While she was married to the Duke, Merlin put a spell on Uther Pendragon, who was in love with her, which made him resemble the Duke. Thinking it was her husband they slept together and she became pregnant with Arthur. The Duke was killed in battle and later she married Uther Pendragon.

Where else might I have seen her?
Representations of Igraine date back to the 12th century. In Tennysons’s Idylls of the King she conceives Arthur legitimately with Uther, whom she marries after the Duke’s death. In his 1902 novel Igraine and Uther Warwick Deeping presens Igraine as a brave, independent figure, who defies many powerful men in her love for Uther.
King Pelleas
Played by Joseph Arkley
A knight in love with Lady Ettard – who scorns him.

Sir Gawain offers to help him win her love, though betrays Pelleas by sleeping with her. Nimue eventually cures Pelleas of his love for Lady Ettard and at the same time bewitches Ettard into loving Pelleas.

Where else might I have seen him?
In Tennyson’s idyll Pelleas and Ettarre Pelleas is driven mad by the betrayal. In Godfrey Turton’s 1968 book The Emporer Arthur it is he who is responsible for eventually killing Mordred in battle.
Lady Ettard
Played by Mariah Gale
The object of Pelleas’ affections, but despises him.

She is duped into sleeping with Gawain when he tells her that Pelleas is dead. Eventually, she falls in love with Pelleas, due to some sorcery from Nimue, but he rejects her.

Where else might I have seen her?
With Pelleas in Tennyson’s idyll Pelleas and Ettarre.
Bedevere
Played by James Traherne
A knight. Brother of Lucan.

He returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake after the final battle and carries Arthur onto the barge that sails to Avalon after he is mortally wounded by Mordred.

Where else might I have seen him?
Bedevere is early associated with Arthur in 12th Century literature. The cleric historian Geoffrey of Monmouth states that he is killed in the continental wars in his (largely mythical) Historia Regum Britanniae. He appears in Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1963 novel Sword at Sunset as Guenever’s lover, rather than Launcelot. Bedevere is also the narrator of George Finkel’s novel Twilight Province (1967) and Catherine Christian’s The Sword and the Flame (1978).
Lucan
Played by David Rubin
A knight who serves as Arthur’s ‘butler’. Brother of Bedevere.

In the final battle he tries to persuade Arthur not to fight Mordred – reminding Arthur of his dream in which Sir Gawain told him that Mordred would kill him. He eventually dies of his wounds from the last battle.

Where else might I have seen him?
In the 13th century French romance Mort Artu, Lucan and his cousin Girflet are the last knights alive at the final battle, although Arthur then accidentally crushes Lucan to death!
Lynet
Played by Simone Saunders
A lady

Lynet comes to Arthur’s court to find a knight who will rescue her sister, Lyonesse, from the Red Knight. When Gareth presents himself she berates him, despite many heroic deeds, as he is disguised as a kitchen hand. Eventually, after killing the Red Knight and revealing his true identity, her opinion changes and they marry.

Where else might I have seen her?
In Gareth and Lynette from The Idylls of the King, Tennyson points out that Malory initially says that Lynet marries Gareth but then, later, that her sister Lyonesse marries Gareth!
The Red Knight
Played by James Traherne
A giant knight

The Red Knight holds Lynet’s sister Lyonesse to ransom in his castle until he is defeated by Gareth.

Where else might I have seen him?
In the Middle English verse romance Sir Perceval of Galles the Red Knight is killed by Percival. He also features in the 1993 book by Adolf Muschg Der rote Ritter (The Red Knight).
Accolon
Played by David Carr
Lover of Morgan le Fay

With Morgan le Fay’s encouragement he tries to kill Arthur with Excalibur – which was entrusted to Morgan le Fay by Arthur. Their plot is foiled by Nimue, however, and Arthur kills Accolon.

Where else might I have seen him?
Malory based Accolon’s story on the 13th century Old French Suite du Merlin. His story is re-told in verse in 1889 by Madison Cawein - an American poet - in Accolon of Gaul.
Lionel
Played by James Howard
A knight. Launcelot’s cousin.

In the siege of Launcelot’s castle by Arthur and his men, Lionel nearly kills Arthur, but Launcelot prevents him as Arthur made him a knight.

Where else might I have seen him?
In his 1976 book Acts of King Arthur, John Steinbeck portrays Lionel as one of a group of young knights who initially think that Launcelot is absurdly old-fashioned (although he comes to appreciate him later).
King Leodegrance
Played by David Carr
Father of Guenever

He gives Arthur the Round Table as part of a dowry gift when he marries Guenever.

Where might I have seen him before?
In 12th century French romance literature on which Malory based his Le Morte d’Arthur, Leodegrance is also father of an illegitimate daughter called False Guinevere.
The Archbishop of Canterbury
Played by Patrick Romer

The Archbishop sets up the sword in the stone, following the advice of Merlin, in order to determine who is the rightful King, and crowns Arthur when he pulls the sword out. He also pardons Launcelot his adultery with Guenever after she has rejected him.

Where else might I have seen him before?
The first real Archbishop of Canterbury was appointed in the 6th century. Malory’s Archbishop of Canterbury is not a specific fictional character.
Nacien
Played by Patrick Romer
A hermit and kinsman of Percival.

He brings Percival to King Arthur to be knighted and gives him counsel on his quest for the Holy Grail.

Where else might I have seen him?
Nacien features in the 13th century Estoire del Saint Graal manuscript – one of Malory’s sources for Le Morte d’Arthur.
The Lady of the Lake
Played by Mariah Gale

The Lady of the Lake presents Arthur with his sword Excalibur and it is to her that Excalibur is returned after Arthur is mortally wounded by Mordred. She lives in a palace underneath the lake.

Where might I have seen her before?
The Lady of the Lake, or various different Ladies of the Lake, have been part of folklore since the 12th century. In 13th century French romance, the Lady of the Lake is also responsible for raising Launcelot. Walter Scott's poem The Lady of the Lake (1810) bears the same title as this famous character, but has a different story and setting to her traditional portrayal. Many writers and artists have combined the Excalibur-wielding Lady of the Lake with other characters such as Nimue. T. A. Barron's Lost Years of Merlin and The Great Tree of Avalon fiction series separate the two, however, with an evil Nimue and a good Lady of the Lake. In the spoof musical Spamalot The Lady of the Lake is the main female character and a typical diva - although at the end of the show it is revealed that her name is Guinevere!
Baudwin of Britayne
Played by Richard Katz
A hermit

Baudwin, who was previously a knight, has some knowledge of leeching and medicinal remedies. He helps nurse Launcelot when he is injured in the tournament at Winchester.

Where else might I have seen him?
Baudwin could be an invention of Malory.