Le Morte Darthur, Chapter 261 summary

What happens

1. Sir Gawaine and his brothers summon their mother near Camelot as part of a plan to kill Sir Lamorak.
2. Gaheris secretly waits for Lamorak, then enters armed and beheads his mother while Lamorak is unarmed.
3. Lamorak condemns the killing and disputes Gaheris’s claim that King Pellinore killed their father.
4. Gaheris spares the unarmed Lamorak but threatens to kill him elsewhere; Lamorak rides away and avoids Arthur’s court.
5. Arthur orders Gaheris out of court, while Gawaine resents both their mother’s death and Lamorak’s escape.
6. Launcelot warns Arthur about the brothers’ oath against Lamorak, and Arthur declares that he intends to stop them.

In this chapter

What to notice

Gaheris claims a limit on violence immediately after murdering his mother. This contrast exposes the contradiction in his appeal to honor.

Quick check