Perhaps the most romantic
fictional figure in the history of literature not named Romeo, Sir Lancelot has
captured the hearts and minds of readers, theatre goers and movie fans for nearly
a millineum. His sex appeal is timeless; changing ever so slightly to match
modern ideals, the enchanted lover/fighter consistently steals the hearts of
adoring young women and inspires the passionate undertakings of envious young
men of each new generation who read of his adventures.
Created by author Chretien de
Troyes in the twelfth century, Lancelot took the place of Mordred, who was
previously cast as Queen Guinevere’s lover. The aspect that Lancelot brought to
the table was the idealization of being the perfect knight until his loyalty
turned to betrayal because of lust. The treachery was so profound that it
brought the fabled Camelot to come to a screeching halt. His perfidy to the unsuspecting King Arthur
ranks him right up there with other great traitors such as Judas Iscariot’s
betrayal of the Christ, Brutus assassination of Julius Caesar and Benedict
Arnold’s traitorous turn against George Washington.
Even so, Sir Lancelot has never
been reviled like other famous turncoats. Perhaps this is because his disloyalties
were inspired by simple affairs of the heart, which we can all relate to.
Born to King Ban of Benwick and Queen
Elaine, he was left by a lake as a child. Vivien, the Lady of the Lake took him
and raised him as her own. It is striking, to me, that the Lady of the Lake
gave the magickal sword Excalibur to Arthur and not Sir Lancelot. Only a mother
knows the true intentions of her son’s heart and she must have had insight that
he could not control his own licentious desires.
In another twist of fate, another
Elaine comes into Lancelot’s life. This Elaine is the daughter of King Pelle of
Astolat. He breaks her heart though, because of his love for Guinevere. She
tricks him into thinking she is Guinevere and that union results in a child:
Sir Galahad, the purest of all the Knights of the Round Table.
When Arthur sends his knights on
the quest for the Holy Grail, everyone expects the great Lancelot to be the one
to find it. His sins, however, prevent him from seeing anything other than a
blurry vision of it. Later, his son, Sir Galahad is the one that finally sees
the Holy Grail. After finding the much sought after relic, he requests to die,
and his wish is granted. The Holy Grail is never seen again.
Sir Lancelot, though heroic and
brave, is never portrayed as being as noble as his son. Though willing to serve
others on the battlefield, he never embraces his role as King Arthur’s champion
in such a way as to make him virtuous. Instead, he used his position to seduce
King Arthur’s wife Guinevere, though by all accounts, she seduced him just as
well. A mutual seduction, if you will.
When Arthur uncovers the tryst,
his is furious. He banishes Lancelot and his court condemns Guinevere to death.
The dashing Lancelot saves her from execution at the last moment, but instead
of living happily ever after, they go their separate ways. Unable to cope with
the guilt of tragically bringing an end to the fabled Camelot, Guinevere becomes
a nun at a monastery while Lancelot becomes an unkempt, homeless, travelling wildman
of a monk.
When Arthur overcomes his own
secluded madness caused by the betrayal of Lancelot and the fall of Camelot, he
challenges his bastard son Mordred, who has come to take his place a king.
Lancelot returns to help his old friend and the old betrayal is forgiven, but
it proves too late to save Camelot, as Arthur is fatally wounded by Mordred and
taken to Avalon by his sister. Some accounts have Sir Lancelot dying as well in
that battle, while others have him surviving. However, he and Guinevere are never
able to rekindle the flames of the fiery tryst and live out their lives in
servitude to their God in penance for their own heartbreaking sins.
As times have changed and taboos
fell away, the myth of Sir Lancelot has also changed. Author Marion Zimmer
Bradley portrays Sir Lancelot as a man who has such insatiable sexual appetite
that he has affairs with both Guinevere and King Arthur in Mists of Avalon! One
of my favorite authors, Bernard Cornwell portrays Sir Lancelot as a sniveling
fool and coward in his Warlord Chronicles, which is a devastating and violent
look at the Dark Ages legend.
Through it all Sir Lancelot still
survives in books, novels, plays and movies. There are restaurants, flour
brands and Ipad protectors that bear his name. He is a character in video games
about King Arthur. His character has been played by such notable actors as
Richard Gere, Nicholas Clay, John Cleese and Jeremy Sheffield, amongst others. Not
too shabby for literary history’s most famous adulterer.
