Malory: King Arthur's Sadness

Throughout Malory's writing, there have been many instances in which he emphasizes the brotherly love of the knights, their close connections to each other, and the honor codes to which they abide as a group. However, one of the most interesting insights into the relationships the knights have with each other comes on page 365, when the knights decide to go on their search for the Holy Grail, and King Arthur speaks up about his fear of losing his knights. He says, "Shall not our fellowship of the Round Table be irremediably broken? A fellowship I have loved better than my own life, and one which is surely unique for its peerless knights, many of whom will now ride away in search of the Holy Grail, never to return! How can I be reconciled to the dissolution of so close a fellowship, and of the ancient customs by which we have been held?" (Malory 365). This is one of the first times (in the passages we have read) that the brotherhood is mentioned by the characters themselves, rather than by Malory in a commentary way. Arthur speaks very openly about his emotions in this passage, and Malory writes that "The king wept as he spoke" (365), indicating that he is truly being open with his emotions. The knights seem to have a closeness that is unmatched by others, except possibly direct relations and biological connections. This scene seems to be an important one for analyzing the types of relationships that occurred between the males around this time period, as well as Malory's idea of what being a part of the Round Table was like.