During Malory’s lifetime, English life had been marked by dissension and war. The monarchy squandered the country’s wealth by waging wars, when what England needed was an emphasis on recovery and stability. The medieval period was a time of social unrest and disorder. In spite of severe economic conditions, the Hundred Years War raged. Despite all this corruption, many individuals, particularly impoverished peasants, kept England’s honesty and kindness. For late medieval people, the Catholic Church was their focus. Its instruction directed their conduct, and its regulations supplied a behavioral pattern. Church teachings and masses were in Latin, which few understood. So, the church was unchallengeable. People trusted the clergy to interpret God’s message for them. Even if the church was corrupt, its power helped keep order. At the start of the 1600s, the Catholic Church dominated England. Early in the sixteenth century, the Catholic church’s hegemony in England ended. 

This fate or destiny is not assigned to God or any other spiritual entity, but rather to the characters in the narrative. Both Merlin and the Lady of the Lake embody destiny by influencing the characters and their actions to bring about a predetermined outcome. 

All knights owe their monarch and God obedience as part of their duty and commitment to them. Obedience to King Arthur is a must for every knight, even if it means certain death. There are a number of instances in which obeying Arthur’s directives resulted in damage to the knight. One such instance happens at the start of the Quest for the Holy Grail, when Arthur discovers the sword concealed inside the floating stone. Arthur discovers that the legend states that only the greatest knight in the world may claim the sword, and that anybody else who attempts to do so will be cursed. Gawain readily obeys Arthur’s instruction since Arthur is his king and has requested it. Launcelot, on the other hand, refuses to comply with Arthur’s request. In another passage, Arthur orders the execution of Guinevere. Gawain refuses to comply with his king’s instruction in this occasion, and his brothers also oppose. As a consequence, Launcelot murders Gareth and Gaheris during his rescue of the queen.

On page 146 of Philokalia, It describes a story about a young man who did nothing in particular except always adhere firmly to the rule given to him by the staretz and to follow the instruction containing a little book with unshakable faith and undaunted hope even if it’s not a test. Due to Merlin’s predictions and magic, readers are often informed of a prophesy involving death and devastation. Characters are destined to meet on the battlefield or in tournaments, and they are destined to win or lose based on an action for which they bear no blame. For example, Balyn effortlessly removes the damsel’s sword from its sheath. By doing this act, he is destined to murder his closest friend, his brother.  Moreover, Arthur’s establishment of the Round Table indicates a need for a code of conduct that will govern the land. His knights are bound by honor, both to king and God, ideas that are equally important to Malory’s readers. Sir Galahad succeeds in the quest for the Holy Grail because he is pure and without sin. He never forgets that he serves God before he serves his king. While most modern readers would recognize that Malory is suggesting a moral code

Only the purest of the knights like Galahad, Bors, and Percival succeed in the Grail Quest. The implication is clear: those knights who engage in adulterous behavior or who use their strength or talent with a sword in an unjust or murderous manner, will not be rewarded with God’s blessing. This proposes a connection between honor, truth and god’s message but also to how attention and virtue play a role in characters prophecy similar to how the man in the book in Philokalia who is allowed to enter heaven only if he adheres to the rules posited by the clergy regardless of its truth and intention.