Sir Lucan de butlere

Sir Lucan de butlere is a loyal knight of King Arthur whose final appearance comes at the collapse of Arthur’s army. After the battle against Sir Mordred, Lucan and his brother Sir Bedivere are the only knights left alive beside Arthur. Lucan urges the king to stop fighting and, despite his own wounds, helps carry him away; Lucan dies in the attempt, making his service both a last act of loyalty and one of the final losses surrounding Arthur.

The Last Battle

At the close of the battle, Arthur looks across a field where a hundred thousand have fallen. Of his knights, only Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere remain alive, and both are badly wounded. Lucan’s presence beside the king places him among the few survivors of the destruction of the Round Table’s fellowship, with the struggle now reduced to Arthur’s pursuit of Sir Mordred.

Arthur sees Sir Mordred leaning on his sword among the dead and demands his spear. Lucan counsels him to let the enemy be: Arthur has won the field, Lucan argues, and if he survives the day, he can take vengeance later. He also reminds Arthur of the warning in his dream, in which Sir Gawaine had urged him not to fight. Lucan’s advice is an attempt to turn victory into survival, but Arthur refuses to leave Sir Mordred alive. The king charges, and the final encounter brings about the outcome Lucan had tried to prevent.

Carrying Arthur from the Field

After Arthur strikes Sir Mordred down, the king is gravely weakened. Lucan and Sir Bedivere each take one side of him and lift him. The effort overwhelms Lucan: he falls into a swoon, and his injuries prove fatal. His death follows directly from the attempt to help Arthur, rather than from a separate encounter in the battle.

When Arthur regains consciousness, he sees Lucan dead and mourns the loss of a noble companion who had tried to help him when he needed help most. The scene makes Lucan’s final service inseparable from its cost: he helps move the king, but dies before Arthur can be carried to safety. Sir Bedivere, his brother, is left to continue alone at Arthur’s side.

Narrative Significance

Lucan’s role in the ending is brief but consequential. He is the voice urging restraint when Arthur, surrounded by death, chooses vengeance over the warning he has received. His effort to carry Arthur then marks the last practical act of care before the king turns to the command concerning Excalibur and the water. Lucan’s death narrows the circle around Arthur from two wounded companions to one, intensifying the solitude of the final scenes.

The episode also connects Lucan’s loyalty to the wider code Arthur has imposed on his knights: service and courage carry real obligations, but cannot undo the consequences of the battle. Lucan does not survive to see Arthur’s final departure. His ending instead leaves Sir Bedivere as the remaining witness and helper, while Arthur must acknowledge both the loss of his companion and the failure of his own decision to pursue Sir Mordred.