Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Medieval tale of chivalry
Discuss sir lancelots character
Medieval tale of chivalry
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Medieval tale of chivalry
Sir Lancelot is the bravest, loyal and gallant which is why he was most chivalrous knight in King Arthur’s Round Table.Lancelot is the son of King Ban of Benwick, and was raised by the Lady of the Lake. Sir Lancelot from the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, he is the most well known character. According to most Arthurian tales, He is considered the most skilled, trusted and chivalrous knight in King Arthur's Court. He is obsessed with King Arthur's wife, Guenevere and puts himself in all things completely at her will. His impulsive infatuation and lust for her brought dishonor to the King and destroyed the fellowship of the Round Table.His love for ladies and continuous victories recognizes a vein of extravagance in his nature which molds to fit the idea of being the perfect knight and the perfect lover. …show more content…
Sir Lancelot is the most chivalic knight in the King Arthur's Round Table.
He is besotted in Guinevere's love that he refuses to sleep with any other woman although it is hinted that he is in a physical relationship with the queen which is not so knightly. Elaine of Asolat, the daughter of King Pelles is in love with Sir Lancelot, but he does not return her love. She tricks him into sleeping with her by ending up giving birth to a son Galahad. His devotion for Guinevere's love means he never see's the holy grail although he is a perfect knight he does things out of love for her, not for God. When Guinevere and Lancelot are found together intimately, king decides to burn her alive for the betrayal. Sir Lancelot shows his chivarlic codes by saving Guinevere's life, as mentioned in Le Morte D' Arthur "only to fight in just causes at all times to be merciful, and at all times to put the service of ladies
foremost
In the beginning of Le Morte d’Arthur, background information is given. The background information explains that Sir Lancelot (King Arthur's favorite knight), has fallen in Queen Gwynevere. (King Arthur's wife) Once Sir Lancelot confessed his love to Gwynevere, she revealed that she was also in love with him and the two began a passionate love affair that lasted two years without King Arthur knowing. Sir Lancelot definitely has broken the code of chivalry because his duty was to protect the King and Queen as their knight however, he has disrespected him by having an affair with Gwynevere. It was Sir Lancelot’s affair that led to the following, events that then led to King Arthur’s death. A knight’s duty is to honor the King, not to disrespect him and have an affair with his wife without him knowing. Additionally, Sir Lancelot wasn't sentenced to death by the King but the Queen was sentenced to be burned at the stake. This goes to also show the corruption of Britain's Society. If another pilgrim within a lower class would have done what Sir Lancelot did, he would have been sentenced to death. Both the Queen and Lancelot contributed to their affair which brings up the question of, why should the Queen be burned at the stake and not
Knights were an integral part of medieval society. They originally began with primitive warriors such as the Mongols who fought on horseback for added speed and power, but quickly advanced to chivalrous gentleman such as the Normans. Much has been written about medieval knights with the most famous being a series of legends about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Arthur and his knights were the ultimate example of what a perfect knight should have been. They were brave and skilful in battle, but merciful to their enemies once vanquished. They were courteous to ladies, and never ate or drank to excess.
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...
Loyalty is what the the knights demonstrated to their king by being willing to go to battle for him and die protecting his kingdom. The knights are ready to drop everything and go to fight someone they’ve never met, the second King Arthur tells them to. This loyalty is so extreme and powerful, that Lancelot refuses to fight Arthur even after King Arthur Invaded his lands, he chose to wait until he could claim self defense in order to keep his honor as a knight intact. Launcelot is a perfect example of extreme loyalty, because he does not allow his love life to get in the way of the loyalty he has towards his King. This balance that Launcelot has between his love life and loyalty to the King is why Launcelot has the greatest reputation
Numerous sources, such as Layamon's "Arthur's Dream", Marie de France's "Lanval" and Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur, portray Guinevere as a unfaithful wife and the primary cause of the fall of King Arthur and The Round Table. In all of the three works, Guinevere is seen approaching various men such as Lanval and Sir Lancelot, knights of her husband. And, yet, she remains virtuous and appealing in the eyes of King Arthur, who loves her dearly. Such blindness or possibly Arthur's unconditional love of Guinevere and Lancelot, Arthur's best knight, lead to the fall of Arthur's Britain and of the Round Table.
