In Sir Thomas Malory’s text, Le Morte d’Arthur, separate books are combined to create a detailed narrative that recounts the adventures and lives of knights in King Arthur’s court. However, aside from the constant jousts and epic acts of chivalry, Malory’s text contains a religious theme that drives the narrative as a whole. Malory uses Lancelot, a man caught between adulterous love and Christian principles, as his predominant central character to depict a movement from sinner to redeemed Christian man. Although Lancelot falls captive to his adulterous desires with Queen Guenevere for much of the narrative, his continual attempt to seek God throughout the story signifies his longing to transcend his religious and spiritual shortcomings. Lancelot’s …show more content…
pursuit of a personal relationship with God ultimately establishes a representation of Christian faith that accepts reconciliation for his personal failures and religious imperfection. Lancelot’s attempts to uphold his Christian values are consistently brought down by his love affair with Guenever, signifying his human struggle. Even though he is known as the goodliest knight of the earthly world (quote needed), Lancelot does express deficiencies in his moral character because his love of Guenever is an act of treason against his king. Since he doesn’t display an embodiment of true perfection, Lancelot’s inadequacies make him a more relatable and sympathetic character. On the outside, Lancelot appears to be a knight of perfection, but his treasonous relationship with Guenever highlights his betrayal of the kingdom that most reveres him. Malory’s focus on Lancelot distinguishes the importance of continually pursuing God because Lancelot’s sinful acts highlight that all humans are flawed to an extent, and by honoring God, people are able to overcome their sinful ways. By adhering to the knightly code, seeking God on the Grail Quest, and healing Sir Urre, Lancelot supports the notion that it is possible to be redeemed from sin – an important aspect of Christian ideology. Malory uses Lancelot as an image of internal sin conflicting with an external perception of perfection.
Although he possesses a significant character flaw, Lancelot is bound by the principles set forth by the Pentecostal Oath (Quote from Book). The oath highlights Lancelot’s imperfect moral practices because it states to “flee treason” (Quote from Book), which is in exact opposite to Lancelot’s practice of adultery. Therefore, his treasonous relationship with Queen Guenevere is indicative of Lancelot’s failures as both a knight of Arthur’s court and a follower of Christian values. Malory creates a character split between personal sin and a perceived external portrayal of perfection. Arthur’s trust and reliance on Lancelot as the greatest knight of the world stands in stark contrast to Lancelot’s struggle with sexual sin. Although he hopes that his good earthly character will help him experience spiritual success in seeking God and becoming a noble Christian man, Lancelot’s struggle with the Pentacostal Oath highlights his human flaws and effectively illustrates the two sides of his character – one of earthly greatness and one of spiritual …show more content…
inadequacy. The Grail quest is used to underline Lancelot’s need for God and redemption because the Arthurian knights are subject to a different value system while on the quest. Instead of winning acclaim and honor by displaying skillful talents in earthly jousts and tournaments, Lancelot and the other knights are forced into an environment that emphasizes religious chastity and prayer over earthly desires. Therefore, the Grail quest shows that striving towards God is not necessarily equated with achieving absolute perfection. While on the Quest, “the hermits as well as Galahad, teach him to pray, and when Lancelot puts their advice into practice he is rewarded with his vision of the Grail” (Moore 4). Talk about how Lancelot cannot see the Grail in the beginning, and through prayer and fasting he is ultimately able to glimpse it. The text states that “had not Sir been in his privy thoughts and his mind so set inwardly to the Queen as he was so seemingly outward to God, then there had no knight passed him in the Quest” (588). Thus, the reason Lancelot cannot be successful in attaining the Grail is because his love Guenevere keeps him from being pure and being worthy enough. Although Lancelot makes substantial progress in connecting with God on the Grail quest, as seen by him being able to see the Grail at its conclusion, he inadvertently retreats back into sin when he later reencounters Guenever. Following the quest, he is no longer the greatest knight of the world, with that title now belonging to his son, Galahad. However, Galahad’s Christ-like personality exemplifies a standard of perfection that is not realistically attainable. Instead, Malory uses Galahad as the representation of the perfect pursuit of God, causing Lancelot to appear more human because he is now marked by sin as opposed to be labeled as the greatest worldly knight. By portraying Lancelot as a flawed hero, Malory utilizes Lancelot as an example of the struggles faced by people attempting to follow their religious ideals. In the first of the May passages, the text shows that it is important for lovers to honor God in their relationship (624-25). However, Queen Guenever is later described as a “true lover” (Malory 625). Since Guenever engages in an adulterous relationship with Lancelot, which is a breach of one of the Ten Commandments, it is interesting that she is described as a true lover when she doesn’t honor God in her romantic relationships. By describing the relationship between Guenevere and Lancelot as true love, Malory makes the assertion that being a “good” person and a person of God are two distinct ideas. Therefore, even though Lancelot commits fatal sin, he is still considered a good person. One of the most pivotal moments in Lancelot’s passage to God involves the healing of Sir Urre.
