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What is a brief summary of "Morte d'Arthur" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson?
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"Morte d'Arthur" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson depicts the final moments of King Arthur after his last battle. Mortally wounded, Arthur instructs Sir Bedivere to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. Bedivere struggles with this task, disobeying twice before finally complying. Upon doing so, the sword is reclaimed by a mysterious hand. Bedivere then aids Arthur in his journey to Avalon, marking the end of the Arthurian era.
The title of Tennyson's "Morte d'Arthur" quite effectively sums up the basic subject of the poem: it follows the end of the Arthurian legend (the title quite literally means "Death of Arthur" in English). It opens in the wake of Arthur's final battle, where Arthur lies mortally wounded, and is accompanied by Sir Bedivere. What follows is a poem very much concerned with the passing of one age into the next (and Bedivere's own difficulty accepting that coming transition).
As Arthur lies dying, he instructs Bedivere to take Excalibur and return it to the Lady of the Lake, but when Bedivere reaches the lake, he finds he cannot do as Arthur instructs. So he twice opposes Arthur's will, and on the third time, Arthur threatens him with violence should he disobey again (and on the third time, he at last throws the sword back to the lake, where...
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a hand reaches up from beneath the water to catch it). Then he returns to Arthur's side and helps Arthur complete his final journey, by which he is carried away to Avalon (a note: this is spelled "Avilion" in Tennyson).