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| Lancelot from Arthur (2004) |
In creating the Morte, Malory drew on several sources,
including various parts of the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate cycles, the Prose Tristan, and the Alliterative Morte Arthure and the Stanzaic Morte Arthur; but he was not a slavish
translator. He reshaped his originals, omitted much that was not relevant to
his purpose and even created new sections to advance his themes. One of the
ways that Malory reworked earlier texts was by bringing Lancelot into
prominence and making him the central character, more important even than
Arthur in the overall scheme of the book.
One of the things that makes
Lancelot such a significant and interesting character is that, in his attempt
to live up to his reputation as the best of knights, he strives for perfection
in all of the codes that a knight should be subject to. He is more chivalric
and courtly than any other knight; he seeks adventure, champions women and the
oppressed, acts in a courtly manner and serves his king at home and abroad to a
degree unachieved by anyone else. He is the truest of all lovers never even
considering another woman. And he strives to perfect himself spiritually as he
seeks the Holy Grail. Of course he fails to be perfect in all these areas –
partly because they place conflicting demands on him. By being a true lover to
Guinevere he fails in the quest for the Grail and he is less than loyal to his
king. But the attempt to adhere to the conflicting codes is what gives Lancelot
his grandeur; and the very fact of those conflicts is what makes him the sort
of character with whom readers for centuries have been able to identify, even
as they recognise his failings – or perhaps because they recognise his failings
– in the great enterprise he has undertaken. Lancelot’s prominence does not
negate the centrality of Arthur or the roles of the vast cast of other
fascinating characters in the Morte.
Indeed, it is the wealth of characters and tales in the book that has made it
such a treasure trove for future artists. But Lancelot’s character and conflict
are central unifying elements in the book; and he is the one against whom all
the others are measured. [Lupack, Guide
to Arthurian Literature and Legend, 2007, pp.134-135]
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| Lancelot and Guinevere |
Blog question: Do you identify with Malory’s Lancelot? If so, why? And,
if not, why not?
I think Malory made a deliberate attempt to make Lancelot relatable to everyday people as he himself identified with him. John Steinbeck has commented on how Malory reworked the texts to make Lancelot a more central figure of the tales of Arthur, perhaps even more prominent than Arthur himself. Steinbeck hypothesises this and the way Lancelot is portrayed in the book is caused by Malory seeing himself in Lancelots character. An imperfect, flawed individual who is for the most part a good man who means well, is more easy to relate to and identify with as a reader than a perfect hero.
ReplyDeleteMallory introduces to the Arthurian Corpus a humanistic element and a figure of both Christian and secular humanity. Lancelot is the struggling figure who, though trying, fails to live up to the expectations of society and his position, his flaws create discord both in his personal relations and in the Arthurian Kingdom. As a Christian figure, he can be seen as the human foil to the divine figure of his son Galahad, Lancelot though he has good intentions, is unable to find salvation on his own, unlike his son, who can escalate to heaven based on his own merits. Lancelot evokes Man, trapped with his sinning nature and unable to rise without Christ. Lancelot is an attractive figure to me but also to Mallory’s late medieval and renaissance readers, as he is a character that strives for good, but always against the flaws in himself and in Mankind, he represents the real struggle of existence in the Christian sense. Whereas previously in Arthurian stories, salvation has been a societal struggle, it is now becoming an individual one.
ReplyDeleteTom Daley
I find it easy to relate to this story. It isn't a story of a perfect hero, it is a tragedy, the downfall of the hero is brought from his own weaknesses not from the machinations of a malevolent force. It reflects what we often see in ourselves, good intentions but a weakness that allows us to do wrong. It tugs at our own guilt and mirrors our duality of thought when we err. It is emotive for us like most tragedies. For the Christian community, especially at the time, it would reflect the struggle between their Christian values and the often violent communities they lived in.
ReplyDeleteLancelot as described by Malory as a relatable hero. It reminded me of the European sagas, The Kalevala, Das Nibelungenlied and Beowulf, that all describe the essence of the perfect hero, with all their faults. The reason Lancelot is so appealing to an audience is that he has all the inner flaws that we all possess, making him highly relatable to an audience. Lancelot much like Heracles, Odysseus, Siegried and others, they are all symbolic interpretation that highlight the inner strengths and weaknesses. I agree with Tom Daley, that this is a humanistic approach to the Arthurian Corpus, highlighting the glorification of man, the glory and power of the possibilities of humankind. Lancelot much like Herakles and Achilles have their own personally demons and display acts of vanity, violence and even disloyalty, but they are all characters based on the context of the era. Achilles is the prototypical Bronze Age hero, a slave to his emotions, displaying his macho arrogance. Lancelot acts as the symbol of chivalry and honour. Lancelot much like the other Knights product of the time.
ReplyDeleteMalory's Lancelot is a relatable character for the average human. Whilst there is much scholarly debate over whether Lancelot was a success or failure, it is clear that Malory regards him as nothing but a heroic knight who, despite his imperfections, is worthy of praise.
ReplyDeleteLancelot is presented as a great knight, who is brave and chivalric. He is also presented as the embodiment of courtly love, with an undying loyalty towards Guienivere (and his never condemned for the fact that Guinevere is married to Arthur). It seems that the conflicting demands of chivalry and courtly love ultimately lead to the destruction of Lancelot who incorrectly thought he may be able to stay true to them both. This is ofcourse typical of the imperfect Lancelot, but he is nonethless given praise for his good-hearted attempt in doing so.
Such an example makes us feel emphathy torwards Lancelot because, as humans, we are often trying to do the best thing in life despite conflicting demands and our own imperfect nature.