The Arthurian Legend of Lancelot has changed throughout the ages. Subsequently, the story “Lancelot, The Knight of the Cart” by Chrétien de Troyes and the poem “Lancelot and Elaine” by Alfred Lord Tennyson have contrasting plots, but they ultimately contain the same theme. In the multiple accounts of Lancelot, his actions create unique, different situations. In turn, he must live with the consequences of his actions. Lancelot has changed, and will continue to evolve, whether it is focused on his heroism or another aspect of his character. Much of Lancelot's character and story are based off the topics of love and chivalry, and are prevalent in many of the accounts of Lancelot. Despite that the legend shifts its focus from Lancelot’s chivalrous
According to chivalry, the ideal twelfth century knight should have upheld the values of Chretien de Troye’s The Knight of the Cart – honor, fidelity, and the drive to protect and serve the helpless. For example, “if a knight encountered a damsel or girl alone – be she lady or maidserant – he would as soon cut his throat as treat her dishonorably, if he prized his good name [emphasis mine]” (223). The fault lies in that statement, rephrased and added as a qualifier to the courtly standards mentioned throughout the story: the purpose of chivalry, above all, was to ensure that the knight maintained a reputation that was above reproach. Chretien does not
Lancelot and Gawain are two knightly figures in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte D'arthur. However, reading through the section in class, there is some evidence that shows that Sir Gawain is the bigger man compared to Sir Lancelot. For instance, in Guinevere’s presence, Sir Lancelot becomes instantly distracted and starts swooning. For instance, there is a part where Sir Lancelot is so crazy in love with Guinevere he almost falls out a window. However, Gawain comes to the rescue. Compared to Gawain, Lancelot is easily influenced by his emotions. Another example is when Lancelot asks Guinevere for a kiss after she told him she was becoming a nun. He disrespected her wish to leave her past behind and had the audacity to ask for something so selfish.
In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,Romeo and Juliet were two very similar people by the way they acted to even the way their families acted. They both get treated the same way by their parents, they both were not honest, and even their families acted the same way.
Because of Arthur’s denial of Guinevere's affair with Lancelot, Mordred seizes his opportunity to accuse Guinevere, which causes Arthur to stage her “execution” and her rescue. Because of this, Gaheris and Gareth are placed in danger, and killed by Lancelot in his rampage, as well as many other soldiers who were only doing their duty. “” (White #) However, this has wider repercussions, and Mordred and Agravaine use Lancelot’s crime of “treason” to persuade some of the knights of the Round Table to follow his ideas. This culminates in a battle between his followers and Arthur’s, and ultimately ends in Arthur’s death, marking the end of his kingdom. “” (White #) All of Mordred’s actions would never have occurred if not for Guinevere’s affair. The chain of events causing Camelot’s collapse would never have happened if Guinevere had not loved both Arthur and
He did not have a good start, but his finish was beautiful. Gawaine starts out on the wrong path, but before he dies he forgives Lancelot and stands loyally with Arthur. The Once and Future King by T. H. White tells the story of how the famous King Arthur invented the peace making Round Table. Sir Gawaine was once King Arthur’s worst enemy until Arthur invited him to become one of the first knights of his might defeating Round Table. Gawaine is the head of the Orkney clan. His parents are Lot of Orkney and Morgause. His brothers are Agravain, Gaheris, Gareth, and his half-brother Mordred. Gawaine leads his clan with intelligence and skill and stands loyal by those he loves, but his short temper makes him unstable.
