Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Master of Disguise
In the Fair Maid of Astolat I have noticed themes that I have seen in other works. The first is the idea of disguising oneself. Lancelot wishes to compete in the tournament but not be recognized as he tells Queen Guinevere, “I shall fight in disguise and against the king” (Malory 458). Other stories we have read so far in the class have also focused on the idea of disguising oneself. A few of the stories told of the time Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s father, had Merlin cast a spell on him so that he looked like the Duke of Cornwall. Uther Pendragon did this because he loved the Duke’s wife, Igraine. Similar to disguising oneself, Lancelot once again refuses to tell people his name. People asked him countless times what his name was, and he refused to tell them. In the first story that we met Lancelot, Lancelot, or The Knight of The Cart by Chrétien de Troyes, he also refused to say what his name was. I feel like Lancelot really embodies the concept of anonymity. Time and time again in different stories Lancelot is unknown by name or in the cast of The Fair Maid of Astolat he is completely disguised.
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Ha! That dog is awesome.
ReplyDeleteDo you think there is a kind of honor in Lancelot's choice to disguise himself - so he can be judged by his deeds rather than his reputation? To me, that sets him apart from Uther Pendragon, who disguised himself to get into Ygerne's bed where he absolutely did not belong!
For sure! At first I did not understand why Lancelot disguised himself but then I did think it was maybe so he could prove himself as being worthy.
DeleteReally it's hard to say because the act of being disguised can make it so that the knight is humbling himself. That is the reason for the action after all. However it can also serve to do the opposite and make them more prideful than a knight that will reveal his identity.
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