Overt sexual desires. A quick temper. Manipulative tendencies. These are just a few of the character flaws that a male protagonist in literature often can demonstrate and still be upheld as the narrative’s hero. Yet if a female character exhibits these traits, she is condemned, often vitriolically so. Arthurian literature is not immune to this misconception, as seen in Alfred Tennyson’s “Merlin and Vivien” and even in Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur. But while Tennyson demonizes Vivien as maliciously manipulative and refuses to give her human complexity or realistic motivations, Malory chooses to combat the double standard by characterizing Nimue as opportunistic and shrewd, but still a just character often aligned with Arthur and his knights. …show more content…
There is no mention that Merlin loves her in the account; at best, a dotage could mean an affection out of measure, but the specification that he is after her virginity adds the negative connotation of simply sexual desire towards a much younger, beautiful woman. Kenneth Hodges, in his essay on The Chivalry of Malory’s Nyneve, argues that Malory’s Nimue acts on “a sense of justice based not merely on technicalities but on larger circumstances and motive” (Hodges 79). This sense of justice as a broader concept justifies her actions with …show more content…
Like Merlin, Nimue as the Lady of the Lake manipulates events and people for the benefit of Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, and by drawing that parallel, Malory places Nimue on the side of good despite her actions with Merlin. In fact, Hodges goes so far as to assert that “the defining action for Malory’s Nyneve is not [emphasis mine] the imprisonment of Merlin (although that is the act that defines her in most texts)” (Hodges 78). Nimue burns Accolon’s sword so Arthur can defeat him (Malory 117) and makes Ettard fall in love with Pelleas after Ettard humiliates and rejects him repeatedly (Malory 139). Even more importantly, Nimue intervenes in both episodes to right a specific wrong: Accolon’s treachery with Morgan, and Pelleas’ deep hurt after he sees Ettard sleeping with Gawain, the knight he trusted to win her for him. If Nimue were only biased to assist Arthur’s court, she would have interceded on Gawain’s behalf; instead, she sides with the wronged party. She imparts justice, whereas Merlin’s agenda seems much more single-minded – get Arthur on the throne at all costs. Merlin makes Uther appear like Igraine’s husband so Uther can sleep with her and conceive Arthur (Malory 4); saves Arthur’s life by casting a sleeping spell over Pellinore right as he
In the chapter of Malory’s “How Mordred was Born and King Arthur Learned of His Parentage” , Arthur decides to go an an adventure and, along the way gets into multiple altercations. During his travels, Arthur meets Merlin who then decides to accompany him. Some important themes that are seen in this prose romance are death, power, courage and most importantly fate. The author suggests that fate is completely predetermined, there is no ways to change the outcome of one’s life. The idea that life is based solely on fate will be seen through battles, tools given to ensure survival, Merlin’s powerful influence, as well as incest.
(160). At the beginning of the story, Merlin didn’t even want to be in the same room as her. Now that he has come as far as talking to her, it is a sure sign of
During Malory’s “Morte Darthur”, the noble knights such as Lancelot, Gawain, Agravain, and Gareth represent the ideals of knightliness. Malory seems to be implying that Sir Lancelot although King Arthur’s biggest betrayer was still the noblest of knights despite his adultery. Sir Lancelot during the story is portrayed as the measure in which all knights worth is metered by. As just a knight Lancelot is held as the man of which many worship, slightly more than even King Arthur, making Lancelot the main idol of the text. Being a knight nobility, honor, and worship was an imperative skill in the role of leadership, for a leader often were those who had proven themselves on and off the battlefield. For others to look over Sire Lancelot and Queen Guinevere’s secret affair insinuates that they respected Sir Lancelot more than King Arthur. In Sir Thomas Malory’s “Morte Darthur” the implication of the story is that honor is obtained by holding up to the responsibilities one may have more so than relationships they are involved in.
In the excerpts from Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, King Arthur is a complex character with both good and poor traits. Arthur maintains his symbolic representation of good throughout the tale, but Malory crafts Arthur’s character in such a way that his weaknesses, or bad traits, shed a rather mortal light upon his character. These weaknesses, combined with the greatness of Arthur, are eventually what gives way to the downfall of Arthur. His bad traits reflect much of what we see in ourselves.
In the novel, Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory, Malory recounts the popular tale of King Arthur and the noble knights of the round table. However, Malory mirrored the Arthurian court in disposition to the current government by analyzing his ties to politics and life experiences. England encountered many difficulties during the 1500s and 1600s, for it was constantly in war while fearing its own revolution within its own government. Sir Thomas Malory lived dangerously as he constantly participated in heinous crimes, though being a knight of chivalry, however, the experiences of being a low-life citizen as well as an understanding of the government led Malory to write his own version of the Arthurian legend during imprisonment. Malory altered the legend to exhibit that chivalry contradicts with courtly love, where it will eventually lead to shame and loss of loyalty through his own experiences.
