I'm over this s***

                 I swear to GOD, I am so over Lancelot and Guinevere. Reading this a second time made me even more frustrated. First of all, why the hell would fighting against Arthur help Lancelot and Guinevere in their pursuit to hang out together unnoticed?? So many decisions in these stories seem so so arbitrary that it is actually infuriating. Second of all, I am sick of hearing about how great, handsome, competent, and valiant Lancelot is. He is a shitty person and the fact that I am constantly having to read these long descriptions of his great qualities is so maddening. Like, this whole story was just about how Lancelot is "the one who got away", and he literally caused the DEATH of Elaine, and what was the point of all of this? So Guinevere could feel more confident in his love for her???? And Guinevere sucks too! Aside from the fact that she cheats on her husband, she is also impulsively emotional, unstable, and bitterly jealous. Lancelot even calls her out: "Madame, this is not the first time your anger has been ill-founded" (Le Morte D'Arthur 472)

        Why did people at the time like reading stories about this? Honestly, these two characters are obviously the focal point of attention for readers at the time, but they are immoral. Their actions do not align with their extensively beautiful descriptions. Why were people attracted to stories about them then? I don't know, but I like to think that people nowadays would not find themselves as engrossed with the stories of these two. Cuz I'm #overit

Sir Lancelot Holmes

"My fair lady, I have never worn a token at a tournament! You ask me to do what I have not done for anyone before.  But as he spoke, it occurred to Sir Launcelot that because he had never been known to wear a token, this would be the best possible means of insuring his disguise" (Cannon, 459).

I understand that the only reason Lancelot accepted the token was so that the other knights would not recognize him, but I am confused as to why he wants to be disguised in the first place.  He is a well known and respected knight, so he does not need to gain more respect from others by beating them without them knowing who he is.  I also found it interesting how the author spelled his name differently than I am used to seeing it.

Love Kills

After finishing this week’s reading, I automatically connected the theme to the larger theme of love. Love is an incredibly confusing concept, especially back then. I felt that the theme of love in this particular reading was incorporated into each scene. In my opinion, it seemed as though Elaine and Lancelot were not on the same page. While he did accept her token, she believed that he was accepting her as his lover. Elaine seemed like she ignored the fact that Lancelot never intended to be married, yet she kept loving him as her own, which lead to heartbreak. It also didn’t help that all of the knights around them expressed how the love between Elaine and Lancelot was strong.

I found it super interesting how the theme of love was directly connected to the death of Elaine, the Maid of Astolat. The intensity of her love for him lead her to allow heartbreak to kill her. That absolutely blows my mind! But, like in Romeo and Juliet, the love back then was viewed as so strong that if said couple cannot be together, that death was the solution. In the end, I feel bad for Lancelot, because while he did share feelings for Elaine, he simply did not intend on ever marrying. Unfortunately, he is the reason for the death of Elaine.

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.

So y'all just gonna let Lancelot kill a woman?

Bruh. Okay, so are we just going to completely ignore the fact that Lancelot basically killed a woman? I thought he was better than that. Maybe I feel a bit personally victimized because Lancelot was my favorite, and he killed a woman named Elaine which hits just a little too close to home. But come. on. First of all, Lancelot is against King Arthur? I was starting to think that this was supposed to be before all of the other stories we have read about Lancelot, as at the end the author says "It was thought that at the next Pentecost he would be made a knight of the Round Table" (pg. 472). But he is still romantically involved with Queen Guinevere, whom we thought he met while being part of Arthur's court? More importantly, why did Lancelot not even attempt to try to love Elaine? Especially if she was giving him the most love and care a man could have ever received (pg. 467). And he still wasn't about it? THEN forgave Guinevere for being rude? How could Lancelot be so stupid and yet so chivalrous at the same time? I just want to know why he was like this. I need answers.

What's in a Name?

In both "Knight of the Cart" and "Lady of Astolat," there is an element of namelessness. Why is it that Lancelot does not want to reveal his name? Is it because, according to Sir Gawain, he is "the greatest knight living" (464), and he has an ego? Or, does he want to hide his "celebrity status," as seems to be his reason for wearing Elaine's token (459)?