Lancelot the Chivalric Hero
Although Malory in fashioning the
whole story of Arthur follows a number of French and English sources,
he shapes and edits the material, enhancing Lancelot .
1. In the first five books, Arthur and the court of the Round Table
are central. Lancelot is only gradually aggrandized.
a. Lancelot first mentioned in Book II, ch. 8, where Merlin prophesies that in that place the two best knights in the world, Lancelot and Tristram, would battle and die; and in II, 19 Merlin foretells that "Lancelot with this sword shall slay the man that in the world he loved best, that shall be Sir Gawain" (omitted in Cooper, but summarized on p. 535)
b. In Book IV, esp. chs. 21-3, Gawain proves himself a cad.
c. Book V, ch. 7, Lancelot shows his prowess in war against the Romans.
2. Book VI, "The Noble Tale of Sir
Lancelot du Lake," a romance of successful tests and conquests. In
VI.10, Lancelot declares his virtuous love for Guenevere.
3. In Book VII, "The Tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney," Lancelot dubs
Gareth knight. Note that the tales of Lancelot and Gareth are happily
juxtaposed. Later they will be conflicted, when Lancelot will kill
Gareth, making Gareth's brother Gawain, his erstwhile dearest friend,
an implacable enemy.
4 In the "Tale of Sir Tristram de Lyonesse, " Lancelot suffers
calumny from King Mark because of his friendship with Tristram, and
in ch. 28, Lancelot rescues Gawain .
5. In Book IX, chs. 5-9, Lancelot befriends La Cote Male Taile,
rescues him, and establishes him lord of Pendragon.
6. In Book X, Lancelot fights Tristram and Palomides in the
jousts.
7. In Book XI, chs. 2-3, Lancelot is tricked and drugged into
sleeping with Elaine, thinking her Guenevere, and begets Galahad. Ch.
6, Guenevere is angry at that, but in chs. 7 and 8, as she attempts
to lure Lancelot away, he winds up with Elaine again. Elaine is sent
off and Lancelot goes mad.
8. In Book XII, ch. 1, the mad Lancelot attacks a knight and scares
his lady in the pavilion, but the knight, Bliant, takes the sleeping
Lancelot to his castle to cure him. Healed by the Saint Grail,
Lancelot returns with Elaine to her father's castle. Later he is
persuaded by Ector to return to Arthur's court.
9. In the beginning of Book XIII Lancelot dubs his son Galahad
knight. The knights
ride off in search of the Grail, with Galahad leading. Lancelot
confesses sin.
10. In XV, ch 3 and 4, Lancelot has a vision, in which he joins the
black (sinful) knights against white (pure) knights.
11. In Book XVIII, Lancelot falls into his old adulterous ways with
Guenevere, who is accused of poisoning a knight at her feast.
Lancelot returns instead of Bors to defend her. In chs. 9-17 Lancelot
wears the sleeve of the maid of Astolat, much to Guenevere's chagrin;
he is wounded; the maid dies for love of him.
12. In Book XIX, Meliagaunt captures Guenevere, Lancelot to succor,
lies with her, ch. 6, is trapped. He cures King Urre.
13. Book XX, Lancelot and Guenevere discovered in flagrante. Lancelot
slays a number of knights, including Agravain, who blew the whistle.
Lancelot and kinsmen rescue the queen from the flames. Gawain and
knights make war on Lancelot who slays Gareth.