At the very end of “Lanval,” he and his lady ride off to Avalon, never to be seen again, even though Lanval has been cleared of all charges. Why do you think that is? What do you think is the significance of Lanval’s departure?
King Arthur & His World
ENGL 361 | Spring 2019 | Dr. Myra Seaman
I think that it reenforces the idea that Lanval and his character are actually above the court. In the beginning Lanval is rejected by the others, he feels lonely and separated until he inherits wealth.He could do anything with the money that is granted to him and he uses the money for good. Gawain, a character that is notoriously “worthy” and “loved by everyone,” realizes that Lanval should be enjoying the orchard with him and the other knights. He notes Lanval is “so generous” and “courteous.” Even though the court is loyal to the king and queen, they do not have the positive attributes that Lanval does. The queen feels rejected by Lanval so she lies to her husband and tells him she rejected Lanval so he insulted her. The queen is cruel while the king is painted as naive. It also shows that Lanval values love over knighthood/societal constructs. It is ironic because fairy tales usually do end with a ride off into the sunset, but this one is purposely away from the kingdom.
I believe Lanval’s easy willingness to leave what he knows behind for a new life in a faraway place with his love reinforces the loss of identity that sometimes comes with obsessive love, that Capellanus seems to be satirizing in “The Art of Courtly Love.” Lanval is a king’s son and a knight who “has served the king so well,” indicating that he has dedicated a sizable portion of his life to serving the king. Then his love hooks his attention and he immediately announces his servitude to her, telling her “you could command nothing / that I would not do to the best of my power.” Capellanus’s rule of love #24 states that “a true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved.” In this way Capellanus paints the portrait of a person in love as a person who will cast aside their own wants and needs for their beloved; Lanval does just that when he mounts his beloved’s steed and rides away from his home forever.
Lanval leaves for Avalon for the sake of happiness — serving under Arthur brought him nothing buy anxiety, sadness, and shame. In the beginning of “Lanval,” the title character is described as a man of royal lineage who traveled far from his home and spent all his money to serve in Arthur’s court, despite being unfavored and underappreciated by Arthur and the other knights. Because of this, Lanval was “very unhappy, / very sorrowful and anxious” (33-34). As the story continues, he meets the queen and feels instant gratification and happiness, something he had not felt. But, because he’s “served the king well,” Lanval breaks off his affair with the queen, telling her, “I don’t want to betray my faith to [the king]” (40; 272). His loyalty, though, backfires, resulting in the other knights “greatly rebuk[ing] and chastis[ing] him / for showing such sorrow” (408-409). But, when his lady arrives, happiness is restored in Lanval, as his “blood rose to his face [and] / he was very quick to speak” (595-596). Though he was cleared of charges, Lanval knew serving under Arthur was going to continue to bring him sorrow, and seeing his lady, whom he initially thought would not help, gave him hope for happiness, therefore leaving with her to Avalon.
Lanval’s love (meaning both the girl herself and the fact of their relationship) is always presented in otherworldly terms. She appears and disappears as if from thin air, Lanval can only meet her away from others, and, when she finally appears in public, she will not stay in any of the rooms prepared for her- she is beyond even the best of mortal (or worldly) accommodations. The Lady is beyond, or greater than the world.
Intriguingly, so is Lanval. The first thing we hear of him is that he is an outsider in King Arthur’s court. His remove from society is even criminalized by Queen Gwenuviere. Lanval seems only at home with his otherworldy love.
When they leave for Avalon, I believe it symbolizes the removal of two beings who never really belonged to it-and who share alove too pure for mortal life.
An interesting point- otherworldly beauty, magic, seemingly arbitrary promises upon which great matters hang- These are all elements of fairie myth, which predates the Christan myth that Arthur exist in. I see an intriguing way of reading Arthurian legend there-as a link (or meeting point) between British Christianity and the older Germanic folklore it supplanted.
In the beginning of the story, Lanval does not seem to have a solid place as a knight in the court. He is described as “a very noble vassal” but also not accepted because “many people envied him” (Marie 163). Once he meets his love, Lanval “gave rich gifts, ransomed prisoners, clothed minstrels… Lanval did great honor” changing the opinion of the other knights (173). However, this was all because of his love for the maiden not his love or duty as a knight. Lanval always prioritizes love over his knightship. The ending when he runs away with her solidifies his love. However, this is not typical courtly love because the woman is the one who has to come back and save him. She was the only one able to prove the queen wrong giving Lanval no choice but to go with her. If he denied her love then he would be saying again that the queen was not worthy.