The ideal chivalric knight was brave, loyal, and determined as well as compassionate, just, and helpful to those in distress…The elements of courtly love are humility, courtesy, adultery, and the religion of love…” (Chivalry).
Some people believe that Knights cannot follow the Code of Chivalry and the Code of Courtly Love. They believe this because Knights can get so caught up in love, that they will do anything to please their beloved. Knight of the Cart, or otherwise known as Lancelot, is a great example of how the two codes cannot intertwine.
Many times throughout Knight of the Cart we see how Lancelot throws away his honor and glory just to save the Queen. In the Code of Courtly Love it says that a lovers deed is performed with the thought of his beloved. When Lancelot meets the dwarf that had the cart, the dwarf tells Lancelot and Gawain that if they get in his cart he will take them to where the Queen is headed. Lancelot hesitates for a split second but then jumps into the cart, Gawain does not get into the cart because if a knight is seen in a cart it is believed they are unworthy.
When Lancelot hesitates before getting in the cart it says that something bad will come of him because he hesitated, when they got to the town, the town’s people made fun of Lancelot because he was in the cart and he didn’t deserve to be a knight. He was breaking part of the chivalric code because he was not living up to his honor and glory, but he was following the Code of Courtly Love by thinking about Guinevere first, and himself second. A second way Lancelot is not living up to his honor and glory is when he finds Guinevere’s comb.
The Term Paper on Arthurian Legend Arthur Lancelot Knights
Arthurian Legend is a group of stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The legends originated as a collection of folk tales passed down by oral tradition. As the stories spread through Europe different scenes as well as different versions appear in different countries. Consequently some of the stories have minor contradictions with each other. However, even though the story has ...
He gets so carried away with the comb that she is all he can think about. “He appears quite foolish in the amount of honor he gives the comb…” (Models).
He is so caught up in with the hair in the comb that he almost falls off of his horse; this is not showing knighthood at all because knights are supposed to be strong and unbreakable. The Code of Courtly love says that in the presence of ones beloved will cause palpitations of the heart, when Lancelot is riding through the ford and the other knight is yelling at him to not cross the ford, he does not hear because he is so lost in thought about Guinevere.
When he falls of the horse is another example of how being in the presence of a loved one cause palpitations of the heart. Later on, Lancelot is offered a place to stay the night by another knight but declines because he wants to get to Guinevere quickly. By declining, he is breaking part of the chivalric code because he is not honoring his fellow knight. In the Code of Courtly love it says that eating and sleeping is diminished when your loved one is in distress. Lancelot does not want to stop because he is so worried about Guinevere.
This is another way the two codes are conflicting because he doesn’t follow the Code of Chivalry, but is following the Code of Courtly love. “One cannot be both reasonable and in love at the same time” (Models).
This quote sums up what Knight of the Cart is representing. As stated before, knights had to be strong and brave but the idea of love softens the heart and makes the knights softer. If knights let down their guard it was frowned upon which is what Lancelot did.
