Meet the Cast
Arthur
King Arthur. You've heard the name before. What kinds of ideas does it conjure up? knights and heroessomething about a swordbeautiful womenmore knights and heroesThere has been more written about K...
Guinevere
Oh Gwenny. What are we going to do with you? Object of Everyone's AffectionFor the first half of the Idylls, Guinevere is an idea more than a person. Not very flattering if you ask Shmoop. Arthur i...
Lancelot
Lancelot. Dude's such a great knight that the mere mention of his name causes the much younger Lavaine to feel “instant reverence” (“Lancelot and Elaine,” 463). “Little need to speak / of...
Elaine
Shy, innocent, and beautiful, Elaine is the “Lily Maid of Astolat.” She’s the perfect wife for Lancelot. There’s just one problem.Consumed by his devotion to Guinevere, he can’t bring him...
Vivien
Given that this is a Victorian poem, where sex is almost never mentioned (only implied), Vivien is surprisingly sexy. Check it out. She wears a “robe / Of samite, without price” that reveals mo...
Balin and Balan
Balin and Balan: two peas in a pod. They're twin brothers who are totally devoted to one another. For instance, Balin beat up one of Arthur's servants just because he heard a rumor that the gu...
Gawain
Gawain is the bad boy of Arthur’s court. He’s can’t seem to do anything right, but he really doesn’t care. Distractible and Intractable When Arthur tasks him with giving the diamond to Lanc...
Tristram
Tristram makes a significant appearance in only one Idyll, “The Last Tournament,” where he behaves, well, badly. The winner of a disastrous tournament marked by an embarrassing display of disho...