Alfred Lord Tennyson's verse narrative ''Idylls of the King'' is inspired by [[KingArthur Arthurian legends]], especially Thomas Malory's ''Literature/LeMorteDarthur''; however, it also draws extensively on the ''{{Mabinogion}}'' and French traditions. The complete ''Idylls'' consists of 12 poems, plus a dedication to the deceased Prince Albert and an epilogue addressed to [[QueenVicky Queen Victoria]]. Tennyson, a longtime enthusiast of the Arthurian tales, worked on the collection for decades: the first four poems appeared in 1859, and the last one in 1885. (In book form, the poems are not in order of writing or publication.)
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!! Provides examples of:
* AnyoneCanDie
* TheAtoner: Guinevere and, if you're paying very close attention, Lancelot.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Thoroughly deconstructed by the end, as physical appearance turns out to be an utterly unreliable way of judging character.
* BittersweetEnding: The Round Table is destroyed, Arthur is dead and gone and civilization is in ruins. Still, the good Sir Bedivere remains, and the new year is at hand.
* BloodOnTheseHands: Invoked twice during "The Last Tournament".
* ChildByRape: Arthur.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Tennyson eliminates Morgaine/Morgause.
* CoolSword: Excalibur.
* CradlingYourKill: "Balin and Balan".
* [[DeadManWriting Dead Woman Writing]]: Elaine leaves a posthumous message for the court in "Lancelot and Elaine".
* DeathByDespair: Elaine of Astolat.
* DeathSeeker: The heartbroken Arthur after he realizes the extent of Guinevere's and Lancelot's treachery.
* DrivenToMadness: Sir Pelleas, complete with MadnessMantra ("I have no sword").
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Sir Gawain, who dies offstage between "Guinevere" and "The Passing of Arthur."
* FisherKing: As Arthur's power fades and the Round Table slowly disintegrates, the seasons change for the worse.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Guinevere's passion for Lancelot destroys the Round Table by undermining everyone else's virtue.
* HeroicVow
* IdiotBall: Carried most noticeably by Merlin, who allows himself to be tricked by Vivien, and Tristram, who hangs around with Isolt even after she warns him that Mark could return at any moment.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Galahad.
* KillEmAll: The battle at the Red Knight's court on a small scale, followed by Arthur's final battle on a large one.
* KnightInShiningArmour: Most prominently Arthur, Gareth, and Galahad.
* KnightInSourArmor: Lancelot, especially in "Lancelot and Elaine", "The Holy Grail" and "The Last Tournament."
* LawfulStupid: As usual, Arthur, who keeps failing to notice the real state of affairs between Lancelot and Guinevere.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Subverted, sort of. Arthur strongly advocates male chastity and tells Guinevere that he was a virgin before he married her. Similarly, Sir Galahad's purity is linked to his virginity. A number of knights fail to pass this test, though.
* MerlinAndNimue: Here, Merlin and Vivien.
* MistakenForCheating: Enid by Geraint.
** More ironically, Guinevere accuses Lancelot of cheating with Elaine of Astolat.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Tristram neglects to keep track of time during "The Last Tournament"...
-->"Mark's way," said Mark, and clove him thro' the brain.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Tennyson's Arthur is a romanticized version of Prince Albert.
* NotSoDifferent: The Red Knight's point about the relationship between his court and King Arthur's. Given what follows, he appears to be correct.
* OneSteveLimit: Unlike the original legends, Tennyson does not deluge us with multiple characters with the same name.
* PlayingCyrano: Sir Gawain promises to do this for Sir Pelleas in "Pelleas and Ettarre." The execution, however, leaves something to be desired.
* PublicDomainCharacter: The entire cast of characters.
* SmugSnake: Modred, Vivien.
* SoleSurvivor: Sir Bedivere.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Because Tennyson skips large chunks of the legend, some characters simply disappear without a trace (Vivien), or have blink-and-you'll miss-it resolutions to their plot (Lancelot).
* YourCheatingHeart: Lancelot and Guinevere; Tristram and Isolt.
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