My Valiant Lords and Sweet Ladies of the Round Table,
I do not wish to disturb your tender hearts away from your peacetime reverie however a truth must be brought to light. A terrible lie has been fed to you. The ending of the good cleric Chrétien’s story was erased and rewritten by the wicked Godefroy of Lagny. Now, Godefroy himself acknowledged that he wrote the ending but said he had Chrétien’s approval. Not so! The gentle Chrétien passed from this life to the next believing that the true story of Lancelot’s love for me, his queen, would go down in history as the greatest love story ever told.
So, you ask, what really happened? Lancelot was indeed rescued from the tower by Meleagant's kind sister and (like most of the other women in the story) asked for Lancelot's love in return. However, Lancelot DID NOT respond by pledging his heart, body, aid, and possessions to her. Instead he promised to free her from Meleagant's tyranny (by causing his death) but that his love was only for his queen (the same answer given to all other women in the story). Lancelot returned to King Arthur's court and defeated the loathsome Meleagant. When I first saw that he was alive and well, my heart leapt and could not be contained in my body. Love indeed ruled me over Reason and I outwardly rejoiced. This was not at all taken as odd because of course he was there as my champion and Arthur himself was overjoyed by his return. After Lancelot slew the traitor Meleagant, Arthur gave Meleagant's sister to Lancelot as a wife believing that would please them both. For shame! Shame on such a day! Lancelot and I were heartbroken and intent again on killing ourselves out of love. In the end we decided to try to live honorably for each other and arrange more secret trysts whenever we could. It was bittersweet, but it was true love.
Why, you ask, would the vile Godefroy have changed this ending? He felt that the pure but tragic love between Lancelot and me was shameful and should not be recited to future generations. He changed it in an attempt to make Lancelot seem more honorable and less sinful. But is not a lie even more disgraceful? I hope to have shed some light onto why Chrétien's story ended so strangely and abruptly. Please do not judge Lancelot and me too harshly. We are both ruled by Love instead of Reason.
4 comments:
Guinevere, your explanation clarifies so much. I am in a strange position, writing this, as Lancelot and Gawain were so close. Not many people know of the times I attempted to seduce Gawain--sneaking into his bed night after night. I wasn't in love with him, as he was with me. But I did lust for him. Nonetheless I do not judge you or Lancelot, for I am all too familiar with feelings of temptation and desire to remain honorable and faithful.
My Queen, you do Godefroy a grave injustice. He merely sought, as a man should, to make you appear more fit for Lancelot. A woman ruled by Love is a woman who cannot make decisions, and women MUST make decisions. He honors you above all other women by suggesting that you alone are ruled by Reason, the masculine trait, and as such are indeed worthy of Lancelot.
My noble and gracious Queen, forgive these words lest they give offence but speaking as a husband who was treated as harshly as my fellow Prince, Arthur, I must say that Love, while the meaning and very breath of life overcomes all should it also overcome a vow that was made of respect and fealty? You, as my wife Isolde also did, took a marriage vow to honor your husband and lord til death should part you. Instead of holding to your oath, you forsake your marriage bed and took a knight who had shamed and wronged you by his hesitation to follow you into danger as your lover. While I believe that you, like my nephew Tristan and my wife , did this with no malice but out of true passion and devotion, the matter still stands that you betrayed your King in an illicit affair with a knight, a figure who is to stand for all the honorable and chivalric deeds of the ages. If Love can overcome this travesty, than what good is the giving of a promise when Love may come and sweep duty away?
Fair Queen, I have read your new ending to the tale of "Lancelot, Knight of the Cart," and have found it to be much more pleasing than that of Godefroy's. You seem to have simply wanted the love between you and Lancelot to be recognized. My past with Tristan was surely misunderstood and I can see where your words come from.
And for you King Mark, I am truly sorry for what sadness I have brought unto you and please know that I think you are a kind an noble man. However, my heart and soul are with Tristan, as Queen Guinevere's unto Lancelot's. You cannot ignore your heart and for that I believe that our Queen's ending is much more genuine.
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