Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-27070979-20151012184515/@comment-25701646-20151013030519

ChocolatEyes613 wrote: ROSSELLA1 wrote:

After all, Arthur wasn't that great of King. He'd make a perfect villain. He slept with his half-sister, not knowing she was his sister, but still knowing she was his guest's wife, killed a bunch of infants to hide the fact that he was really trying to kill Mordred as an infant, etc. You forgot to mention that Lancelot executed Guinevere, because he believed she was in on Mordred's coup. I've never heard that version...most versions have Arthur ordering Guinevere to be executed, either because he believed she was in on the coup (in some versions she really was) or because of her affair with Lancelot, and Lancelot rescuing her.

If there is a version where Lancelot kills Guinevere, maybe he can't be trusted either (already suspicious with the whole back from the dead and having an affair with his best friend's wife).

The version with Arthur ordering the death of Guinevere also, I suppose, could be counted agains thim, although it's a complicated issue. I don't think anyone deserves to die for an affair. However, Guinevere wasn't just betraying her husband, but betraying her King and her country. If any children had resulted from the affair and the affair had not been uncovered, an illegitamate child would have sat on the throne of England, one with no blood ties to the King. Back then, that was a huge deal. Guinevere was basically committing treason against her King and her country. However, the fact that she was also his wife and it was a very personal betrayal would lead one to believe that Arthur should have shown mercy. But then would a good King show favoritism? Should the call of family/marriage come before the call of responsibility as a ruler? Anyway, it brings to light the idea that Arthur's decisions aren't always those of a hero.