Idylls of the King

Tennyson had a lifelong fascination with the King Arthur legend and following the enormous success of his poem Morte d'Arthur he expanded on the subject with this series of twelve poems which were written over nearly twenty years during two periods of intense creativity. Idylls of the King follows Arthur's reign from his initial meeting with Guinevere and his search for the Holy Grail to his queen's adultery with Launcelot and the King's passing in a decisive fight that leads to the fall of his kingdom. Tennyson's portrayal of the Round Table represents a yearning for a bygone era of bravery and chivalry through its lyrical and dreamlike eloquence.