Character Study: Guinevere

Guinevere (also Gwenhwyfar, Gwenivar, Guenevere or Guenever) is the the wife of King Arthur. She was first introduced to Arthurian legend by Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae. In most Arthurian legend, Arthur and Guinevere never have any children. The 12th century poem Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de Troyes, introduced the story in which Guinevere falls for Lancelot, Arthur's supreme knight and best friend. It became canon, most notably in Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. The love triangle story was the focus of the 1960 Broadway musical Camelot.

image from The Grandma Logbook

She is the daughter of King Leodegrance in French chivalric romances and later works based on them, most notably Le Morte d'Arthur. Her father served Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon. It is a common part of Arthurian legend that King Leodegrance gives Arthur the famous round table as a wedding present. In the Otter and Arthur series, Guinevere is introduced briefly in the first book, Otter and Arthur and the Sword in the Stone, and emerges as a strong female character in the second book, Otter and Arthur and the Round Table.

Resources: Chrétien de Troyes (12th century). Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1136). Historia Regum Britanniae Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe (1960). Camelot (musical) Sir Thomas Malory (1485). Le Morte d'Arthur Wikipedia.org entry: Guinevere

Important Arthurian Works: Chrétien de Troyes

In the late 12th century, Frenchman Chrétien de Troyes was a poet in the court of Marie, countess of Champagne, suggesting he may have been a court poet. He wrote five major poems in eight-syllable rhyming couplets: Érec et Énide (c. 1165-1170) Cligès (c. 1176) Yvain, the Knight of the Lion (c. 1171-1181) Lancelot, le Chevalier de la Charrette (Lancelot, the King of the Cart) (c. 1177-1181) Perceval, le Conte du Graal (Perceval, the Story of the Grail) (c. 1181-1190)

The first four were finished, but Perceval was not. He finished only 9000 lines, but 54,000 lines were added by four other writers. These works, especially the latter two, are significant for introducing the character of Lancelot and the quest for the Holy Grail to Arthurian legend. Those tales were expanded in the Vulgate Cycle in the first half of the next century. Resources: Brtiannica.com: Chrétien de Troyes LegendofKingArthur.co.uk: Chrétien de Troyes Princeton.edu: Background Information on Chrétien de Troyes’ Le Chevalier de la Charrette Vulgate Cycle (1225-1240) Wikipedia.org: Chrétien de Troyes

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Important Arthurian Works: The Vulgate Cycle

The Vulgate Cycle consisted of five French prose volumes written in the early 13th century (c. 1225-1240) by an unknown author or authors, although they are sometimes attributed to Walter Map, a clerk for King Henry II. There is also speculation that one person may have outlined the cycles but several authors (possibly the Cistercian monks) wrote them. The Vulgate Cycle, also known as the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, makes Lancelot and the story of the Holy Grail the main focuses. The stories expanded on ideas introduced by French poet Chrétien de Troyes and may have derived from other sources as well, including Geoffrey of Monmouth. They are a major influence on Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur.

book cover from The History of the Holy Grail, image from Amazon.com

The five volumes are: Estoire du Graal (History of the Grail), c. 1240. This is a reworking of French poet Robert de Boron’s Joseph of Arimathea (c. 1200), which keys in on the story of Joseph of Arimathea taking the Holy Grail to Britain. Estoire de Merlin (History of Merlin), aka Vulgate Merlin or Prose Merlin, c. 1240. This is a prose adaptation of Boron’s Merlin. It tells stories of Arthur’s early years, such as the circumstances of his birth, how he was raised by Sir Ector, educated by Merlin, and how he becomes king via the sword in the stone. The book ends with the death of Merlin at the hands of Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. Lancelot Propre (Lancelot Proper), c. 1225. The story focuses on Lancelot instead of King Arthur. Among the stories are the knight’s birth, how he was raised by the Lady of the Lake, how his befriending of the giant Galehaut, his rescue of Guinevere from abduction, and the birth of Lancelot’s son, Galahad. Queste del Saint Graal (Quest of the Holy Grail), c. 1230. Sir Galahad is introduced as the one pure knight who can sit at the Siege Perilous, the designated seat at King Arthur’s Round Table for the one who will lead the Grail quest. La Mort de roi Artu (The Death of King Arthur), c. 1235. This volume details the adultery of Lancelot and Guinevere and how Mordred (introduced here as Arthur’s son for the first time) destroyed Camelot and killed Arthur. Following the five volumes of the Vulgate Cycle were a collection which is known as the Post-Vulgate Cycle. Written between 1230-1250, these were essentially a reworking of the Vulgate Cycle with parts omitted (much of the love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere), other parts emphasized more (Holy Grail), and some additional stories added (Tristan). Resources: Britaanica.com: Vulgate Cycle Jones’ Celtic Encyclopedia: The Vulgate Cycle King Arthur: A Man for the Ages The Vulgate Cycle Norris J. Lacy, editor. (1992-96). Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post Vulgate in Translation (5 volumes). New York: Garland. TimelessMyths.com: Vulgate Cycle Wikipedia entry: Lancelot-Grail Wikipedia entry: Post Vulgate Cycle

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Important Arthurian Works: Le Morte d'Arthur

Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur was one of the earliest printed books in England and is probably the best-known work of English-language Arthurian literature today. It was originally written as eight books and then published as 21 books by William Caxton in 1485. Malory likely started work on the project in the early 1450s while he was in prison and completed it by 1470. His aim was to create a comprehensive and authoritative collection of Arthurian stories. To that end, he largely translated the French Vulgate Cycle and compiled them with other Middle English sources.

The original eight books were: Book I: From the Marriage of King Uther unto King Arthur that Reigned After Him and Did Many Battles (Caxton I–IV) Book II: The Noble Tale Between King Arthur and Lucius the Emperor of Rome (Caxton V) Book III: The Noble Tale of Sir Launcelot Du Lac (Caxton VI) Book IV: The Tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney (Caxton VII) Book V: The First and the Second Book of Sir Tristrams de Lione (Caxton VIII–XII) Book VI: The Noble Tale of the Sangreal (Caxton XIII–XVII) Book VII: Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere (Caxton XVIII–XIX) Book VIII: The Death of Arthur (Caxton XX–XXI) Resources: Arthurian-legend.com: Le Morte d’Arthur – summary of Malory’s story Gutenberg.org: Le Morte d’Arthur (entire text online) Wikipedia.org: Le Morte d’Arthur

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