Upon hearing of the trials and battles that Sir Lancelot had to endure to return our beautiful Queen Guinevere to the side of her loving husband I was at first sympathetic. Of course I can understand the things that a man must do for the love of a woman. I would endure any discomfort, vanquish any foe, fall out of any window and complete any quest for my lady love, Iseult.
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| Pictured: Iseult the most beautiful, kind, gentle, wonderful woman in all the kingdom. But I digress.. Photo |
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After giving it more thought, I realized that Lancelot and Guinevere's love is much different from that of Iseult and I. We were in love before she was married, indeed it was my loving portrayal of Iseult that made my uncle want to marry her. We have no choice but to love each other in secret because she was forced to marry a man she did not love. Also we did drink that love potion... Add to that the fact that my uncle is no King Arthur, he is not generous and kind and gallant. Why would Lancelot want to betray a man who treats his friends so well? Shame on him and shame on Guinevere for betraying a good man who loves her above all things, who she once professed to love equally.
I was also confused by how she was able to determine that the unknown knight at the joust was Lancelot. I would assume that all of us loyal knights would be happy to do anything Guinevere asked of us because she is our Queen, the wife of our King. Shouldn't it be our duty to acquiesce to her requests? It could have been any of us within that armor. Perhaps it was just a lucky guess.
Lacy, Norris J., and James J. Wilhelm. The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.
When I consider the adultery of Lancelot and Guinevere, I am also disappointed in them. But since I cannot find any emotional response in Arthur when his queen was kidnapped (116), I wonder if their marriage was a business transaction. Therefore, I am not surprised that the queen would be attracted to a man who demonstrates obvious love and desire for her. I am more disappointed in Guinevere for snubbing Lancelot after he sustains serious injuries to rescue her. At that point, she should have ignored his earlier hesitation at the Cart of Infamy.
ReplyDeleteMy noble knight Tristan,
ReplyDeleteI find your opinion of my affair rather troubling considering you yourself are participating in an extramarital affair. Also, my relationship with Arthur has been rather disconnected as of late. It was no surprise to me that Lancelot was willing to save me, and go through all that he did to do so. I find that to be extremely flattering. I know that any of the knights, including you, would have been more than willing to participate in the joust had I asked, but I had faith that Lancelot would return for me, and I was correct. I appreciate your loyalty to the King, and admire your bravery as a knight, but my relationships should be none of your concern.
Your Queen,
Guinevere
Tristan,
ReplyDeleteQueen Guinevere's actions were blaspheme. She should certainly be ashamed of herself because I am a leader who runs this kingdom on trust. She has broken it, and now she has become the talk of the whole kingdom. Although Lancelot saved my wife from trouble, his so called affair has started even more trouble, but this time it is with me... The King.
- King Arthur