In her Merlin novels (1970–1983), Mary Stewart characterizes Morgause unflatteringly as an ambitious and resentful young princess who wants to learn magic from Merlin, but he refuses her. She seduces Arthur in the hope that she can later use it against him.
What is the relationship between Arthur and Morgause?
Legends. Morgause was the half-sister of Arthur who married Lot. In most versions she was the mother of Gawain, Gaheris, Agravain, Gareth, and often Mordred (in some versions, he is only her nephew, son of Morgana, though she typically has a hand in raising him, usually leading to no good).
Does Arthur loves Morgana? They are half-siblings, and in the early part of his reign Arthur entirely trusts Morgan and allows her to take care of his sword and magical sheath for him. After she betrays him Arthur no longer trusts her, for the very good reason she nearly cost him her life.
Morgan/Morgause was Arthurs' older half-sister, the child of Igraine and Gorlois, and sought vengeance against Arthur by conceiving Mordred by an act which she knew to be incestuous, but he did not.
Morgause tells Arthur she knew his mother well. It would explain why Morgause and Morgana are only half-sisters. It would explain why Morgause doesn't mean any threat to Arthur the first time she meets him, in 2x08, but waits to test him before turning on him.
Morgana is born in Camelot to Uther Pendragon and Lady Vivienne. Growing up in the household of Gorlois, Morgana and Gorlois are led to believe that they are father and daughter.
Morgause was eventually badly wounded by Merlin and Gaius, and a year later, physically weakened, she chose to be sacrificed by Morgana at the Isle of the Blessed, so the spirits of the dead could enter the human world and attack Camelot and the villages around it, claiming that it was her "final gift" to her sister, ...
Arthur's story begins with Uther Pendragon, his father. Pendragon is smitten by Igraine, the wife of the Duke of Cornwall. Disguising himself as Igraine's husband he sneaks into her bed and she conceives Arthur.
Morgause was the eldest daughter of Vivienne - who was also the mother of Morgana, thus making Morgause and Morgana maternal half-sisters. She was a skilled warrior, a powerful sorceress and a High Priestess of the Old Religion.
In the final book she is killed by her son Gaheris, which undoes her evil spells. A main antagonist in the BBC television series Merlin (2008–2012), Morgause is portrayed by actress Emilia Fox as a powerful, Lady Macbeth-like sorceress.
Merlin is in love with the Lady of the Lake despite his age, and every time she comes he promises to teach her magic in exchange for her love. Every time this happens, she binds him in the tree by using magical thread which the Norns had at one time taught her how to spin.
Morgan hated Arthur for his purity and unknowing hypocrisy and so plotted with her lover, Sir Accolon, to steal both Excalibur and the British throne. Arthur met Accolon in combat without his magical sword, but the Lady of the Lake Nimue helped him retrieve it and win the battle.
One of the sole reasons Morgana turned into a villain was because she was corrupted by Morgause. With Morgana in Morgause's company for a year, the witch successfully brainwashed her sister into believing Uther and Arthur were the real evil.
Guinevere, nicknamed Gwen by Arthur and Morgana, was Arthur's wife and queen, and the love of his life. They had been betrothed when they were children and were close, although Arthur had been distrustful of the magical and "protected" Gwen from Nari even though she'd meant Gwen no harm.
The general consensus seems to be that there are two potential causes for the injuries that left Morgause scarred and would have presumably eventually killed her: 1) being thrown against a pillar by Merlin's magic and/or 2) being crushed by falling rubble brought down by Morgana's magic.
Le Morte d'Arthur features the now-iconic scene where the two meet on foot as Arthur charges Mordred and runs a spear through him. With the last of his strength, Mordred impales himself even further to come within striking distance, and lands a mortal blow with his sword to King Arthur's head.
Mordred's family is a particularly important part of his story. According to most versions of the legend, Mordred is the son of King Arthur and Morgause, who are half-siblings. This means that in addition to being King Arthur's son, Mordred is also King Arthur's nephew.
The young Morgan unhappily marries Urien, with whom she has a son, Yvain. She becomes an apprentice of Merlin, and a capricious and vindictive adversary of some knights of the Round Table, all the while harbouring a special hatred for Arthur's wife Guinevere.
Morgana is the daughter of Uther Pendragon and his adulterous lover, Vivienne, who was his best friend's wife, though this fact is hidden from Morgana.
Guinevere is childless in most stories. The few exceptions of that include Arthur's son named Loholt or Ilinot in Perlesvaus and Parzival (first mentioned in Erec and Enide).
In the versions where Guinevere is presented as a evil-doer, she is guided either by malice toward Arthur or overwhelming love for Lancelot. In the versions of the legend where she is most conniving and evil, she is seduced by Mordred in an effort to betray and overthrow Arthur's reign.
Mordred was the illegitimate son of King Arthur and his half-sister Morgause (pronounced mor-GAWZ). Mordred is best remembered for his betrayal of Arthur and for launching the battle that led to Arthur's demise. He appears in even the earliest versions of Arthurian legend, though the specifics of his life vary widely.
Instead of telling her about his powers in order to comfort her about her own, he tried to help without showing he actually understood her fear. As a result, it is Morgous instead of Merlin who teaches Morgana about magic and its purpose, so Morgan's learns to use her power for evil instead of for good.
According to legend, Morgause was killed by her son Sir Gaheris who found her in a relationship with Sir Lamorak, the son of Pellinore who had killed their father.
In series 4, Uther is wounded during an assassination attempt on Arthur. Merlin tries to heal him but due to Morgana's meddling, the spell instead kills him. In the television series Camelot, Uther is poisoned by his daughter Morgana in the first episode.
