Le Morte d’Arthur · Chapter
How by Treason Sir Tristram Was Brought to a Tournament for to Have Been Slain, and How He Was Put in Prison explained
King Mark, learning of a tournament arranged by Sir Galahalt the haut prince and King Bagdemagus to destroy Sir Launcelot, sends Sir Tristram disguised to the jousts, hoping the knights will mistake him for Launcelot and kill him.
What happens
King Mark, learning of a tournament arranged by Sir Galahalt the haut prince and King Bagdemagus to destroy Sir Launcelot, sends Sir Tristram disguised to the jousts, hoping the knights will mistake him for Launcelot and kill him. Tristram wins the tournament despite severe injuries. King Mark feigns concern, takes Tristram to a castle, drugs him, and imprisons him. When Tristram is missed, La Beale Isoud asks Sir Sadok to investigate. Sadok discovers the treason, ambushes King Mark and his nephews, slaying the nephews. Sadok then rallies Sir Dinas and the people of Liones to defy King Mark.
Themes in this chapter
Betrayal and Treachery
King Mark's elaborate plot to have Sir Tristram killed at a tournament and his subsequent imprisonment of Tristram exemplify deep familial and political betrayal.
Kingship and Governance
King Mark's abuse of royal power for personal vengeance leads to rebellion, as Sir Dinas and others renounce their fealty and fortify against him.
Characters to notice
- Sir Tristram de Liones
Disguised and sent to a tournament by King Mark, wins despite being severely hurt, then drugged and imprisoned by his uncle.
- King Mark of Cornwall
Orchestrates the treason against Sir Tristram, sending him to a deadly tournament and later imprisoning him.
- La Beale Isoud
Privately seeks Sir Sadok's help to find Sir Tristram after he goes missing.
- Sir Dinas
Seneschal who, upon learning of King Mark's treason, defies the king and rallies support against him.
- Sir Sadok
Discovers Tristram's imprisonment, ambushes King Mark's party, and leads the uprising in Liones.
Key passages
“There was cried by the coasts of Cornwall a great tournament and jousts, and all was done by Sir Galahalt the haut prince and King Bagdemagus, to the intent to slay Launcelot, or else utterly destroy him and shame him, because Sir Launcelot had always the higher degree, therefore this prince and this king made this jousts against Sir Launcelot.”
A grand tournament was announced along the Cornish coast, secretly organized by Sir Galahalt the haut prince and King Bagdemagus with the goal of killing or humiliating Sir Launcelot, who had consistently outshone them.
Sets up the context for King Mark's scheme to use Tristram as a decoy for Launcelot.
“Then King Mark made Sir Tristram to be put in an horse bier in great sign of love, and said: Fair cousin, I shall be your leech myself. And so he rode forth with Sir Tristram, and brought him to a castle by daylight. And then King Mark made Sir Tristram to eat. And then after he gave him a drink, the which as soon as he had drunk he fell asleep. And when it was night he made him to be carried to another castle, and there he put him in a strong prison, and there he ordained a man and a woman to give him his meat and drink.”
Pretending great affection, King Mark placed the wounded Tristram on a horse-drawn litter, promising to heal him himself. He fed Tristram, then gave him a drugged drink that made him fall asleep. That night, Tristram was moved to another castle and thrown into a secure prison with a guard to provide food and drink.
Highlights the depth of King Mark's treachery, using feigned care to imprison his own nephew.