Lancelot: The Most Noble Knight

Lancelot is the greatest and most noble knight in Arthurian legend because of his strength and bravery, his loyalty and devotion to Guinevere, and because of his friendship and faithfulness towards Arthur. Lancelot is a very fierce and brave warrior who completes all of his quests, and defeats all enemies that get in his way. He will do whatever it takes to successfully complete his quests, or to save civilians or the important people in his life. No matter who or what comes Lancelot’s way, he always remains loyal to his lover Guinevere, who he treats like the queen she is. Their relationship is an ideal example of love during this time period and may even be considered “true love”. Lancelot also has a very close friendship with King Arthur

There is no quest he turned down or any man nor creature that he was afraid of. In Sir Thomas Malory’s “Sir Launcelot du Lake”, he even fought for King Bagdemagus in a tournament against the King of North Galys. The King of the North Galys and his men stood no chance against the mighty Lancelot, and in the end he defeated around forty different soldiers, winning the tournament for King Bagdemagus. “Sir Launcelot took another spear and unhorsed sixteen more of the King of North Galys’s knights and, with his next, unhorsed another twelve; and in each case with such violence that none of the knights ever fully recovered” (Malory 1078). Lancelot is such a powerful knight that he was able to single handedly win this tournament, and defeat close to forty knights. Not only did he vanquish these knights, but he also wounded most of them so badly that they would never fully recover from their injuries. After winning the tournament, Lancelot set out to rescue the knights of the Round Table that were captured by Sir Tarquine. Lancelot then endures an aggressive battle with Tarquine, and Tarquine tells him that out of all the knights he has ever challenged, Lancelot is the most powerful. “You are the most powerful knight I have fought yet, but I fear you may be the one whom in the whole world I most hate” (1079). Tarquine goes on to tell him that if he is not Sir Lancelot,

It can be said that Lancelot is not noble because of the affair that he had with Guinevere, who was married to King Arthur, but it does not take away from the fact that Lancelot’s love was very affectionate and real. A moment in Arthurian legend that strongly reinforces the idea of how faithful Lancelot is to Guinevere, is when he is kidnapped and is being held captive by Morgan le Fay and three other queens, in “Sir Launcelot du Lake”. Morgan le Fay gives him the option of either marrying one of the queens, or to refuse and die miserably in his cell. “But now you are my prisoner, and you will have to choose: either to take one of us for your paramour, or to die miserably in this cell-just as you please” (1075). Marrying one of the queens clearly seems like the sensible choice in this situation, but not for Lancelot. He would rather die a slow and painful death in his cell, then to be unfaithful to Guinevere and love or marry another woman. Ever since the start of their romantic relationship, it was easily seen by the two that they were meant for one another, and that their love for each other is true. In John Steinbeck’s “From the acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights”, when Guinevere was finished talking to Arthur, with Lancelot in the room, she left and Lancelot claims that he saw himself get up and follow