The Mists of Avalon

Morgaine is the protagonist of The Mists of Avalon. Morgaine is the daughter of Igraine and Duke Gorlois. She is intelligent, brave, and incredibly driven, dedicating seven years to her magical studies, which attract her from a young age. Throughout the book, Morgaine is at the center of a kingdom-wide spiritual crisis and goes through a significant personal journey, trying to balance her love for her people with her desire for power. Morgaine is a tragic hero who accidentally contributes to Avalon’s downfall while trying to protect it and comes to resemble Viviane—the mentor she once bitterly resented for manipulating her in service to the Goddess.

Although Morgaine loves Avalon, her dangerous devotion to it also contributes to the deterioration of some of the most important relationships of her life. Her relationship with Arthur, her beloved brother, deteriorates beyond repair when she uses “all the power and authority of a priestess of Avalon” to remind him of his oath to her land (717). Her blind devotion to Avalon ultimately leads her to become a power-hungry fanatic, going so far as to try to get her lover Accolon to overthrow Arthur so that she can rule instead—a scheme that ends up killing Accolon.