Lancelot

Declan Vick Lancelot Sir Lancelot du Lac was a 12th century knight from the Arthurian tales. He is in the fables as a member of the round table, and, like the other knights from those stories, it is unknown whether he truly existed or not. Those legends are a body of stories and romances centering on the legendary King Arthur. Most of the stories were written by the French, and told many fanciful tales of the adventures of the knights of the Round Table that King Arthur was the head of. Some of those stories involved Lancelot and his less than righteous relationship with Arthur’s queen Guinevere.

Lancelot’s name was first mentioned in a 12th century romance known as Erec. The author of Erec later retold a legend about Guinevere, Arthur’s queen, and how Lancelot saved her from capture and was her lover. Their story may seem like the typical fairytale romance where a strong man saves a beautiful lady and they ride away together into the sunset on the back of a noble steed, but one must keep in mind that Lancelot’s actions were adultery. Another popular story of Lancelot is that of his upbringing, which of course received its own fanciful embellishment in a German poem Lanzelet. According to the stories, Lancelot was raised by the Lady of the Lake, who later would give King Arthur a famous task and a sword. She molded Lancelot to be a perfect example of chivalry and eventually sent him to Arthur’s table. Lancelot was also the focus of other later stories like Le Morte D’arthur in the 15th century. In all of the stories however a similar end to the Round Table is discussed. Arthur is given a task to find the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, Lancelot’s love for Arthur’s wife causes the quest to fail, and sets in motion a chain of events that destroys the Round Table. In the end, Lancelot’s betrayal of loyalty to his lord in part led to Arthur’s death, and the disbandment of the Round Table. Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table have affected the history of France. Their stories are famed fables that the common audience greatly enjoyed, and set a basis for other works of literature.