Tradition and Transformation: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fall of Arthur

Abstract

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fall of Arthur is his only venture into Arthurian literature, an unfinished poem of almost one thousand lines, written in alliterative verse, on which he worked in the 1930s. It was edited by Tolkien’s youngest son, Christopher Tolkien, and published in 2013. The poem is an account of King Arthur’s last campaign, his war against the Saxons, during which Mordred – appointed as regent – commits treason and allies with Arthur’s enemies in order to seize power. Events described in the poem take place after Lancelot’s adulterous relationship with Guinevere has been disclosed and he, Lancelot, has saved her from the pyre, accidentally killing Gareth and Gaheris, and after the lovers’ exile and final parting, when Arthur agrees to welcome Guinevere back as his queen and decides to banish Lancelot from his fellowship and his realm forever. The news of Mordred’s treason causes Arthur to return to Britain, but the poem is interrupted immediately before the final battle begins. This paper looks into the Arthurian tradition the author borrows from and examines the transformations he has made, arguing that the general atmosphere of the poem is predominantly Old English, that is, more archaic than that of medieval Arthurian works, whereas the portrait of Lancelot betrays the features of a modern-day character, as Tolkien gives us an insight, albeit brief, into Lancelot’s inner life, an insight medieval authors never seem willing to reveal to their readers.