Was Morgause to blame for all of Arthur's troubles?
Morgause does not appear in the
historical texts. Geoffrey
of Monmouth says Lot
was married to Anna, Arthur's half-sister. Morgause is Arthur's half-sister, usually
the wife of Lot
of Lothian and/or Orkney. As such, she is perfectly situated
to cause Arthur trouble. Lot is early portrayed as a supporter of
Arthur and later seen as an enemy. Morgause, being a pursuer
of power, surely was behind her husband in his ambition to
take over the high kingship. This couple also had sons that gave
Arthur trouble: Gawain,
Gaheris,
Gareth,
Agravaine,
and Mordred.
Now this last character was secretly the son of Arthur and
Morgause, so begotten when the latter enchanted the former.
Whether Lot knew is an open question. (Note:
Marion
Zimmer Bradley says Mordred was
the son of Arthur and Morgaine and that the latter gave the
baby to Morgause to rear.) As seen earlier,
Gawain went from being a great knight and one of Arthur's
favorites to a frustrated knight and one of Arthur's
problems. Gaheris and Agravaine were prime movers in the
plot to prove the adultery of Lancelot
and Guinevere. Morgause herself is said to have been a
constant thorn in Arthur's side, doing magic and making
mischief. Bradley says she poisoned the queen so she
couldn't have children. It could be argued that Morgause was
indeed the cause of all Arthur's troubles: She was the power
behind Lot, she sent her sons to make trouble for Arthur and
expose the adultery of his two best-loved people, she tried
herself to undo all that Arthur had done, and she was the
cause and the educator of Mordred, who ultimately caused the
wound that took Arthur away. (Whether he delivered it
himself is open to interpretation.)
Was
Arthur a king or just a battle commander? Was
Guinevere really an adulteress? Was
Morgan Le Fay really a witch? Was
Morgause to blame for all of Arthur's
troubles?
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