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| Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart
Story Guide |
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| Summary
of Novel: |
When
Queen Guinevere is abducted by the villain Meleagant, Lancelot
races
to rescue her. He suffers many trials, fights countless
foes,
and risks his reputation for the woman he loves more than his own
life.
Will he survive and save his Queen?
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| Novel Background: |
| Lancelot
was one
of four
Arthurian Romances written by the twelfth century poet
Chrétien de
Troyes about 1170. Chrétien borrowed
the story of Arthur from
celtic mythology and set his legendary court in his time.
This work was originally
written in French and was translated by W.W. Comfort into English in
1914. Comfort introduces the literary landscape of the French
poet de Troyes in order to reveal how much those of the Round Table
were steeped in a chivalric code, which was more idealistic than
realistic, but still fascinates nonetheless. |
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| Chapter
Summaries: |
Introduction.
Begins with a discussion of courtly love and chivalry and how they
impact the story. Also contrasts the two heroic knights Gawain, who is
rational, and Lancelot, who is emotional. Both are renowned in battle
and beloved of King Arthur, yet Lancelot is love sick for Queen
Guinevere. Gawain is not willing to debase himself in order to save the
Queen, whereas Lancelot will do anything.
Also, the author Chrétien de Troyes makes a point to say that the
Countess Marie, his patroness, provided the material and manner of
telling the story. Is he just flattering her? Is he trying to avoid
responsibility for this story? We have no answer, but it does color the
way in which we interpret the text.
Part One.
A villainous knight disturbs the court of King Arthur and proclaims
that he is holding knights and ladies hostage. He challenges Arthur to
send his Queen under the escort of one of his knights in order to free
them. Kay tricks Arthur into letting him take Guinevere into the forest
alone to meet the challenge.
Gawain rushes to follow them and meets up with Lancelot who rides two
horses to death to pursue Guinevere. The two men begin a perilous quest
to free the Queen. Gawain is driven by chivalry, while Lancelot is
driven by a consuming love for his lady. Against all reason and the
code of conduct for a knight, Lancelot rides in a cart, which is
reserved for lowly criminals. He will suffer any penalty, or shame, to
save the Queen.
Part Two.
Lancelot and Gawain awake the next day and are treated very courteously
by the damsel. While they are looking out from the tower, they see
Queen Guinevere being led by her horse’s reign. When the Queen moves
out of Lancelot’s site, he almost throws himself off of the tower.
Gawain and Lancelot set off in the direction the Queen was taken and
meet a damsel. She forces them to swear an oath to her before she will
tell them where the Queen is held hostage and how to get there. The
Knights swear and she tells them they must take either the Water
Bridge, or the Sword Bridge. Either way is perilous and they must
suffer much to reach the kingdom of Bademagu where the villain
Meleagant has taken the Queen.
The two knights separate and take either route. Alone, and lost in
thought, Lancelot encounters a knight who guards a ford. The knight
warns him not to come near, but Lancelot doesn’t even hear him. This
spells trouble for the love-sick Lancelot.
Part Three.
Lancelot departs from the Knight of the ford and the damsel. He
continues his quest for the Queen and comes across another damsel. She
gladly offers him her hospitality, but only upon the condition that he
will lie with her.
Lancelot has no choice but to do her bidding. Yet, little does Lancelot
realize, the damsel has more in store for him than he expects. A
surprise assault forces Lancelot to face several knights in battle. He
hesitates, but he proves he is strong and skilled.
Lancelot will fulfill his promise to the damsel, though his heart is
heavy. The damsel asks him, if he is willing to escort her for a while
along his journey. Lancelot consents to take her under his protection
and now he sets off in the company of the winsome damsel.
Part Four.
Lancelot awakes in a hurry to resume his quest for Guinevere. The
winsome damsel asks him to escort her along his journey and to promise
that he will observe the old customs. Lancelot promises to protect her
and will not harm her according to custom. They ride off together.
A knight who loves the damsel tries to take her away from Lancelot who
will not give her to him. The other knight challenges Lancelot who
accepts. They ride to an open field where the knight's father and
numerous ladies and men are playing games.
The knight's father does not believe that the damsel wants to be with
him, nor does he want his son to fight Lancelot, because he knows that
Lancelot is more skilled. He forces his son to bend to his will. Still,
he and his son follow Lancelot and the damsel.
