The legendary figure of King Arthur, the Once and Future King, started his rise to literary prominence through Geoffrey of Monmouth and his work, The History of the Kings of Britain. Monmouth introduced readers to a heroic and noble king who defeated the Saxons and reclaimed Britain, creating a period which set the stage for the Arthurian era and the glories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Over time additional authors added their voice to the telling of the Arthurian legend; adding events and characters, ultimately changing the story forever. Perhaps the most notable of these additions came in the form of Sir Lancelot. The creation of Lancelot, a knight introduced by Chrétien de Troyes in The Knight of the Cart, produced an underlying futile battle for top billing between Arthur and his top knight. The inclusion of Sir Lancelot in works such as, The Vulgate Cycle and Le Morte d’Arthur show further proof that once the character of Lancelot was created, King Arthur was no longer needed to save Camelot and bring it back to peace. Between Lancelot’s courtly love for King Arthur’s wife Guinevere and his renown for being “Sought after by all men and loved by all women more than any other knight” (Vulgate 102), one can see how King Arthur stood no chance against such a chivalric man, leaving him all but helpless to watch as Camelot and his round table crumbled as Lancelot’s prominence rose.
Before the inclusion of Lancelot in the Arthurian legend, Arthur was originally “Depicted first as a powerful warlord in the Welsh and Latin traditions” but after Lancelot became a part of the folklore, “he becomes a passive and often weak character in Chrétien's romances, abandoning the thrill of the battlefield in favor of his...
... middle of paper ...
...2002): 7-30. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
Geoffrey of Monmouth. The History of the Kings of Britain. The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation. Ed. James J. Wilhelm. New York: Garland Pub., 1994. 63-93.
Ingram, Amy L. "Psychology Of A King: Arthur In The Lancelot-Graal Cycle." Philological Quarterly 82.4 (2003): 349-365. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.
Lacy, Norris J. The Lancelot-Grail Reader: Selections from the Medieval French Arthurian Cycle. New York: Garland Pub., 2000. Print.
Malory, Thomas, and Dorsey Armstrong. Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur: A New Modern English Translation Based on the Winchester Manuscript. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor, 2009. Print.
Painter, Sidney. French Chivalry: Chivalric Ideas and Practices in Mediaeval France. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins P, 1940.
Lancelot is portrayed mostly as a love-struck man and not a very logical knight. From the first moment he is introduced, he is seen as someone sick from love. He will do anything to save his love, Gweneviere; even if that meant dishonor. When Lancelot rode on the cart, he was immediately labeled as someone bad. He pushed aside reason for love. “Because love ordered it, and wished it, he jumped in; since Love ruled his action, the disgrace did not matter.” (212) There seemed to have been nothing that could stand in the path of Lancelot.
The Arthurian cycle shows a sporadic awareness of the impossibility of mere humans fulfilling all the ideals that Arthur and his court represent. The story of Lancelot and Guenevere, Merlin's imprisonment by Nimu‘, and numerous other instances testify to the recognition of this tension between the real and the unrealistic.
There is a form of pure love and authentic chivalry that permeates throughout the Arthurian legends. Elements of loyalty and valor accompany these concepts, and all are equally represented in Chretien de Troyes' The Knight of the Cart, or more commonly known as Lancelot, the original text that portrayed the adulterous affair between Lancelot, a knight in Arthur’s court, and Arthur’s queen, Guinevere. In a similar style to the aithed (Kibler 112)—or Celtic tale of abduction —Chretien crafts a time enduring legend in which in our knight of the cart, Lancelot embarks on a romantic and chivalric quest in search of the queen, for Meleagant has taken her as prisoner to his otherworldly realm of Gorre. Along this journey, Lancelot encounters a myriad of perhaps unbearable tests and tribulations, yet he never fails to rise above these trials and continue on in his pursuit for his great love. However, all the adventures Lancelot endures all stem from one fleeting moment comprised of great sin, the instance where Lancelot hesitates for two steps before climbing into the cart that permanently shames all who ride within it.
