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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?
Yes, I do identify with Malory's Lancelot. I think, especially for a modern audience, he is an easily identifiable character. He represents the ultimate quest of bettering oneself, and upholding onesown standards to the point where one can take pride in the person they have become. That he ultimately fails is what makes him such an appealing character. His aim to uphold all the knightly values that he sets for himself, and to excel at them, is an excellent metaphor for modern societal values that are imposed upon our generation, and similar to Lancelot, these values are often contradictory. An example of this would be the societal values placed on women in relation to sex and the contradictory messages society forces upon us. Like Lancelot, modern women cannot win and must instead choose their own path, regardless of what society says, as Lancelot does.
ReplyDeleteThere are qualities evident in Lancelot that are easily identifiable to most people, primarily his effort to be the best person he can be, however invariably flawed. As Bec has already discussed, the fact that Lancelot does fail despite his best efforts is an intrinsically human characteristic and he is a better representation of reality than someone like Galahad who appears as someone we aspire to be. Despite this, I do not identify with Lancelot personally, primarily because of the manner in which he prioritizes his values. Whilst I understand the power of love, the fact that he places Guinevere as his first priority in many instances does not sit well with me. Lancelot’s willingness to betray his king for his ‘love’ is not something that is identifiable to me at all, and I would suggest that loyalty to Arthur should have been his first priority. However it is when Lancelot kills Gareth (a man who had the utmost respect for him) when saving Guinevere that turns me off Lancelot completely. It is his prioritization of love for a woman over the love associated with loyalty, friendship and fraternity that make Lancelot somewhat unidentifiable to me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bec’s point about Malory’s Lancelot being appropriate for a modern audience, upholding knightly standards of chivalry, honour and loyalty in his attempt to improve himself, Lancelot ultimately comes undone when he is forced to choose between these qualities as they (and the agendas of people around him) begin to contradict one another. This Lancelot is a remarkably relatable character because he demonstrates the negative impact inconsistent societal values can have on an individual’s priorities. A modern day example of this is the idea that people (the media is particularly fixated with women) in their attempt to balance parenting with a career, are letting other things (friendships, meaningful relationship with spouse/ child, promotion or fast-tracked career) fall by the wayside in their efforts to juggle these, at times competing, values.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments stated above. I find personally for me, Lancelot is appealing as he is trying to be the best person he can possible be. The fact he is torn between his love and loyalty for the king can be identifiable to many. Even though it may not be A king but I am sure in many peoples lives they are torn between what they value.
ReplyDeleteElouise Johnson
I would say yes. As everyone has already posted above, Lancelot is an easily identifiable character. He also is an accessible character with very human qualities (he is not always victorious in his endeavours) as opposed to the almost super human nature of Arthur and his ventures. Also I've always had a soft spot for Lancelot.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Dunne