Lancelot discovers a church and enters to pray. A monk tells him about
a sarcophagus reserved only for a strong man who may lift the heavy
stone lid and free all those imprisoned. Lancelot proves his greatness.
Part Five.
Lancelot travels alone in his quest for Queen Guinevere. He meets a
vavasor (a feudal tenant) and his family who offer him hospitality.
Lancelot discovers that they are fellow countrymen from Logres and have
been held prisoners in this land. Two of his sons accompany Lancelot
through the stony passage where they meet with opposition and fight.
The three men continue onward and are led into a trap, but soon break
free and discover a thousand men engaged in a fierce battle. They fight
alongside other men from Logres and Lancelot is the hero of the day.
Lancelot is offered hospitality and is much admired. Yet, trouble once
again comes to Lancelot, when a rather haughty knight challenges him.
When Lancelot defeats the knight, he begs for mercy. However, a fair
maiden appears on the scene to offer Lancelot a reward for giving her
his head. Whose plea will Lancelot satisfy?
Part Six.
Lancelot and his two companions journey to the Sword Bridge. It is
perilous and the two brothers are fearful for Lancelot's safety, as it
looks impossible to cross. The bridge is suspended over a raging stream
and is as sharp as a sword the length of two lances. Worse still, two
lions are tied up on the other side. Lancelot is not discouraged, but
will he survive the treacherous pass and the beasts that guard the way
to the kingdom of Bademagu?
Lancelot manages to cross the bridge, though he is badly cut and
bleeding. He discovers that the lions are not real and that they were
all under an enchantment. His ring from the Lady of the Lake helped him
to uncover the spell.
King Bademagu and his villainous son Meleagant see Lancelot approaching
and witness his valorous deed. Bademagu pleads with his son to hand the
Queen over peaceably to Lancelot, but Meleagant will not give her up
without a fight.
Bademagu sympathizes with Lancelot and offers him aid and protection
and warns that his son will fight him for the Queen. Lancelot does not
wish to delay, but the King urges him to wait until the next day and
calls his doctor to assist him.
Meleagant is resentful of his father’s interest in Lancelot and is
anxious to battle him. Still, Bademagu tries to stop his son again to
no avail. Meleagant wants a fight and so does Lancelot. Spectators come
from all around to witness the great conflict, while Lancelot rests for
the night.
Part Seven.
Lancelot and Meleagant engage in battle. Lancelot, still weak from his
wounds, struggles to fight his foe. Guinevere watches the skirmish from
a tower and is out of Lancelot’s sight, until a wise maiden asks the
Queen for his name and shouts to Lancelot. He looks up and sees the
Queen and is invigorated, but distracted. The maiden again shouts to
Lancelot to alter his fighting. Lancelot heeds her counsel and gains
the advantage over Meleagant.
King Bademagu is distressed to see his son get beaten by Lancelot. He
beseeches the Queen to tell Lancelot to stop fighting Meleagant. She
grants his request and Lancelot willingly obeys his Lady’s command.
Yet, the villainous Meleagant attacks Lancelot. The king is angered by
his son’s act and orders his barons to take him away. Then it is
decided that the battle will be postponed for a year and will be held
at the court of King Arthur.
Part Eight.
Lancelot reunites with Queen Guinevere, but she is not pleased to see
him and gives him a cold reception. Lancelot is dumbfounded and King
Bademagu wonders why she treats him so badly. Then, the King escorts
Lancelot to Kay the seneschal.
Kay tells Lancelot he is embarrassed that he could not do what Lancelot
achieved. He also wonders why Guinevere was cool to him. Lancelot
decides to search for Gawain, but he is abducted by natives who believe
the King would approve.
A false report of Lancelot’s death reaches Guinevere who wants to kill
herself, yet decides she should live and suffer for treating him so
badly. Then, Lancelot hears that the Queen was dead and he attempts
suicide by hanging himself from his saddlebow. Those near him save him
from death, which upsets him. Yet, he learns that the Queen is alive
and he is glad. She too learns that he is alive and is glad.
