From Thebes to Camelot: Incest, Civil War, and Kin-Slaying in the Fall of Arthur’s Kingdom

This article argues that medieval retellings of Theban legends, particularly of the war between Polynices and Eteocles, exercised a profound and sustained influence upon Arthurian tradition. The Theban themes of incest, civil war, and kin-slaying furnished a classical precedent for exploring the darker side—and destruction—of Camelot.