Fiction Excerpt 5: Sir Lancelot of All the Knights of the Round Table, Sir

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Fiction Excerpt 5: Sir Lancelot Of all the Knights of the Round Table, Sir Lancelot was the mightiest. No knight had ever defeated Lancelot in combat. On horse or on foot, he was the champion knight. He was the king’s dear friend. He would help any woman in need, but he had sworn a lifelong vow of service to Guinevere, the queen. One night Lancelot was staying in a castle where an elderly couple had given him shelter. After dinner, the host led Sir Lancelot to a room over the castle’s gate. Lancelot put his armor and sword beside him and soon fell asleep on a bed of clean straw. During the night a violent knocking on the gate below awoke him. He ran to the window, and by the light of the moon he saw a knight, with three more chasing him. The knight turned to face his pursuers. At this, Sir Lancelot donned his armor, tied his bedsheet to the window, and slid down. He strode right into the middle of the fighting knights. To his surprise, he noticed the single knight’s shield to be that of Sir Kay, the king’s steward. Lancelot leaped at the three knights, and in seven strokes he beat them all to the ground. “Sir Knight,” they said, “we yield to you as to a champion of unmatched strength.” He answered: “I will not accept your yielding to me. You must yield to this knight, or else I will kill you.” “Fair knight, we cannot do that, because we would have beaten that knight if you had not come,” the three knights said. “Well, you can choose whether you will die or live,” said Sir Lancelot. “If you yield, it must be to Sir Kay.” So the three yielded to Sir Kay, and Sir Lancelot ordered them to go to the court at Camelot and beg the mercy of the queen, saying that Sir Kay sent them there as her prisoners. Over the years Lancelot sent many a defeated knight to Camelot, commanding each to bow down before Guinevere. Eventually, however, the love between Lancelot and Guinevere helped tear Camelot apart. Lancelot and Arthur, who had once been the best of friends, fought many battles against one another, and the kingdom once again descended into turmoil. Although Camelot ended unhappily, people still remember it as a time of peace and nobility, when chivalry shone as brightly as a polished suit of armor, and adventure was always waiting around the next turn in the road. 222 MEDIEVAL EUROPE.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Queen Guinevere
Ingvarsdóttir 1 Hugvísindasvið Queen Guinevere: A queen through time B.A. Thesis Marie Helga Ingvarsdóttir June 2011 Ingvarsdóttir 2 Háskóli Íslands Hugvísindasvið Enskudeild Queen Guinevere: A queen through time B.A. Thesis Marie Helga Ingvarsdóttir Kt.: 060389-3309 Supervisor: Ingibjörg Ágústsdóttir June 2011 Ingvarsdóttir 3 Abstract This essay is an attempt to recollect and analyze the character of Queen Guinevere in Arthurian literature and movies through time. The sources involved here are Welsh and other Celtic tradition, Latin texts, French romances and other works from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Malory’s and Tennyson’s representation of the Queen, and finally Guinevere in the twentieth century in Bradley’s and Miles’s novels as well as in movies. The main sources in the first three chapters are of European origins; however, there is a focus on French and British works. There is a lack of study of German sources, which could bring different insights into the character of Guinevere. The purpose of this essay is to analyze the evolution of Queen Guinevere and to point out that through the works of Malory and Tennyson, she has been misrepresented and there is more to her than her adulterous relation with Lancelot. This essay is exclusively focused on Queen Guinevere and her analysis involves other characters like Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Enide, and more. First the Queen is only represented as Arthur’s unfaithful wife, and her abduction is narrated. We have here the basis of her character. Chrétien de Troyes develops this basic character into a woman of important values about love and chivalry.
[Show full text]
Camelot the Articles in This Study Guide Are Not Meant to Mirror Or Interpret Any Productions at the Utah Shakespeare Festival
Insights A Study Guide to the Utah Shakespeare Festival Camelot The articles in this study guide are not meant to mirror or interpret any productions at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. They are meant, instead, to be an educational jumping-off point to understanding and enjoying the plays (in any production at any theatre) a bit more thoroughly. Therefore the stories of the plays and the interpretative articles (and even characters, at times) may differ dramatically from what is ultimately produced on the Festival’s stages. The Study Guide is published by the Utah Shakespeare Festival, 351 West Center Street; Cedar City, UT 84720. Bruce C. Lee, communications director and editor; Phil Hermansen, art director. Copyright © 2011, Utah Shakespeare Festival. Please feel free to download and print The Study Guide, as long as you do not remove any identifying mark of the Utah Shakespeare Festival. For more information about Festival education programs: Utah Shakespeare Festival 351 West Center Street Cedar City, Utah 84720 435-586-7880 www.bard.org. Cover photo: Anne Newhall (left) as Billie Dawn and Craig Spidle as Harry Brock in Born Yesterday, 2003. Contents InformationCamelot on the Play Synopsis 4 Characters 5 About the Playwright 6 Scholarly Articles on the Play A Pygmalion Tale, but So Much More 8 Well in Advance of Its Time 10 Utah Shakespeare Festival 3 8FTU$FOUFS4USFFUr $FEBS$JUZ 6UBIr Synopsis: Camelot On a frosty morning centuries ago in the magical kingdom of Camelot, King Arthur prepares to greet his promised bride, Guenevere. Merlyn the magician, the king’s lifelong mentor, finds Arthur, a reluctant king and even a more reluctant suitor, hiding in a tree.
