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Dagonet/ˈdæɡənɛt,dæɡəˈnɛt/ (also known asDaguenet,Daguenes,Daguenez,Danguenes, and other spellings) is aKnight of the Round Table inArthurian legend. His depictions and characterisations variously portray a foolish and cowardly knight, a violently deranged madman, and ultimately the now-iconic image ofKing Arthur'scourt jester.

His first appearance is in the early 13th-centuryVulgate Cycle. Known there as Daguenet the Fool (or the Coward) in theVulgate Lancelot or Danguenes the Craven of Carlion (Caerleon) in theVulgateMerlin,^[1][2] he is a hapless, dimwitted knight mocked by others. In one episode, he notably "captures" (in his mind) and actually rescues (inadvertently) the heroLancelot by finding a horse carrying the unconscious knight, and triumphantly leading it to QueenGuinevere.

His portrayal as a feared and unpredictable madman in a series of short episodes within theGuiron le Courtois section ofPalamedes offers a much darker and more serious tone. His tragic backstory is revealed as formerly one of the best knights of Arthur who went insane when his new bride was abducted by Helior of the Thorn, his own (former) friend whom he then tracked down and killed.

During theFalse Guinevere's reign in another work,Les Prophéties de Merlin, Dagonet takes on the administration of the royal court and then bankrupts the household, even killing the treasurer Fole for reproving him. Nevertheless, he ultimately proves to be competent enough to finance the mercenaries who helpGaleholt repel aSaxon invasion, while successfully avoiding the vengeance of Fole's kinsmen.

One of his two appearances in the different versions of theProseTristan is the first in which he is depicted as Arthur's officialfool. It characterised him as a hateful and mad commoner who was given knightly status as a joke. He challenges the young Cote Mal Taillee (i.e.Brunor) to a joust and quickly loses. In the second version,Tristan humiliates Sir Daguenet the Fool publicly by dunking him into a well, and then uses Dagonet's own sword to protect a group of shepherds who laughed at the scene from Dagonet's angry squires, maiming one of them.

In a markedly more positive (and best known today) characterization byThomas Malory in his seminalLe Morte d'Arthur, Dagonet is King Arthur's court fool who has been knighted as an award for his loyalty and comedic talents. TheKnights of the Round Table use him to play practical jokes on their rivals or their enemies, at the same time protecting him from harm. In a rewrite of a scene from the ProseTristan,Kay arranges for Brunor to joust with Dagonet at his first tournament in order to deprive him of the honour of defeating a true knight. On another occasion, Arthur's men point out Dagonet, dressed inMordred's armor, toKing Mark and tell him he is Lancelot; the cowardly monarch then flees screaming into the forest, chased by Dagonet.

• InShakespeare'sHenry IV, Part 2, Master Shallow boasts of portraying Sir Dagonet in "Arthur's show". This identifies the character as a buffoon.
• InTennyson's 19th-century poetry cycleIdylls of the King, 'Sir' Dagonet appears in "The Last Tournament". The jester is the only one on the court who could foresee the kingdom's coming doom. He mocks the faithless knights who have broken their vows, and declares that although he and Arthur could hear the music of God's plan, they cannot.
• InHoward Pyle's 1905 novelThe Story of the Champions of the Round Table, Sir Dagonet, called Arthur's fool, is dim-witted yet noted for his knightly deeds. He bears theheraldic device of acockerel's head.
• In the 1930sGrove PlayBirds of Rhiannon byWaldemar Young, instead of participating in theBattle of Camlann he is instead sent on a quest along withTaliesin and other court bards byMerlin to go "beyond the furthest hill" to find their lost childhood dreams. They had been traveling for 28 days since but then after leaving the forest they came upon a hill where they met a shepherd boy who lost his sheep when he got distracted by one ofRhiannon's birds. Then they are interrupted by Sir Kay who tells them that King Arthur wants them to return (not mentioning that Arthur had already died in Camlann). While the others gave up the quest in order to return, Sir Dagonet refuses. He and Kay fight, but in the end Kay is victorious and impales Dagonet, laughing as he leaves Dagonet to die.
• In the 2004 filmKing Arthur, the character, portrayed byRay Stevenson, is depicted as a brave, self-sacrificing warrior whose actions save the rest of Arthur's knights.
• Jeremy Whitley wrote the 2012 comic book miniseriesThe Order of Dagonet with art by Jason Strutz.
• InLev Grossman's 2024 novelThe Bright Sword, Sir Dagonet is portrayed as a deadpan jester who is knighted by Arthur as a joke, but has full status as a knight and travels on adventures with other knights of the Round Table.

• Dinadan

• Dagonet at The Camelot Project

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