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Chretien De Troyes Lancelot Analysis

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In the opening scene of Chretien De Troyes Lancelot or the Knight of the Cart the knight is not present. King Arthur and Kay are tricked into giving away the Queen in order to have knights, ladies, and damsels who belong to his dominion returned. As Lord Gawain goes on his adventure he is greeted by the knight. His name is not yet revealed and his identity is not immediately known to Lord Gawain. He does not speak of the King or is mentioned in relation to the King. His self-made mission is to return the Queen to safety.
This is where the first proof of Lancelot’s loyalties can be understood. His mission is not requested by King Arthur, instead it is out of his own love for the Queen. His chivalry is tied to his actions towards the Queen. As the two knights …show more content…

During the battle between the two men she is not mentioned. Her presence is left out of the ending of the story. Lancelot finishes as a proud knight beheading his competitor and clearing the name of a man who serves the King. When Kay is accused of committing adultery it is said
If Kay shall be made to atone for this outrage, and the Queen's shame thus be exposed. It devolves upon you to see that justice is done, and this justice I now request and claim. Kay has betrayed King Arthur, his lord, who had such confidence in him that he entrusted to him what he loved most in the world. (29)
The crime’s shame has been solely placed upon the Queen. The King’s procession has been soiled by someone else. The shame that had been placed on Lancelot from the moment he had climbed upon the cart had now entirely been shifted onto the Queen. His love for the Queen is not praised throughout the story. He is not rewarded for his return of her, instead Lord Gawain is praised for the return of the King’s subjects. Loyalty to the Queen is not a source of honour in the

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