Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Malory: Oh Holy Knight
In the episode of the poisoned apple we see once again the dichotomy between holy and unholy with Sir Launcelot. We know already that he is unholy, due to his love for Queen Gwynevere. He was told he was not worthy for the quest for the Holy Grail. In this part of the story, the queen exiles him for sleeping with other women (even though she is essentially committing the same sin). Someone poisons the apples at the queen's dinner party, and because she's a woman she is obviously guilty. As it turns out, she exiled the only knight who would be willing to defend her in court. Luckily a knight in white armor comes to take Sir Bors' place in fighting for the queen. This is a continuation of the motif of deadly combat with a mystery opponent, as Sir Madore fought this mystery man in white. This white armor is a symbol of purity and holiness. After the white knight wins the battle, they all praise him for his honorable deed, defending the queen's honor. Even though he revealed his true identity, the queen and king both told him "may God reward you". What they don't see is that Sir Launcelot's white armor is just a disguise for the blackness underneath. His true intent was just to get back on the queen's good side to win her affections once more, and continue his sin.
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Ahah! I hadn't thought much about Launcelot's ulterior motives in this section. But now I see that the black spot might not be so much about sleeping with Guinevere, as improper relations doesn't seem to be such a big deal, but perhaps the fact that when he does noble things he isn't doing them just for the sake of being noble but for the sake of a woman's admiration?Perhaps this is truly where his sin lies in Malory and the 15th century reader's eyes.
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