Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season Four/@comment-5102537-20140111151000/@comment-5674726-20140114211915

Fimber wrote: Yet I can't see Arthur (or Uther) really supporting the law when it comes to their loved ones. Which is why Arthur "only" banished Gwen but didn't kill her. Nevertheless he threatened her and put her life in danger.

I understand why Arthur later overlooked the whole thing and married her since he was in love in her. But it was quite unbelievable that none of the other nobles/royals objected.

I'd say that, had there been a situation where Ygraine was found to be unfaithful to Uther, he would have offered her an "out" by nullifying their marriage - which would mean that she wouldn't be an adulteress - and banishing her from court. Chances are that the nobility would have accepted it, at least if there was either no child in the picture or the child was disinherited, because the succession would be safeguarded and because they'd get that he wouldn't want a rift with her kin so showing mercy would have political advantages. In Guinevere's situation, Arthur had some wiggle room as they were not yet married and could banish her rather than execute her.

I think that it was a big mistake for the writers to have Arthur able to marry Guinevere after what happened.

There is no way that the nobility would accept her, and I'd say that even among the commoners she would have very little support. If anything, they could find it even more offensive that one of their own, who was honoured with the love of the King and was set to be their Queen, proved herself a trollop and utterly unworthy of the station to which her marriage to Arthur would have called her.

They also wasted an opportunity to allow Morgana to have a lasting impact on Arthur in a way that would really hurt. He may get his kingdom back at the end of the season but he is unable to marry the woman he loves because even he has to see that, not only will Guinevere never be accepted as his Queen, he will make himself look like a besotted fool who has so little respect for his subjects and his family line that he is marrying a woman who is known to have betrayed him once and is therefore going to be seen as all but guaranteed to betray him again.