Launcelot the Heartbreaker

"Well, my lord, she is not the first young noblewoman to break her heart over you."

More Like Guinefear Because She's Scary as Hell

"'Sir Bors, have you heard how Sir Launcelot has betrayed me?' She demanded.
'Madam, I fear that he has betrayed his own life.'
'Sir, he surely deserves to die for his treachery.'
'Madam, I pray you do not abuse him.'
'And why not? Did he or did he not wear the maid's token at the tournament?' asked the queen furiously.
'Madam, I am sorry to say that he did wear the maid's sleeve, but I do not doubt his loyalty, for I believe that he did so only in order not to be recognized. All his life he has loved no other lady than you.'
'Shame on him , I say! And for all his pride he proved a lesser knight than you are.'"

Shoe's on the other foot, innit, m'lady. The hypocrisy of Guinevere in this passage is what stood out to me. I'm also a big fan of her cursing Launcelot for his 'pride' while also insulting Sir Bors in the same sentence. Hell hath no fury and what have you. This passage is equally interesting because of how closely it pertains to the rules of courtly love. Considering the time period and intended audience of these stories, the heavy allusions to the rules of courtly love makes sense. In fact, Queen Guinevere does a complete 180 at the end of the passage, quickly forgiving Launcelot because as we all know the rules of courtly love encourage jealousy, as it serves to make true love stronger.

Galahad Redeeming the Sins of the Father

The first section of the reading, pages 369-400, differs drastically from previous class readings in regard to religious views of the Knights of the Round Table. Previous readings, aside from The Sage of the Mantle, focus on the knights as possessing positive characteristics: honor, brotherhood, respect, modesty, etc. Yet, this reading continually condemns the Knights, including Sir Launcelot who has often been depicted as the greatest of all knights. The drastic switch in tone, upon first reflection seemed strange and I struggled to understand why Malory diverted from the traditional Arthurian tropes; however, I feel like some clarity is achieved when Sir Percivale’s aunt tells him “Merlin devised the Round Table as a symbol of the wholeness of virtue, and fellows, whether Christian or heathen, have always counted themselves blessed. So much so that many of them, like you, have deserted their families without feeling any sense of remorse” (392). Up until this point in the literature, Arthur and his Knights are represented as infallible no matter how devious they behave. Malory, in contrast, forces the knights to confront their sins and makes them into an example of what can happen when behaving in a less than virtuous manner. The quote specifically addresses Arthur’s knights using their status to make themselves untouchable. Galahad’s entrance into the Arthurian tale can be viewed as a second coming of Jesus, this is evidenced by Malory saying both of his parents are descendants of Jesus. His presence provides the opportunity for redemption of the knights.

King Arthur's knights aren't all they're cracked out to be

"So am I brought to shame!" he said to himself. "When I sought only worldly fame, none could gainsay, whether my quarrel was right or wrong; but now that I search for holy things, by my sins I am disqualified." ~ Lancelot speaking about himself on page 390.

In this paragraph, Lancelot highlights the main theme of practically every King Arthur story we have read so far. Whenever the focus knight of a story is on a quest, he can do practically whatever he wants, simply because people believe the knight to be honorable due to his social status. No matter how questionable the knight's actions, they are justified because of the perception that a knight is a good person and champion of the people who cannot defend themselves. However, when a knight faces holy-related problems, things no longer work out for them as they once did. Lancelot claims that although he is one of the most powerful knights, he is also the most "wretched of knights," all because of his secret affair with the queen. This can also extend to the rest of King Arthur's court, as "The Saga of the Mantle" story shows almost every man there engages in sinful relationships with other women. Overall, although King Arthur's knights are praised for their virtue and good will, the Holy Grail begs to differ.

Act First, Think Never: The Balin Story

Having read through the assigned section of The Knight of the Two Swords (and a little more beyond that, admittedly), my discussion question for the day is ‘Why do you think Balin gets himself into so much trouble?’ The man disgraces himself quite a bit in the story, and trouble seems drawn to him like a magnet. Do you think maybe if he weren’t so impulsive- as demonstrated when he beheads the Lady of the Lake, for example- he wouldn’t get himself into so many bad situations?