The scene depicts the death of the legendary King Arthur. Laid out across the foreground is the wounded body of the King encircled by four grieving women within a glade; he wears a suit of chainmail under a tunic, bearing the emblem of a dragon on the chest, with a blanket of fur covering his legs. His head rests on the lap of his Queen, seated on a cushion placed on the ground to the left of the composition, who strokes his brow and gazes down into his face. Seated at his side is the second female figure, wearing a crown, with an open book upon her lap and offering the King the contents of a tiny bowl held to his chin. Kneeling at his feet is the third figure, her head bowed and weeping into her hands. The fourth figure stands behind the second figure in the centre of the composition, resting her head against the trunk of a tree, a melancholy expression on her face.