Editing Idylls of the King (section)

=== The Coming of Arthur ===
The first of the Idylls covers the period following Arthur's coronation, his accession, and marriage. The besieged [[Leodegrance|Leodogran]], King of Cameliard, appeals to Arthur for help against the beasts and heathen hordes. Arthur vanquishes these and then the Barons who challenge his legitimacy. Afterwards he requests the hand of Leodogran's daughter, [[Guinevere]], whom he loves. Leodogran, grateful but also doubtful of Arthur's lineage, questions his chamberlain, Arthur's emissaries, and Arthur's half-sister [[Morgause|Bellicent]] (the character known as Anna or Morgause in other versions), receiving a different account from each. He is persuaded at last by a dream of Arthur crowned in heaven. [[Lancelot]] is sent to bring Guinevere, and she and Arthur wed in May. At the wedding feast, Arthur refuses to pay the customary tribute to the Lords from [[Roman Empire|Rome]], declaring, “The old order changeth, yielding place to new.” This phrase is repeated by Arthur throughout the work. Tennyson's use of the phrase in both the first and last Idyll, and throughout the work, is indicative of the change in Britain's, and Arthur's, fortunes. At this point, the phrase indicates the passing of Rome and the Heathens; In ''The Passing of Arthur'', it indicates the downfall of Arthur's kingdom.