[Show full text]
My Fair Lady
The Lincoln Center Theater Production of TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE Teacher Resource Guide by Sara Cooper TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . 1 THE MUSICAL . 2 The Characters . 2 The Story . 2 The Writers, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . 5 The Adaptation of Pygmalion . 6 Classroom Activities . 7 THE BACKDROP . 9 Historical Context . 9 Glossary of Terms . 9 Language and Dialects in Musical Theater . 10 Classroom Activities…………… . 10 THE FORM . 13 Glossary of Musical Theater Terms . 13 Types of Songs in My Fair Lady . 14 The Structure of a Standard Verse-Chorus Song . 15 Classroom Activities . 17 EXPLORING THE THEMES . 18 BEHIND THE SCENES . 20 Interview with Jordan Donica . 20 Classroom Activities . 21 Resources . 22 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the teacher resource guide for My Fair Lady, a musical play in two acts with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, directed by Bartlett Sher. My Fair Lady is a musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, itself an adaptation of an ancient Greek myth. My Fair Lady is the story of Eliza Doolittle, a penniless flower girl living in London in 1912. Eliza becomes the unwitting object of a bet between two upper-class men, phonetics professor Henry Higgins and linguist Colonel Pickering. Higgins bets that he can pass Eliza off as a lady at an upcoming high-society social event, but their relationship quickly becomes more complicated. In My Fair Lady, Lerner and Loewe explore topics of class discrimination, sexism, linguistic profiling, and social identity; issues that are still very much present in our world today.
[Show full text]
Actions Héroïques
Shadows over Camelot FAQ 1.0 Oct 12, 2005 The following FAQ lists some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding the Shadows over Camelot boardgame. This list will be revised and expanded by the Authors as required. Many of the points below are simply a repetition of some easily overlooked rules, while a few others offer clarifications or provide a definitive interpretation of rules. For your convenience, they have been regrouped and classified by general subject. I. The Heroic Actions A Knight may only do multiple actions during his turn if each of these actions is of a DIFFERENT nature. For memory, the 5 possible action types are: A. Moving to a new place B. Performing a Quest-specific action C. Playing a Special White card D. Healing yourself E. Accusing another Knight of being the Traitor. Example: It is Sir Tristan's turn, and he is on the Black Knight Quest. He plays the last Fight card required to end the Quest (action of type B). He thus automatically returns to Camelot at no cost. This move does not count as an action, since it was automatically triggered by the completion of the Quest. Once in Camelot, Tristan will neither be able to draw White cards nor fight the Siege Engines, if he chooses to perform a second Heroic Action. This is because this would be a second Quest-specific (Action of type B) action! On the other hand, he could immediately move to another new Quest (because he hasn't chosen a Move action (Action of type A.) yet.
[Show full text]
Monty Python's SPAMALOT
Monty Python’s Spamalot CHARACTERS Please note that the ages listed just serve as a guide. All roles are available and casting is open, and newcomers are welcome and encouraged. Also, character doublings are only suggested here and may be changed based on audition results and production needs. KING ARTHUR (Baritone, Late 30s-60s) – The King of England, who sets out on a quest to form the Knights of the Round Table and find the Holy Grail. Great humor. Good singer. THE LADY OF THE LAKE (Alto with large range, 20s-40s) – A Diva. Strong, beautiful, possesses mystical powers. The leading lady of the show. Great singing voice is essential, as she must be able to sing effortlessly in many styles and vocal registers. Sings everything from opera to pop to scatting. Gets angry easily. SIR ROBIN (Tenor/Baritone, 30s-40s) – A Knight of the Round Table. Ironically called "Sir Robin the Brave," though he couldn't be more cowardly. Joins the Knights for the singing and dancing. Also plays GUARD 1 and BROTHER MAYNARD, a long-winded monk. A good mover. SIR LANCELOT (Tenor/Baritone, 30s-40s) – A Knight of the Round Table. He is fearless to a bloody fault but through a twist of fate discovers his "softer side." This actor MUST be great with character voices and accents, as he also plays THE FRENCH TAUNTER, an arrogant, condescending, over-the-top Frenchman; the KNIGHT OF NI, an absurd, cartoonish leader of a peculiar group of Knights; and TIM THE ENCHANTER, a ghostly being with a Scottish accent.
