Lancelot and Guinevere part 1

I have two questions for you all:

After the holy grail we know that Lancelot is really focused on being holy again. However, it takes only to literally the first page of the next story for him to forget. After this reading, does Malory intend for us to see Lancelot as a lover or sinner? Do they have have to be mutually exclusive? Use the text to support yourself.

Secondly, completely different question: Why did Lancelot disguise himself for the tournament (this when he dressed up as one of Barnard of Ascolat’s sons)? Maybe I missed it but was he trying to prove a point? What does this anonymity( something we’ve seen before: aka knight of the cart) imply about the theme of identity?

Th 3/28: “The Noble Tale of Sankgreal”

In the end of this tale, Galahad is crowned the new king and praised for his nobleness and holiness.  As Lancelot’s son, Galahad is a strong and great knight, but he seems to outdo Lancelot in this story.  Lancelot struggles on his quest because of Galahad’s existence and his failure to see God.  Using examples from the text, do you think that Galahad is a greater knight than Lancelot because of Lancelot’s revealed sins, or does Galahad’s greatness come from just following in his footsteps?

T 3/26: Caxton’s Preface and Colophone and “Chivalry”

In his preface, Caxton seems to debate whether Arthur was a true man or not, but comes to the conclusion that such a noble man should have existed for his great qualities.  While we know that Arthur was not a real person, what can you say about social and political norms in society at that time from looking at Caxton’s take on his character, and Mallory and Lull’s order of Chivalry?

T 3/26: “The Book of the Order of Chivalry”

In Ramon Lull’s “The Book of the Order of Chivalry,” he outlines many aspects of the chivalric code knights must follow. Throughout the semester, we have been reading tales of knights who supposedly follow this code. Using specific examples from Lull’s book and some romances we’ve read, how have the characters we have been following adhere to the “Order of Chivalry”?

3/14 (pi day) The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell” and “The Turke and Sir Gawain.”

I see a lot of dualisms in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell” and “The Turke and Sir Gawain” and in other texts we’ve read. It seems like magical transformation happens in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell” and “The Turke and Sir Gawain.” How does this add to the texts? Do you think transformation is important in them? Or is being steadfast more important? 

   In “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell” there is a lot of unexplained events- like Dame Ragnell’s death- but other stories we’ve read are incredibly detailed with character’s origins/ lineage.  Does mystery serve a purpose in the “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell”?  Other dualisms you could discuss are private life/ court life, or any you found interesting. 

A Blog Question for 3-14:

Image result for sir gawain and the loathly lady

Three Romances of Sir Gawain:

The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle and The Turke and Sir Gawain seem to have striking similarities to the plot of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. What stood out to me the most in my interpretations of the texts was Sir Gawain was constantly trying to prove he was the most valiant knight of King Arthur’s court by accepting challenges which no other knight’s had the courage to face. There are other elements of these tales which I felt connected them to one another like magical trials, the trading of blows, and Gawain’s unwavering need to honor his own word. My question to you is what connections do you see between these stories? You can build on one of the examples I have given or use your own.

 

 

 

Blog question 3/12:

What is your view of King Arthur after reading this poem? Should he be perceived as being a virtuous man or is his life meant to be a cautionary tale? Does this story show the king in a negative light? If you think so, what do you think Arthur’s greatest sin was? If you are of the opinion he is a chivalric role model then which point of the text best illustrates this idea?

T 3-12 Alliterative Morte Arthure pp. 195-295

The reaction to death appeared to contrast throughout  “The Death of King Arthur.” Sometimes it appeared to be feared, other times it seemed honorable or even blasé. Character’s reactions to death were so varied. There were many scenes about death: King Arthur’s nightmares, the sage’s interpretation, Sir Gawain’s death, Sir Mordred’s, battle scenes and King Arthur’s death.  Do you think in “The Death of King Arthur” death is viewed more in a positive light, maybe even romanticized? And for what reasons? Negative reactions to death are also strong, is death viewed more as a tragedy and a loss?

R 3/7: The Death of King Arthur pt. 2

About halfway through the narrative, what might be considered the resolution of the conflict introduced in the beginning [that of war with Rome] occurs when Arthur kills the Emperor and defeats Rome.  What does this tell you about the intended significance of the war with Rome in the context of the narrative as a whole?  On reading that, did your idea of the narrative’s main conflict or focus change?  Why or why not?