Merlin is not yet a romance magician in Geoffrey's work: the few feats later expanded into mighty demonstrations of magic are not so in Geoffrey. Merlin disguises Uther as Gorlois for his rendevous with Igerne using "medicamenta," which could include
The stories of Lancelot (The Knight of the Cart) and Perceval (The Story of the Grail) within Chrétien de Troyes’ Arthurian Romances depict a world of Medieval Romance that is somewhat different from one that was depicted in earlier epics. These romances are more focused on the battle between love and honor rather than on war and valor, which were depicted in earlier epics of de Troyes’ time. The tale of Lancelot follows a star-struck knight who undergoes an inner conflict between both the lover and hero inside him. His intense commitment to rescuing the queen causes him to make rash decisions which inevitably restrain him from controlling his own fate. Perceval’s story exhibits a different purpose for love in a knight’s life. Unlike Lancelot, he accepts love only when he believes it can further advance him in becoming the perfect knight. The two heroes’ actions showcase an inner conflict between maintaining their honor as knights and the love for another. Through these two tales, Chrétien de Troyes shows that that idealistic love and conscious chivalry cannot necessarily successfully coexist, yet it is the unachievable idealistic view that these two ideals do coexist.
There are countless versions of the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Most English versions are based on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, but where did these tales originate, and what different interpretations are there today? This essay seeks to examine the roots and different renditions of the various legends circulating today. The first section deals with the origins of the legend. The second section speculates on who the "real" King Arthur could have been. A comparison of several different versions, and suggestions of why they differ are given in the third section, and the conclusion presents an analysis on the ambiguity of the legend.
Two conflicting disciplines are prevalent throughout Arthurian Legend; that of chivalry and that of courtly love. The ideal of each clash throughout the medieval tales, and it is impossible to interfuse the two models for society. Chivalry is a masculine code, an aggressive discipline, whereas courtly love is based upon women - their needs, wants, and desires. The consistent problem if Lancelot and Guinevere’s adulterous relationship in different tellings of the affair relates back to the differences presented in chivalric code and courtly love ideals.
In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.
Malory emphasizes the importance of Christian ideals and having God be the primary focus throughout the tale, and with Lancelot unable to think of anything other than Guenevere, he cannot fully devote himself to his faith, thus hindering him spiritually, “if Sir Lancelot had not been so focused on the queen in all his innermost thoughts and feelings while only outwardly seeming to serve God, no knight would have been able to surpass him in the quest for the Holy Grail” (538). By dismissing his penitence and thinking only of Guenevere, Lancelot shows how lovesickness causes utter devotion to the object of the affections and a dearth of
Towards the end of the novel we see what Arthur’s thoughts are about betrayal. “The law was such in tho dayes that whatsomever they were, of what astate or degré, if they were founden gylty of treson there should be none other remedy but deth (Malory 654) King Arthur is stating that committing is adultery is seen as treason and the answer for that should be death. According to Breier, “Malory was facing a moral dilemma with respect to the love affair between Lancelot and Gwenyvere: on the one hand, he claimed Lancelot to be the most virtuous knight in the Arthurian realm, and on the other he relates – for the first time in
Sir Bedivere, a knight with a courageous amount of love for his king, the great Arthur, is a critical piece of the puzzle in understanding a knight’s devotion to his master. His presence in Morte Darthur by Sir Thomas Malory proves the love a man has for his lord. Bedivere is the last man standing, aside from Arthur, after the battle with Sir Mordred and his company. Sir Bedivere assists Arthur by completing his dying wish and comforting him prior death. The website, Arthurian Adventure, creates a deeper comprehension of Sir Bedivere and his role in Arthurian legends.
The concept of magic and magical creatures has been around for a long time, however, in the time period ranging from Beowulf to Malory's Arthur, there has been an evolution in attitudes and the consequent treatment of magic in medieval literature. The discussion of magic involves not only the disparity between Christian and pagan tradition but also of gender roles, most notably in the Arthurian mythos. Beowulf, Marie De France's Bisclavret and Lanval, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Sit Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur involve the concept of magic and magical creatures and consequently, illustrate the treatment of magic of their time.
It can be difficult to define the unifying themes of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur ; it can seem a tangle of random adventures mired with magic and religion, love and fate. What is the purpose behind all the seemingly similar adventures of so many similar knights? And what is the place that the books of Sir Trystram hold? These books make up the longest section of the work, yet Trystram plays no role in the search for the Holy Grail or the downfall of Arthur. There are many parallels drawn between Trystram and Launcelot: they are both the greatest knights of their time, both the greatest lovers, both become mad for a short time, etc. What distinguishes Trystram from Launcelot;