[Show full text]
Camelot* Fungicide / Bactericide
® Prescription Treatment brand Camelot* Fungicide / Bactericide ACTIVE INGREDIENT: Copper salts of fatty and rosin acids† . 58.0% INERT INGREDIENTS: . 42.0% Contains petroleum distillates, xylene or xylene range aromatic solvent. TOTAL 100.0% † Metallic Copper Equivalent 5.14%) * Camelot is a registered Trademark of Griffin Corporation. EPA Reg. No. 1812-381-499 KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN CAUTION PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS USER SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS Users should: FIRST AID • Wash hands before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco or using the toilet. IF ON SKIN OR CLOTHING: Take off contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately • Remove clothing immediately if pesticide gets inside. Then wash thoroughly and put on with plenty of water for 15 to 20 minutes. Call a poison control center or doctor for treat- clean clothing. ment advice. IF SWALLOWED: Immediately call a poison control center or doctor. Do not induce ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS vomiting unless told to do so by a poison control center or doctor. Do not give any liquid This pesticide is toxic to fish and aquatic organisms. Do not apply directly to water, or to areas to the person. Do not give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. where surface water is present or to intertidal areas below the mean high water mark. Do not IF INHALED: Move person to fresh air. If person is not breathing, call 911 or an ambu- contaminate water when disposing of equipment washwaters. lance, then give artificial respiration, preferably mouth-to-mouth, if possible. Call a poison control center or doctor for further treatment advice. PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL HAZARDS IF IN EYES: Hold eye open and rinse slowly and gently with water for 15 to 20 minutes.
[Show full text]
The Duke: Arthurian Legends Expansion Pack
™ Arthurian Legends Expansion Pack The politics of the high courts are elegant, shadowy, and subtle. Fort Tile: Players can use the Fort Tile as shown on pages 7-8 of Not so in the outlying duchies. Rival dukes contend for unclaimed the rulebook for any game with these tiles. However, they can also lands far from the king’s reach, and possession is the law in these play with the reverse side of the Fort, Camelot. Camelot is an Ex- lands. Use your forces to adapt to your opponent’s strategies, cap- panded Play tile (see p. 6 of the rulebook) and so both players should turing enemy troops, before you lose your opportunity to seize these agree to its use before play begins. lands for your good. Randomly place Camelot in any square in one of the two middle In The Duke, players move their troops (tiles) around the board rows of the board. and flip them over after each move. Each tile’s side shows a different For the Arthur player, if one of his Arthurian Legends’ tiles is in- movement pattern. If you end your movement in a square occupied side Camelot (King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Percival, or Merlin), by an opponent’s tile, you capture that tile. Capture your opponent’s then the Camelot Tile gains Command ability in all eight squares Duke to win! surrounding Camelot. On his turn, any time those conditions are met, the player may use the Command ability of Camelot; the Troop ARTHurIan leGenDS EXPanSIon PacK RULES Tile on Camelot does not flip, but the Camelot Tile DOES flip over to Arthur, Guineviere, Merlin, Lancelot and Perceval replace the light the Fort side; as long as it’s on the Fort side, the Command ability no stained Duke, Duchess, Wizard, Champion and Assassin Tiles.
[Show full text]
Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart by Chrétien De Troyes
Lancelot, The Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de Troyes Translated by W. W. Comfort For your convenience, this text has been compiled into this PDF document by Camelot On-line. Please visit us on-line at: http://www.heroofcamelot.com/ Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart Table of Contents Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................................3 PREPARER'S NOTE: ...............................................................................................................................4 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY: ...............................................................................................................4 The Translation..........................................................................................................................................5 Part I: Vv. 1 - Vv. 1840..........................................................................................................................5 Part II: Vv. 1841 - Vv. 3684................................................................................................................25 Part III: Vv. 3685 - Vv. 5594...............................................................................................................45 Part IV: Vv. 5595 - Vv. 7134...............................................................................................................67 Endnotes...................................................................................................................................................84
[Show full text]
Writing and Literary Study Spring 2010 the Chivalrous Sir Gawain If
Ahmed 1 Sarin Taslima Ahmed College Writing II: Writing and Literary Study Spring 2010 The Chivalrous Sir Gawain If a man does not open the door for a woman, she may think chivalry is dead or forget that it ever existed at all. Today's woman is not a damsel in distress, but rather stands on equal ground with her masculine counterpart. She has no need to acknowledge that there was ever a time when men lived and died for the sake of honor. However, around 1066 a.d. to 1485 a.d., that was exactly what European knights, and those around the world, did (Achlin). Of these brave soldiers, the most famous were the Knights of the Round Table, subjects of Camelot and King Arthur. Perhaps the most acclaimed knights are dubbed Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain. Lancelot is still known as the greatest of all knights, the perfect knight, but based on Gawain's actions in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by the Pearl Poet and those of Lancelot in The Once and Future King by T.H. White, I've come to the conclusion that Gawain is a greater model of chivalry than Lancelot. Following the code of chivalry, Gawain is faithful to God, his King, and he is respectful to women. Lancelot is very talented, but he does not feel the need to follow the laws of knighthood, and ends up disregarding King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and even God because of it. "Two virtues above all else were held to mark the good knight and bring him honor.
