A person's’s identity is so important within the world of Le Morte d’Arthur. Each character is defined not only by his familial relations, but also by his abilities, whether on the battlefield, as a lover, or as a leader. A person is also defined by his loyalties to his country or liege. Knights are usually defined with epithets about their abilities or loyalties, sometimes given through fate, sometimes through their own accomplishments. Many people struggle with identities given to them by fate or circumstance. For instance, when Arthur was young, he thought of himself as the adopted son of a landowner and knight, not as the heir to all of England. After Arthur learns he is the son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine, he has a hard time accepting his identity, even though that identity compels him to take power meant for him by fate. Similarly, his son Mordred also has difficulty accepting his identity - though he is predestined to kill his father, he is bothered by the Archbishop of Canterbury's statements on his sinful conception.