Who was King Arthur? Most people would tell of a great King; a devoted circle of heroic knights; mighty castles and mightier deeds; a time of chivalry and courtly love; of Lancelot and Guinevere; of triumph and death. Historians and archaeologists, especially Leslie Alcock, point to shadowy evidence of a man who is not a king, but a commander of an army, who lived during the late fifth to early sixth century who may perhaps be the basis for Arthur. By looking at the context in which the stories of King Arthur survived, and the evidence pertaining to his castle Camelot and the Battle of Badon Hill, we can begin to see that Arthur is probably not a king as the legend holds.
One of Sir Lancelot’s first adventures was going to save some knights from a dungeon. He fought to save them, and that took a tremendous act of courage to do that. Although he was a great knight, sometimes his love for Guinevere clouded his judgement. In the book, The Death of Arthur, King Arthur had Queen Guinevere sent off to be executed. Right before execution, Sir Lancelot came in and saved her. Sir Thomas Mallory uses Sir Lancelot to show what a true brave knight is.
The integrity and honor of a man is based on many aspects in life. One may look at the actions of a person to determine how they react to certain situations. Deceitfulness and loyalty are common attributes of a person from which judgments can be obtained. Friendships are also a reliable source to ascertain one's self-morals and principles. In T.H. White's, The Once and Future King, the reader is presented with the lives of two very different men and their actions allow the reader to formulate different opinions about these men. Either one of them could be seen as the hero of Camelot or the down-bringer of it. Camelot is a place of deceit and sin and while many people think that the most honorable people in Camelot are Arthur, the king, and Lancelot, Arthur's best knight, these men have many of their own problems. So, who characterizes the lesser of the two evils? Arthur is able to accomplish many positive things such as using might for right and staying loyal to his friends, where Lancelot is a disloyal man whose only loyalty is to the code of knights, which he eventually breaks, showing that he is the more flawed man.
However, in the tale of John Steinbeck "From the acts of King Arthur and his noble knights" he describes Sir Lancelot as a very accomplished and famous knight."...the monotony of his victories continued for many hours. Lancelot’s immaculate fame had grown so great that men took pride in being unhorsed by him -even this
Lancelot, also known as Sir Lancelot of the Lake, is considered one of King Arthur’s greatest knights. Lancelot is referred as “Sir Lancelot of the Lake” because he had grown up beside Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. Nimue nurtured him in her faerie dwelling after King Ryan destroyed his home land of Gwynedd. He is later knighted as one of King Arthur’s Round Table Knights for his power to heal a wounded knight’s injuries. In order to prove himself worthy of the role, Lancelot embarks on a journey and encounters many successes, such as defeating Sir Turquyn. Lancelot is also known for his many relationships with women. He is widely remembered for his adulterous love affair with Queen Guinevere. Lancelot becomes the model of chivalry due to his
When Chretien de Troyes began his first Arthurian Romance, Erec et Enid, around 1170, the Arthurian legend had already spread throughout Western Europe, told by crusading armies in the Middle East. It is important to note that not only was the popularity of the Arthurian complex already a pan-European phenomenon, but the lines of communication between its courtly Franco-Norman audiences and its native Welsh sources were already well-established (Parker). Chretien is described as a poet, with an inferred clerical background, whose Arthurian projects were sponsored by the Houses of Champagne and Flanders, nominal vassals of the king of France. Hi...
Sir Lancelot, from the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, has become by far the most popular and well-remembered knight. Through Malory's rendition of traditional materials, we have inherited a character that has become the image of the quintessential knight. How is it that "the outsider, the foreigner, the 'upstart' who wins Arthur's heart and Guinevere's body and soul" (Walters xiv) has taken the place that, prior to Malory, was reserved for Sir Gawain? Malory has made this character larger than life. Of the grandeur of Lancelot, Derek Brewer says, "In the portrayal of Lancelot we generally recognize a vein of extravagance. He is the most obsessive of lovers, as he is the most beloved of ladies, and the greatest of fighters" (8). To achieve this feat, Malory has molded Lancelot to fit the idea of the perfect knight and the perfect lover.