[Show full text]
King Arthur and the Round Table Movie
King Arthur And The Round Table Movie Keene is alee semestral after tolerable Price estopped his thegn numerically. Antirust Regan never equalises so virtuously or outflew any treads tongue-in-cheek. Dative Dennis instilling some tabarets after indwelling Henderson counterlights large. Everyone who joins must also sign or rent. Your britannica newsletter for arthur movies have in hollywood for a round table, you find the kings and the less good. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Why has been chosen to find this table are not return from catholic wedding to. The king that, once and possess it lacks in modern telling us an enchanted lands. Get in and arthur movie screen from douglas in? There that lancelot has an exchange is eaten by a hit at britons, merlin argues against mordred accused of king arthur and the round table, years of the round tabletop has continued to. Cast: Sean Connery, Ben Cross, Liam Cunningham, Richard Gere, Julia Ormond, and Christopher Villiers. The original site you gonna remake this is one is king arthur marries her mother comes upon whom he and king arthur the movie on? British nobles defending their affection from the Saxon migration after the legions have retreated back to mainland Europe. Little faith as with our other important characters and king arthur, it have the powerful magic garden, his life by. The morning was directed by Joshua Logan. He and arthur, chivalry to strike a knife around romance novels and fireballs at a court in a last tellers of the ends of his. The Quest Elements in the Films of John Boorman.
[Show full text]
Camelot's Reaction to Sir Gawain's Failure Senior Paper Presented In
Camelot’s Reaction to Sir Gawain’s Failure Senior Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For a Degree Bachelor of Arts with A Major in Literature at The University of North Carolina at Asheville Fall 2009 By DAVID MANSELLE ____________________ Thesis Director Dr. Blake Hobby ____________________ Thesis Advisor Dr. David Hopes Manselle 2 In examining the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the reaction of the court at Camelot to Gawain departing to keep his tryst with the Green Knight is an important detail. The court is quite distressed when a year has passed after Gawain answered the Green Knight’s challenge. Gawain prepares to ride off on his epic adventure, one that all assume will be fatal. The court’s dialogue at this point calls into question the masculine and heroic code under which it operates by its contemplative reactions to Gawain leaving: When they saw him set forth they were sore aggrieved, /And all sighed softly, and said to each other / Fearing for their fellow, “Ill fortune it is/ That you, man, must be marred, that most worthy are! / His equal on earth can hardly be found; / To have dealt more discreetly had done less harm. (15) This significant passage can be read as Arthur’s court questioning their heroic code. The court goes on to speak in even more clear judgment of its own masculine chivalric ideals, stating why they are concerned to lose Gawain: “A great leader of lords he was like to become, / And better so to have been than battered to bits, / Beheaded by an elf- man, for empty pride!” (15).
[Show full text]
Arthurian Legend
Nugent: English 11 Fall What do you know about King Arthur, Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table? Do you know about any Knights? If so, who? If you know anything about King Arthur, why did you learn about King Arthur? If you don’t know anything, what can you guess King Arthur, Camelot, or Knights. A LEGEND is a story told about extraordinary deeds that has been told and retold for generations among a group of people. Legends are thought to have a historical basis, but may also contain elements of magic and myth. MYTH: a story that a particular culture believes to be true, using the supernatural to interpret natural events & to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. An ARCHETYPE is a reoccurring character type, setting, or action that is recognizable across literature and cultures that elicits a certain feeling or reaction from the reader. GOOD EVIL • The Hero • Doppelganger • The Mother The Sage • The Monster • The Scapegoat or sacrificial • The Trickster lamb • Outlaw/destroyer • The Star-crossed lovers • The Rebel • The Orphan • The Tyrant • The Fool • The Hag/Witch/Shaman • The Sadist A ROMANCE is an imaginative story concerned with noble heroes, chivalric codes of honor, passionate love, daring deeds, & supernatural events. Writers of romances tend to idealize their heroes as well as the eras in which the heroes live. Romances typically include these MOTIFS: adventure, quests, wicked adversaries, & magic. Motif: an idea, object, place, or statement that appears frequently throughout a piece of writing, which helps contribute to the work’s overall theme 1.
[Show full text]