William Morris’s debut collection The Defence of Guenevere (1858) announced one of the most distinctive voices in Victorian poetry. Steeped in Arthurian legend and medieval romance, the poems are vivid, dramatic, and richly coloured — fully realising the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic in verse form.
The title poem, in which Guinevere defends herself against accusation with fierce dignity, is one of the great dramatic monologues of the age. This free EPUB presents the complete collection cleanly formatted with poem titles and stanza breaks preserved.