Female Archetypes in Le Morte d'Arthur

Abstract

This work attempts to study the principal characteristics of a variety of archetypes
found in the main female characters from Arthurian legends, as well as how such characters
have evolved throughout the multiple versions of the stories. In order to do so, female roles
in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur will be compared, reviewing how women were perceived at the
time of composition and how that same representation affected the characters. By focusing
on the characters of The Lady of the Lake, Morgan le Fay and Queen Guinevere, this paper
will analize the way in which the tropes of supernatural aid, evil sorceress and high queen
have affected their respective roles in Malory's story, as well as seeing whether they can be
considered fully fledged individuals or merely stock characters that fulfil a role in the tale of
King Arthur, his son Mordred and the several knights who took the centre-stage in the
Arthurian canon.