Adultery lies at the heart of the Arthurian tragedy. In discussing Guenevere in the previous chapter, I returned to the two dimensions of marriage that undergird this study: marriage as a private companionate relationship between a husband and wife, arising from the partners' mutual affection; and marriage as a public social institution, the means through which heirs were produced and, for elite families, wealth and political power transferred. Pivotal to both the private and public aspects of Arthur and Guenevere's marriage is her dowry, a round table whose transfer makes possible the institution of the Round Table. It is this dowry that allows Guenevere to play a crucial role in chivalric society, in part substituting for the son she never bears. At the moment King Lodegreaunce hears of Arthur's desire to wed his daughter, he rejoices in the match and considers the dowry as a way to confirm it:

Guenevere is, of course, not the only bride in the Morte Darthur, and Lodegreaunce not the only father eager to arrange a match.