Read the excerpt from "Morte d'Arthur” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.So like a shatter’d column lay the King;Not like that Arthur who, with lance in rest,From spur to plume a star of tournament,Shot thro’ the lists at Camelot, and chargedBefore the eyes of ladies and of kings.

The phrase “like a shatter’d column lay the King” compares Arthur to a broken pillar, suggesting that he is fallen and badly weakened. The lines then contrast this with his former strength and glory as a knight charging through the tournament lists. So the comparison describes the king’s current state, not the building’s appearance or the tournament’s purpose.

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