Sword of the Rightful King: A Novel of King Arthur

Jane Yolen’s take the classic tale of King Arthur is filled with political intrigue as the author crafts a new retake on the timeless tale of the sword in the stone. Arthur is already an adult and has been crowned king when the story begins. However, his people’s faith in him has begun to wane. His advisor Merlinnus recreates the original sword in the stone, one that only Arthur is able to remove. Merlinnus hopes this will renew the faith of the people in their king. In this retelling, Arthur is something of a lapsed Christian, having taken over Camelot just after his occupation of Great Britain. This transition of power is difficult for the common people to accept. They lack absolute confidence in their new ruler. Yolen reimagines the traditional characters of Merlin, renamed Merlinnus, and Morgan le Fey into the daring and imaginative Morgause. The pair attempt to solidify Arthur’s rule using magic and the sword named Caliburnus, traditionally named Excalibur.

Little is revealed to the reader about Arthur’s backstory. What the reader does gather is that Arthur is a good-natured man. He doesn’t lack intelligence, but is young and inexperienced, and therefore must rely on Merlinnus for guidance as he learns the delicate art of governing a country. Additionally, the reader sees nothing of the finesse and grit of the original King Arthur. The charisma of the actual historical figure is not present in Yolen’s rendering of the monarch.  These inadequacies ultimately affect those in Arthur’s field of vision, accept for the fanatical Lancelot, whom Yolen decides to keep as true to character as the original.

Into this politically charged environment, Yolen inserts a boy named Gawen. Merlinnus is the first to realize that the boy is not who he claims to be. There are rumors of a plot to assassinate the king, and Merlinnus is skeptical that the mysterious boy might be involved. Merlinnus is also aware of the North Witch’s desire to replace the king with one of her two sons. Thus, she becomes the main suspect surrounding this plot. Despite the imminent danger posed to the king, Merlinnus takes Gawen to see the king. The wizard is so negligent in his duty to protect the king that he doesn’t even have Gawen searched to see if he is armed. The duo, along with the king, set out for Merlinnus’ dwelling to see the sword. In Yolen’s account, the sword is not a supernatural talisman, but merely a symbol that its wielder is the rightful ruler of Camelot.



Behind the scenes however, the reader discovers that Gawen is actually the son of the evil sorceress Morgause (the North Witch), who feels that her 17-year-old son would be better suited to rule the kingdom. There is no doubt in the reader’s mind that Morgause despises her half-brother Arthur and was indeed the mastermind behind the assassination attempt. Although Merlinnus ignores his gut instinct that Gawen is hiding something, he devises the ingenious idea to weave the tale of the sword in the stone. Arthur removing the sword from the stone would prove him as the rightful king, thus eliminating any doubt to his regency.

Yolen uses the conflict between Morgause, Merlinnus, and Arthur to offer a fresh perspective on the classic story. The interchange between the two magicians is akin to spying on a conversation like fly on the wall, and this lends depth to two characters well known to the literary canon. And as with the original characters, Arthur and Merlinnus enjoy a close-knit relationship as Arthur relies heavily on the wizard’s age and experience. Merlinnus is a cunning father figure to the young Arthur, who himself is an unseasoned, young king. Yolen’s Arthur takes no real pleasure in his position, approaching the responsibility of governing with mere tolerance instead of reverence.

Yolen’s novel employs many plot twists, as she systematically peels away the layers of façade through which her character’s operate. The true motives behind their actions is revealed only as the pages turn. And while the novel’s ending is a detour from the original myth, Yolen takes the fabric of one tale and weaves another.