The two finally meet alive and well and Guinevere informs Lancelot that
she was upset that he hesitated to mount the cart. Lancelot is
repentant and Guinevere forgives him. They plan to meet later that
night by a window, where Guinevere is held under guard.
Part Nine.
Lancelot meets the Queen outside her prison where iron bars in the
window stand between them and frustrate their mutual desire to be
together. Additionally, Kay the wounded seneschal sleeps in
the room. Yet, Lancelot declares that the bars will not
prevent him from entering, unless the Queen forbids it.
Guinevere gladly invites Lancelot to her bed. He tears the
iron bars out of the window and injures two fingers. Yet,
Lancelot does not even notice his bleeding wounds, as he is completely
fixated upon the Queen. The two finally and joyfully
consummate their forbidden love.
Then, Lancelot leaves and returns the iron bars, so that it looks as
though no one entered. However, his bloody fingers stained
the Queen’s sheets. Meleagant visits her the next day and
notices the blood. He accuses the Queen and Kay of
misconduct, as Kay’s wounds bled during the night and the
circumstantial evidence is strong.
Meleagant demands to fight Kay, yet King Bademagu determines that he is
too weak to fight. Guinevere summons a knight to fight on his
behalf. It is Lancelot who appears to fight Meleagant in
defense of Kay and the Queen. He and Meleagant battle, yet
Bademagu once again pleads with the Queen to command her knight to
stop. Bademagu then convinces his vengeful son to wait for
the arranged battle at Arthur’s court.
Part Ten.
Lancelot and other men-at-arms, head to the water bridge to find
Gawain. Yet, a dwarf tricks Lancelot into going with him; and leads
Lancelot into prison. The men are grief-stricken and tell Gawain what
happened. They beseech King Bademagu to assist them.
The King and Queen Guinevere are also full of sorrow, yet, a forged
letter appearing to be from Lancelot, states that he is well and at
home in King Arthur’s court; and that the Queen should be escorted home
by Gawain and Kay. They are all jubilant.
However, upon returning to Arthur’s court, they soon discover the
deception and realize that Lancelot is a prisoner held by Meleagant.
The Queen is once again quite unhappy, yet she agrees to attend a
tournament organized by ladies who wish to marry the best men. Lancelot
wishes to attend also, so he convinces the lady where he is held under
guard to let him leave, for he swears he will return and fulfill the
oath he made to her.
Part Eleven.
The tournament begins. Lancelot’s identity is known only to the herald.
He battles so well that he becomes the favorite.
Yet, Queen Guinevere sends one of her ladies to command the strange
knight to do his worst. Lancelot willingly obeys her order. When he
next participates, he intentionally loses and acts cowardly. He is
berated by the other knights.
The Queen knows this is her Lancelot, who has passed her test, and she
then sends word that he should do his best. He suddenly becomes the
best of all the knights and beloved by the ladies who wish to marry
him. Yet, Lancelot disappears and returns to his captors. All of the
ladies are unhappy and say they will not marry anyone that year.
Part Twelve.
Lancelot returns to his captor, but Meleagant is not satisfied. He
orders builders to construct a tower on a small island. Lancelot is
then sealed up into this tower, which only has a tiny opening to pass
food through.
Meleagant presents himself at the court of King Arthur, as agreed upon,
though he knows Lancelot is incapable of attending the fight. He then
states he will return in one year. Gawain vows that if Lancelot does
not appear, he will fight in his place.
Meleagant boasts of his ability to scare off Lancelot, but King
Bademagu does not believe Lancelot would run in fear of his son.
Meleagant’s sister is also certain that Lancelot is held captive
somewhere. As Lancelot once did her a favor, so too will she. She sets
out alone like a knight on a quest and, in an act of chivalry, she
rescues Lancelot from his prison.
Part Thirteen.
All are gathered for the much-anticipated battle between Lancelot and
Meleagant. However, there is still no sign of Lancelot. Gawain arms
himself to fight in his stead, which pleases Meleagant.
Just as Gawain is about to take to the field, Lancelot appears and
claims his right to duel with the villain who has caused him so much
shame. Meleagant is shocked to see Lancelot whom he believed to be
still captive in the tower. He soliloquizes his anger, confusion, and
worry. Yet, Meleagant is as determined to kill Lancelot, as Lancelot is
to kill him.
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