Death of King Arthur (La Mort Le

Death of King Arthur (La Mort le ROI Artu) is not just one of many Medieval tales about the legendary King and his knights, some claim it is the best. It is actually the third part of a much larger work which also includes Lancelot, the Quest for the Holy Grail, and of course, The Death of King Arthur. The first two parts of the story deal with Arthur's establishment of his kingdom, the formation of the Round Table, and the quest for the Holy Grail. The final part of the story deals with the aftermath of the quest, the betrayal of the King by Lancelot and Guinevere, and the final battle on the plains of Salisbury; which results in the death of King Arthur. Throughout the tale the theme of religion plays an important part in the story, from Arthur's insistence that his knights swear to uphold the teachings of the Church, to the quest for the cup that held the blood of Christ. In the Medieval world, from which this story comes, the Church played an important role in everyday life. In fact, for the majority of the people in the Medieval Period, religion was the central focus of all life. The importance of religion in the everyday lives of the people is evident throughout the story of The Death of King Arthur.

The three parts of the story are often referred to as the "Vulgate Cycle," although sometimes they are referred to as the "Prose Lancelot," and religion plays an important role in all three parts. In the Lancelot part of the story, the role of Merlin is symbolic of the role of Paganism in the world. His downfall is symbolic of the downfall of Paganism and the rise of Christianity. Likewise, the second part of the story is the "Quest for the Holy Grail." The Holy Grail was the cup used at the Last Supper and also held the blood of Christ, there could be no greater symbol of Christianity that the quest to find this cup; for the quest to find the Grail is the quest to find salvation in one's self. Arthur is also insistent that his knights respect the teachings of the Church as well as behave in a chivalrous way. The concept of Chivalry was based upon Christian teachings about charity, forgiveness, compassion toward, not only one's enemies but also the people in one's everyday life.

As in Lancelot and The Quest for the Grail, religion also plays an important theme in The Death of King Arthur; especially the ideals of redemption and forgiveness. This part of the story begins at the point after the quest for the Grail was finished and many of Arthur's Knights were either killed or missing. It is then that Lancelot and Guinevere re-initiate their affair that had ended during the quest. Lancelot had repented his sin of Adultery during the quest, and had ended his affair with Guinevere, but after the quest was finished, Lancelot slips back into his sinful ways. He is forced to slowly, over the course of the story, regain his salvation through actions consistent with the role of a chivalrous Christian Knight.

However, before that time Lancelot is faced with many moral dilemmas; should he rescue Guinevere even though she is guilty and the law requires her death? Should he fight against his own lord Arthur? Should he eventually give Guinevere back to Arthur? Lancelot is forced to walk a very thin line between his Christian moral obligations and his personal feelings, something people must face in their daily lives. And Lancelot comes up short many times throughout the story, but he also never gives up his new quest to live up to Christian ideals. For example, during the siege of Lancelot's castle, Sir Gawain challenges Lancelot to individual combat, even after defeating Gawain, Lancelot refuses to kill the knight even though he had tried to kill him. When asked why he did not kill Gawain, Lancelot replied, "I could not do it & #8230;because my heart, which directs me, could not allow it for anything." (Cable, 1971. p 185) Mercy to one's enemies is at the heart of Chivalry and is based on the Christian ideal to forgive one's enemies.

And it is not only the moral ideals of Christianity which are prevalent in The Death of King Arthur, but also the Medieval belief that God plays an important, tangible role in people's everyday lives, that is expressed throughout the text. Using the previous example of Sir Gawain and Lancelot's battle, the battle itself was considered to be God's judgment over the dispute between the two men. Lancelot had killed Gawain's brothers and Gawain claimed he had done so "…treacherously and disloyally" (Cable, 1971 p 175) and thus sought a verdict before God through battle. Medieval knights truly believed that in such cases, God would not allow for the guilty man to be victorious, so who ever won the battle was innocent.

God is also invoked throughout the text, indicating the individual character's belief that God was present and active in the daily lives. Readers are bombarded with phrases such as "By God…" and "…if it pleases God" and other such references to God throughout the story. People in the Medieval world really believe God played a direct role in their lives, their successes and failures were attributed directly to God's interference. Arthur himself blames the adultery of Lancelot and Guinevere, and the subsequent havoc in his kingdom on the actions of God. He stated "Ah, God! For so long you have allowed me to live in great honour, and now in a short time I have been so afflicted by real misfortune that no man has ever lost as much as I have." (Cable, 1971 p 130)