Lancelot is Arthur’s first and highest knight at the round table. They were best friends. Arthur trusted Lancelot and valued his opinion. So, it was a shocker to everyone when Lancelot decided to betray the king, his best friend, and enter an affair that incidentally was the cause of the fall of Camelot. Guinevere favored Lancelot over all the other knights, and he favored her above all other women. “… And so he loved her above all other ladies of his life, and for her he did many deeds of arms, and saved her from the fire…” (95). Lancelot saving Guinevere from a fire was most likely the first spark that fired up their relationship, and made them favor each other even more than before. Morgan Le Fay, a deceptive queen, came to Lancelot with 3 queens, and asked him to choose one of them, as you could probably imagine Lancelot denied them. “That either I must die or to choose one of you” (98). Lancelot was approached by 4 queens, but because he was so faithful and in love with Guinevere he denied all of them. During the book it was not hard to notice their love for each other mostly because Lancelot even spoke about her in his
Lancelot is a noble knight because he is very courageous. In Sir Lancelot's quests, he fought many people with his cousin Sir Lional and made them capitulate. Sir Lancelot made them swear to be the High King's men from then on. However, when Lancelot and Lional fought Sir Carrados and won, Sir Carrados refused to become the High King's servant so, "Sir Lancelot slew him after a mighty battle, and freed the captives he was holding to ransom in his tower" (89). The task that he accomplished was a very valiant act, it takes a lot of courage to be willing to fight for what you believe in. Sir Lancelot was dauntless when he fought Sir Carrados. He did not seem to be afraid to fight him and he had this sense of indomitability as if he knew that he would win the fight. Four queens came across Sir Lancelot and they all wanted to marry him, especially Morgan La Fay. Morgan La Fay said to Sir Lancelot that if he doesn't choose between the four queens he would have to die, and he responded "As for the Queen, my Lady Guenever––give me back my horse and harness and I will prove in combat with...
The love triangle of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenever is a constant theme throughout every account of the Arthurian legend. Geoffrey Ashe's The Arthurian Handbook states that "We may say that these knights are expected to serve their King..."(81). The revelation of the affair finally comes when Sir Agravaine shouts, "'Traitor Knight! Sir Lancelot, now art thou taken'"(White 569). Lancelot was summoned to Queen Guenever's bedroom, and Sir Agravaine is finally exposing the affair and gaining revenge on Lancelot for unhorsing him many times in the past. The two people that Arthur trusts most are Guenever and Lancelot. Arthur is well aware of the affair between the two, but chooses to pretend that nothing is going on. Due to this naivety, Arthur earns the disrespect (and even hatred) of Agravaine and Mordred, who eventual...
How would you describe Sir Lancelot? Most people would say he is the strongest, bravest, and kindest knight of the round table. Some might say he is the biggest Benedict Arnold of all time because of the adultery he committed with Queen Guinevere. However, his chivalry and code of honor make him the epitome of a true gentleman. These contrasting qualities set Sir Lancelot apart from all the other knights and characters in the “Morte D’Arthur.” Lancelot’s gallant, courageous, and conflicting personality make him a complex character in this dramatic tale of love and betrayal.
During the love triangle with Guenever and Lancelot, King Arthur displays true loyalty and selflessness. “This just and generous and kind-hearted man may have guessed unconsciously that the only solution for him and for his loved ones must lie in his own death—after which Lancelot could marry the Queen and be at peace with God—and he may have given Lancelot the chance of killing him in a fair fight, because he himself was worn out.” (The Once and Future King, p. 496) Arthur would give Lancelot the opportunity to kill him if it means his wife and best friend can be endlessly happy. Qualities like these give King Arthur the ability to rule in such a noble fashion. Although people see King Arthur as the model for kingship, he does have some