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King Pellinore
Gawaine is one of the Orkney brothers and Morgause's son. He also becomes one of Arthur's knights and goes off on many quests. He is depicted throughout as a barbaric figure that cannot control his temper and violence. Towards the end of Book IV, he is driven mildly mad when Lancelot kills his brothers Gareth and Gaheris and pursues Lancelot. However, at the end of the novel, Gawaine forgives Lancelot and writes a beautiful, moving letter revealing a sensitive, moral side.
Gawaine Quotes in The Once and Future King
The The Once and Future King quotes below are all either spoken by Gawaine or refer to Gawaine. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 2, Chapter 1
Quotes
Gareth was a generous boy. He hated the idea of strength against weakness. It made his heart swell, as if he were going to suffocate. Gawaine, on the other hand, was angry because it had been against his family. He did not think it was wrong for strength to have its way, but only that it was intensely wrong for anything to succeed against his own clan.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Once and Future King LitChart as a printable PDF.
Gawaine Quotes in The Once and Future King
The The Once and Future King quotes below are all either spoken by Gawaine or refer to Gawaine. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 2, Chapter 1
Quotes
Gareth was a generous boy. He hated the idea of strength against weakness. It made his heart swell, as if he were going to suffocate. Gawaine, on the other hand, was angry because it had been against his family. He did not think it was wrong for strength to have its way, but only that it was intensely wrong for anything to succeed against his own clan.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
