How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #10
‘Thou hast betray’d thy nature and thy name,
Not rendering true answer, as beseem’d
Thy fealty, nor like a noble knight.’
(“The Passing of Arthur,” 241-243)
Arthur describes Bedivere’s lie about what he did with Excalibur as a betrayal of his nature and name. Arthur believes that “man’s word is God in man.” To him, a lie is a betrayal of human nature. Bedivere’s reputation as a knight, moreover, is betrayed when he fails to keep his word.
Quote #11
‘Ah miserable; and unkind, untrue,
Unknightly, traitor-hearted! Woe is me!
Authority forgets a dying king,
Laid widow’d of the power in his eye
That bow’d the will. I see what thou art,
For thou, the latest-left of all my knights,
In whom should meet the offices of all,
Thou wouldst betray me for the precious hilt.
(“The Passing of Arthur,” 287-294)
When Bedivere lies again about what he has done with Excalibur, Arthur moves beyond a consideration of the personal consequences of his lie to an exploration of it as a political betrayal. To him this betrayal is evidence of the total loss of his authority, since he sees Bedivere as a representative of all his knights. With this speech, he ups the stakes of Bedivere’s actions, giving larger political significance to Bedivere’s loyalty or betrayal.