Women in "The Death of King Arthur" : a Study of Peter Ackroyd's and Sir Thomas Malory's Female Characters

There is no denying the present-day enthusiasm for Arthurian themes in entertainment. This long-lived legend has continued to spark interest in every medium available, and Peter Acrkoyd’s 2010 novel "The Death of King Arthur" is no exception. The present dissertation, entitled “Women in The Death of King Arthur. A Study of Peter Ackroyd’s and Sir Thomas Malory’s Female Characters”, endeavours to assess and delimitate the characterisation of the female protagonists within the context of the Arthurian world. In light of growing feminist movements and fights over gender equality in the 21st century, the present work studies, through carefully selected characters and passages from both, the 2010 novel, and the late medieval oeuvre, the characterisation of the female protagonists, with the initial hypothesis that Peter Ackoyd’s editorial choices – mainly the numerous cuts he made in Malory’s text – affected the representation of the tale’s women. The overarching conclusion drawn by this analysis highlights how Ackroyd’s female characters lack both general representation and female sovereignty. The novel highly favours male fellowship and displays an overpowering male dominance. Ultimately, a comparative study of both authors underlines the striking conclusion that the more than patriarchal 15th-century text allows for better characterisation and deeper emotional development of its female protagonists than the modern day novel.