Who Is Lancelot The Perfect Knight?

At first glance, Chrétien de Troyes’ protagonist Lancelot seems to be the exemplar of chivalric perfection: adventurous, brave, physically dominant. He consistently demonstrated his prowess in battle and loyalty to Queen Guinevere. Is being good in battle and obedient to the Queen enough to prove he is the perfect knight he comes across as? If being a perfect knight in the middle ages only had the criterion of being brave and following the expectations associated with courtly love, Lancelot would have been a perfect knight, however, as a knight, Lancelot would have been expected to follow the codes of chivalry which he often acted in direct opposition to while acting out of love. By today’s notion of being an admirable romantic partner, it …show more content…
While the maid observed Lancelot’s instant compliance to Guinevere’s demands, she exclaimed that she had “‘never seen a more agreeable knight, for he is perfectly willing to do whatever you command of him.’” Being ‘agreeable’ was essential to being a good knight. The men had to be willing to do whatever their superiors commanded regardless of personal ramifications or understanding the reasons for the command. Because of the importance of tournaments in the middle ages, Lancelot could have been understandably frustrated at being forbidden to dominate his competition, but instead he immediately obeys without knowing Guinevere’s motives or asking any questions. His immediate obedience is more significant since “tournaments in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries were opportunities for lords to display their wealth and position. Their social standing was enhanced by their displays, their largesse, and by the success of their knights in the competition.” By being blindly obedient to Guinevere, Lancelot is neglecting his responsibility to demonstrate prowess. As Lancelot neglects his responsibility to be as successful as possible, he not only makes himself look bad, but also reflects poorly on Carlisle and King Arthur. Lancelot’s obedience to the queen seems to be a necessary attribute for a knight however, it is not when it is direct …show more content…
Lancelot was willing to do anything to be with the Queen. Even when the bars stand between them, he proclaims, “‘I don’t believe that iron could ever stop me. Nothing but you yourself could keep me from coming in.’” Lancelot’s determination and perseverance to do anything and everything, including losing a finger in the process, illustrates his willingness to endure pain for a larger cause. In the twelfth century, it was acceptable for a male to sleep with ladies they were not married to, so while keeping the mindset of the twelfth century, Lancelot was not in the wrong to sleep with a lady he loved. As an individual not bounded to a lord, Lancelot’s actions could have simply shown his commitment to Guinevere and been a positive attribute to his personality, however, he had pledged allegiance to King Arthur and owed him his allegiance. One of the most essential rules a knight had to uphold was direct loyalty to the king: “The reason that loyalty was emphasized was that, in practice, the interests of a lord and his vassals often came into conflict. This was especially true among lords and their landed vassals. In a world that had no effective central authority to enforce contracts, trustworthiness was a key value.” Even though, in general, society did not view a male having an affair as problematic, Lancelot did not just sleep with any women; he slept with