Jerry Zucker's First Knight is an Arthurian adaptation that incorporates the meritocratic aspects of modern chivalry through its portrayal of Sir Lancelot. Sir Lancelot is a character who is a nomad before being taken in by King Arthur after he displays a great amount of courage through overcoming a treacherous gauntlet-styled obstacle course and by going out of his way to save Guinevere after she was kidnapped by Sir Malagant. He does not fight nor think like a traditional knight, preferring to use his speed, intelligence, and courage to win his battles as opposed to his strength like a traditional knight would. He exemplifies many aspects of chivalry, but breaks the traditions of it because of his background and his eccentricities and that
Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere have been sleeping together this makes both him and the queen unloyal to King Arthur. Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere’s sin could have had them both killed for adultery. Sir Launcelot made it his very priority to protect the queen. According to Green, when Queen Guinevere was kidnapped by Melliagraunce, Sir Lauancelot was quick to go and save her (345). After Sir Launcelot defeated Sir Melliagraunce, Queen Guinevere met him in the garden and confessed her love to him (Green 350-352). It was a sin for him to go to her room later that night, both he and Queen Guinevere could have been killed at the stake for treason but that was a risk they wanted to take for the love they had
In the tragedy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare there are two young lovers. They are Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. The Montagues and Capulets are two feuding families in Verona who have hated each other for centuries. However, Romeo and Juliet love each other which will produce problems. The two lovers die in the end because of Romeo's loss of self-control. Romeo's loss of self-control leads to several untimely deaths in the Capulet and Montague families.
Romeo and Juliet is set during Elizabethan age when women had to acquiesce to men. This was known as patriarchal society. It was the time when fathers decided whom they are gonna marry to and whom to not. This period was an internal peace between the English Reformation and battles between Protestants and Catholics.
Earlier on in the story, Lancelot is asked by the woman who provided him shelter if he would escort her so that she may accompany him; “sir, if you dare to escort me according to the customs and usages that have been observed in the kingdom of Logres since before our days, I will accompany you some distance along this way.’....The customs and practices at this time were such that if a knight encountered a damsel or girl alone..he would as soon cut his own throat than treat her dishonorably, if he prized his good name”(The Knight of the Cart, p. 223). Not only were ladies not thought of as being strong enough to protect themselves outside their homes, but knights were looked upon with dishonor if they did not comply with the unspoken rule to look after a woman who is alone. Guinevere also needs saving when she is taken by Meleagant. Even when she is found later on in the story, we see she has made no attempt to take matters into her own hands by leaving Meleagant and his father, King Bademagu. She spends her days waiting on a hero like Lancelot to come sweep her off her feet and return her to her kingdom. Its as if herself and other women in the story are not intelligent enough to think on their own and save themselves. Nonetheless, the mere fact that she is “in distress” and “kept away” seems to make her all the more
Chivalry is code of conduct used by knights, and heroes of the past. “Chivalry, the order of knighthood and, especially, the code of knightly behavior that was a feature of the High and later Middle Ages in western Europe”(Funk). Along with this idea of Chivalry, Feudalism was used in Europe as well. Feudalism is the system of both government and land ownership, where in exchange for a nobleman 's oath of loyalty, a king would grant them land. The ideas of Chivalry was expressed through out all sorts of different literary works, such as songs, poems, and more. The Two stories of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Morte D’Arthur express some of the ideas of Chivalry.
Many choices in Romeo & Juliet lead to Romeo and Juliet’s deaths, but the most responsible are the decisions of Romeo and Juliet. Even though the choices of people like Friar Laurence, Tybalt, and Lord Capulet lead to the deaths of Romeo & Juliet, the choices Romeo and Juliet make throughout the play ultimately leads to their death because of Romeo and Juliet’s decision to be married and Romeo’s decision to go to the party.
Medieval Europe had a code for love know as, The Rules of Courtly Love. These rules were exemplified in characters seen in a book written about that era, The Once and Future King. One of the main characters, Lancelot, follows these rules. Lancelot follows the Rules of Courtly Love because he follows the rules that, the easy attainment of love makes it of little value: the difficulty of attainment makes it prized, he whom the thought of love vexes eats and sleeps very little, a slight presumption causes a lover to suspect his beloved, and that a true lover does not desire to embrace in love anyone except his beloved.