Camelot is Lerner and Loewe's romantic musical retelling of the Arthurian legend, following the idealistic young King Arthur as he establishes the Round Table and strives to build a realm governed by justice rather than brute force. His marriage to the spirited Guinevere and his knighting of the brave, honorable Lancelot bring the kingdom to its height, but Guinevere and Lancelot's growing, forbidden love for one another threatens to unravel everything Arthur has built. The scheming Mordred, Arthur's illegitimate son, exploits the affair to sow discord and hasten the fall of Camelot, forcing Arthur to choose between the laws he has sworn to uphold and his love for the two people closest to him. Lerner and Loewe's lush score, including the title song and "If Ever I Would Leave You," gives grand romantic sweep to the story's tragic arc. Often read as an allegory for the fleeting brightness of a golden age undone by human frailty, the musical became famously associated with the Kennedy era's own sense of a shining moment cut short.

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