Why take the fight?

"My good cousin, you make too much of it! I have only my own pride to thank for my wound, for had I disclosed myself to you, it would never had happened. But do not worry; I shall soon recover, so now let us talk of other matters." - Sir Launcelot (Cannon,466)

Sir Bors finds Launcelot to apologize for wounding him in the tournament, but Launcelot does not blame Bors, he blames himself for even joining the tournament. This has me thinking why Launcelot fought in the first place. Throughout the whole story, the other knights are praising the capabilities of Launcelot. What was his intent behind joining the tournament? Was he trying to prove something?

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.

Would you have waited?

In the poem, the Lady of Shallot waits until she sees Lancelot to finally leave and test her curse. Since she did not know what her curse was would you have waited that long before leaving? Would you have left for someone that is most likely the most sought after man or would you have gone for someone that was more attainable? Why do you think she choose that time to finally leave?

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, Ya'll Didn't Recognize Lancelot?

I have several questions surrounding this reading, but there thing in this story that simply makes no sense. How in the world did Arthur and the rest of the Knights fail to recognize Lancelot?!
Lancelot disguised himself with different armor, a new shield, and with a red token that he received from Elaine. As long as he was silent, and stayed out of a fight, he wouldn't be recognized. But when he and Lavayne went into the tournament, King Arthur and the rest of the Knights of the Round Table somehow failed to pick up on Lancelot's fighting style. Even when He was asked who he was, no one was able to the voice as Lancelot's. That makes no sense at all.

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)?