Only the greatest knight in the world can cure Sir Urre by searching his wounds (Quote), and many knights, including King Arthur, are unable to aid him. Therefore, when Arthur commands Lancelot to try and save Urre, it becomes an openly public test of faith. While the public expectation is that he will succeed, and earn praise for his noble deed, Lancelot is nervous about the possibility of failure because he believes his sinful ways have tainted his ability to be the greatest knight of the world. He initially rejects the act of healing Sir Urre out fear that his failure will show him to not be the worldliest knight. Thus, Lancelot’s predicament can be compared to a Christian journey of failure in which failure is believed to be associated with a broken connection to God. By rejecting the initial task, Lancelot tries to keep his sins hidden from the other Round Table knights, highlighting his internal conflict between earthly goodness and spiritual purity. However, Lancelot ultimately succumbs to the task placed before him by King Arthur, but he says a prayer before he begins the healing process, asking God for the “power to heal the knight by the great virtue and grace of the good Lord” (643). In his moment of greatest need, Lancelot recognizes his sinful ways and asks the Lord for intercession. It is here that Lancelot relinquishes his earthly honor in favor of God, accepting the
fact that he is a man of imperfect means. To his surprise, Lancelot can heal Sir Urre, causing him to “weep as he had been a child that had been beaten” (644). His tears are not out of sadness; instead, Lancelot realizes that God bestowed mercy upon him, forgiving him for his sins. Although Lancelot didn’t think himself worthy of receiving God divine mercy, he realizes that he is always able to turn to God and repent for his faults. The healing of Sir Urre becomes the moment that Lancelot acknowledges his dependence on God while also showing that God is merciful towards imperfect humans that struggle to with the consistent practice of Christian beliefs. By showing that Lancelot’s adulterous love affair is the primary factor that initiates the breakup of the Round Table, Malory illustrates that a man’s quest for a life of redemption is not easy. After the destruction of the Arthurian kingdom, Lancelot devotes the rest of his life to praising and worshiping God by becoming a hermit. He is described as “groveling on the tomb of King Arthur and Queen Guenevere,” coping with the loss his friends and his personal wrongdoings by repenting to God (695). Lancelot accepts his sinful ways and looks to strengthen his personal connection to God, thereby showing that a Christian person needs to seek God on his or her own terms in order to overcome personal struggles. The scene in which Lancelot is depicted groveling over the graves of the king and queen serve to define the struggle between sin and the subsequent repentance for those sins, representing the effort required to complete a Christian journey. Following Lancelot’s death, Malory portrays him as a man worthy of God. Sir Ector praises Lancelot as having been both a “sinful man” and “the goodliest person that ever came among prees of knights” (697). By juxtaposing Launcelot’s initial shortcoming as a religious man with his description as the greatness knight of the world, Malory underscores the religious transformation that Lancelot experiences over the course of Le Morte d’Arthur. Malory indicates that all people, regardless of imperfection, may experience God’s mercy and forgiveness for their sins, receiving both internal and external redemption. By focusing on the imperfect nature of Lancelot as a heroic character in the text, Malory makes his underlying claims regarding Christian redemption more accessible to people that struggle from the typical battle between sinful desire and religious purity. On a surface level, Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur describes a tale of a kingdom’s inevitable destruction as result of an adulterous love affair. Yet, the focus on Lancelot as both a spiritual sinner and one of the goodliest earthly knights who ever lived serves to mirror the struggle of human nature. As an exemplary representation of the Christian journey, Lancelot finds a way to establish his own individual relationship with God that is not strictly defined by traditional Christian normalcy. The implementation of a redeemed hero allows Malory to assert that all humans are capable of turning to God, regardless of their past flaws and sins. Over the course of the narrative, Lancelot redefines himself as not just a hero in an earthly sense, but in the end, he is also known as a true godly man.
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
T.H. White is directly referenced within the film and Malory’s idealization of the glory of chivalry can once again be seen. In my essay, I will show how chivalry is used in all the texts above as a bonding agent between all Arthurian knights. As Arthur’s knights honor and respect chivalry they remain as one cohesive group, but once they begin to abandon chivalry the Round Table begins to crumble and chaos ensues. Annotated Bibliography Sprague, Kurth “Conclusion.” Arthuriana 16.3 (2006): 129-152.
Marie De France’s Lanval is a remarkable short narrative that engages the reader into a world filled with unrealistic elements, but enhances on the true meaning of romance, chivalry and nature during the years that King Arthur reigned. “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” unfortunately does not have an author that can be recognized but this epic poem demonstrates the ghastly adventure of a knight who decides to defend the honor of young King Arthur against a supernatural being in this malicious game of cat and mouse. Both of these pieces of literature have enchanting characteristics that define them as a masterpiece of their era and that’s why they both are easily compared and contrasted. In addition, both Lanval and “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” can be classified as similar through their themes, style and plots, although they are different through their language and diction. Even though both of these literatures can be viewed as similar as well as contrasting, in the end, each of these tales have illuminated the realm of fantasy throughout the court of King Arthur.
