CHAPTER TEN
William Morris, The Defence of Guenevere
‘All I have said is truth, by Christ’s dear tears.’
She would not speak another word, but stood
Turn’d sideways; listening, like a man who hears
His brother’s trumpet sounding through the wood
Of his foes’ lances. She lean’d eagerly,
And gave a slight spring sometimes, as she could
At last hear something really; joyfully
Her cheek grew crimson, as the headlong speed
Of the roan charger drew all men to see,
The knight who came was Launcelot at good need.314
— The Defence of Guenevere by William Morris
Defense or Deception?
Published in 1858, William Morris’ 295-line poem, Defence of Guenevere, is controversial, both in interpretation and what it means for the character of Guinevere. Among non-scholars, it is not well-known