Lanval, a handsome knight, falls desperately in love with a beautiful maiden, who grants the knight her love on the condition that he keep their bliss in full secrecy. Upon returning home, Lanval is confronted by Guinevere, who attempts to seduce him . After her initial advances are rejected, the Queen tries a new tactic, attacking Lanval 's masculinity: "I have been told often enough that you have no desire for women. Base coward, wicked recreant, my lord is extremely unfortunate to have suffered you near him. " By questioning Lanval 's worthiness to serve by Arthur, Guinevere is questioning Lanval 's very status as a knight, and once again we see a knightly protagonist put into a hopeless situation as many of his chivalric duties--- courteousness to the Queen, faithfulness to his King, honesty and loyalty to his lover, and defense of his own honor--- are forced into an unresolvable conflict. Lanval defends his honor and honors his King 's trust, but breaks his promise to his lover and grievously insults the Queen: "I love and am loved by a lady who should be prized above all others... you can be sure that one of her servants, even the very poorest girl, is worth more than you, my lady the Queen, in body, face and beauty, wisdom and goodness. " Lanval 's inability to simultaneously commit to all of his knightly responsibilities is comically underscored by his polite hesitation ("my lady the Queen") even
Guenever’s dialogue with Lancelot shows signs of guilt, but an overall distinct feeling of love. On page 549, she states that “You (Lancelot) will be killed, and I shall be burned, and our love has come to a bitter end.” The love she has for Lancelot is obviously strong, enough for her to accept her own demise. This sad articulation of her love for him is quite powerful. She understands her actions, and also shows signs of paranoia. She claims, on page 567, that “Tristram used to sleep with King Mark’s wife, and the king murdered him for it.” Guenever is thoughtful of what’s to come, for both her AND her partner. It is obvious that she knew she could not always “have her cake and eat it too.” As a woman, suffering through the psychological battle of “what is right”, Guenever had an awareness of her love and it’s outcome.
In Malory’s famous account of the King Arthur legend, the most notable example of woman as destructive sexual temptation is, of course, Queen Guinevere. Sir Lancelot’s affair wi...
...e’s heavenly elevation. In addition, Lancelot literally sacrifices himself for her, when he finds out mistakenly that she has died, he tries to kill him self. Guinevere is portrayed as a divinely creature. Only she had the power to save Lancelot and soothe his agony and pain. Lancelot reaffirming her alleviating power, begs Guinevere to allow him to go to her: “If you grant me permission, my way is clear. But if my scheme does not suit you, then the way is so difficult for me that my entry is impossible." Once she permits him to enter "…Lancelot had every wish ….as he held [Guinevere] in his arms… greatest joy and pleasure,” confirming that his salvation was in her hands.2
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.
Queen Guinevere does not find pleasure in the male company. Love, the only benefit she could reap from men is given no room. Guinevere’s preference for Sir Lancelot creates animosity amongst the Knights of the Round Table. Her illegitimate affair is resented by Sir Modred as betrayal. The latter’s concealed jealousy towards Sir Lancelot turns into an open demonstration of loyalty to the King Arthur and eventually to unprecedented war.
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.
...’s work. For courtly love to survive, there has to be a third party to make things complicated. Just as in Tristan and Isuelt, the fun is supposed to be over when it is okay to be together. But First Knight goes in a completely different direction. Not to mention the glorification of Lancelot, played by Richard Gere. The movie does not glorify Arthur in the same way. However, it is not surprising that the movie would favor the younger of the two men.
In almost every example of romantic epics, and definitely every story concerning King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, the characters carefully adhere to a strict code known as the chivalric code.. The five main tenets of chivalric code or in other words the knightly code are: showing courage and bravery, being honest, having honor and being respected among peers, being kind to others, and being courteous and well-mannered especially toward females. Gawain is the very embodiment of these chivalric values but through his encounter with the Green knight and the lady he fails to uphold the code because of its rigidness and strictness.. Violence is the mechanism that Gawain uses to gain his capital which is honor and the upholding of the chivalric code. Even though violence does lead Gawain to respect and honor in the end of the poem Gawain points out how cowardly it is to follow a code that is so strict, that it allows no room for any human mistakes and that he was justified in trying to save his life over his honor.
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.