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
The evolution of human society consists mainly of ineffective ruling regimes and oppressed peasants. Medieval Europe falls into this same pervasive cycle. Social and political hierarchies intertwine which creates a grossly inefficient system. Hereditary lineage determines nobility. Commoners possess no hope of social mobility. Every aspect of life is virtually preordained. These circumstances revolve around the figure Lanval by Mari de France. Mari de France introduces Lanval as a courteous and distinguished knight of King Arthur’s court. Lanval possesses the most moral nature of all of King Arthur’s knights, yet even so, the other knights of King Arthur’s round table despise him. The many knights neglect acknowledgment of his nature as does
Though Lancelot does present knightly and heroic characteristics, the author demonstrates Lancelot’s loss of pride and purity at the expense of love. Lancelot upholds his knightly reputation by defeating the dragon for King Pelles and saving Queen Guinevere from Sir Mellyagaunce. However, because of his immense love and loyalty to Queen Guinevere, Lancelot experiences a collapse in his mental stability and a demise in his honor and pride. In addition, he loses his dignity and shames himself by riding a cart, normally reserved for criminals. Unlike other versions of Lancelot’s legend, this text shows the consequences of being blinded by love.
In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.
Le’ Morte d’ Arthur is a medieval romaunce by Sir Thomas Malory about King Arthur, Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table, violence plays a very crucial part in the story. Many different kinds of violence occur in this set of stories, some of which are very ordered and fine, like jousting, and also disordered violence like war. The worst type of violence though is when people use violence to get vengeance, which is a major theme, because many of these knights are mad at others. While many of the knights in the book are concerned with getting revenge, these actions and the search for vengeance are often futile and almost always end badly.
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.
Lancelot, Bors, and Perceval all strive to become more like Galahad, and the author effectively uses these characters to teach his readers lessons about spiritual chivalry and personal salvation. The author provides each of these knights with a series of monks and hermits who counsel and guide him in the ways of spiritual chivalry, for only the most pure Christian knights have any hope of finding the Grail. The adventures of Perceval are very straightforward and easy to interpret, so he provides readers with a suitable introduction to spiritual chivalry and the importance of virginity, asceticism, and complete faith in God. The author faces Bors with more complicated challenges and visions than anything Perceval must handle; since the author tells Bors' adventures after Perceval's, readers should be more prepared to interpret their meaning and significance with regard to spiritual chivalry and personal salvation. The advice Lancelot receives from his series of monks and hermits shows readers the importance of confession and penance, but the author makes it clear that readers should not emulate Lancelot's life of sin ...
Malory's Le Morte D’Arthur isn't known to be classic just because of Arthur-but rather the themes of family, love, revenge, identity, loyalty and betrayal. As King, Arthur is put in many situations that test the people he surrounds himself with. Therefore, betrayal has become a reoccurring theme. Throughout the novel, people are seen betraying each other. Betrayal has become familiar in a way to the members of the round table, ultimately leading to it's demise. The acts of betrayal occur in various forms, whether it be through adultery or just going behind the other person's back. Regardless of how it happens it brings about serious disorder for all involved.
“The Knight’s Tale”, for example, uses the concept of a knight not only to parody the concept of the hero, but also to question the well-established courtly love convention. This last concept refers to a set of ideas about love that was enormously influential on the literature and culture of the medieval times for it gave men the chance to feel freely. Also, it gave women the opportunity to be an important element in the story – not only decorative. However, when scrutinizing the tale, the readers can realise that all the aspects of a knight’s love are exaggerated and conveyed throu...
Galahad was a Knight of the Round Table of Arthurian legend. He is almost always portrayed as the pure knight, and for this he is rewarded with the Holy Grail. He is mentioned in many writings in history including 12th century Cistercian monk writing The Quest of the Holy Grail, Sir Thomas Malory’s Selected Tales of King Arthur and his Knights, and Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Sir Galahad. After reading the next several pages, one should begin to understand the similarities and differences portrayed in these writings, along with some others. The reader will explore how Galahad resists temptation, his quests including the Holy Grail, any romantic encounters including God, and how the writings presented may contradict. After completing the reading the reader should be able to note in what ways Galahad is similar or different in early and modern writings.
The tales of King Arthur and many of their numerous characters are well known in literature. The Arthurian world is one of the great myths of modern times. Those great pieces of literature have many common themes, one of them being courtly love “L’amour Courtois”. This paper talks of courtly love as seen in King Arthur’s world especially examining “Yvain or the Knight with the Lion” and “Lancelot: or the Knight of the Cart”. Furthermore, one of the goals is to show how that courtly love could be seen in today in our world.