Le Morte D'Arthur Book 10 - 12
Tristram refuses to reveal his identity to King Arthur as he is questioned, and wounds the king in his hurry to escape. He finds one of his oldest enemies, Sir Palomides, being fought by ten knights, and aids the man. They decide to schedule a fight amongst themselves just as soon as Palomides recovers from his wounds, but they come across a wild knight who leaves a trail of wounded knights in his wake. Palomides is too weak to follow, but Tristram follows the trail and finds a knight in pure white armor at the spot where Balan and Balin had been buried. Tristram and Launcelot, who are as yet unaware of each other’s identities, have an incredible competition in which neither can slay the other. Eventually, they recognize each other and embrace as friends. Launcelot leads Tristram to Camelot, where he is welcomed by King Arthur and included among the ranks of the round table.
Mark learns of Tristram’s success and decides that he wants to kill Tristram by any means possible. He takes a couple of his knights, who learn that he intends to make use of dishonest means and so they abandon him. Mark is forced to roam the countryside fighting and pairing up with any knights that would have him, but he eventually reaches Camelot and he kills the knights that he had brought from Cornwall. Arthur and Tristram learn of Mark’s presence and his nefarious designs. They have him brought before Arthur, but Mark repents and promises to never move against Arthur or Tristram. Meanwhile, Lamorak’s brother Percivale is brought to King Arthur’s court where he is immediately knighted. One of the maids in the castle leads Percivale to the seat on the Round Table that had been reserved for the knight who achieves the Holy Grail. Lamorak, Percivale’s elder brother, is caught by Gaheris while he is lying in Margawse’s bed with her. Gaheris beheads his mother, while Lamorak escapes, and Gaheris is expelled from the kingdom for his crime.
Arthur sends Tristram back to Cornwall with a promise that he would protect and shield Tristram, but he has no true intentions of doing so. However, Mark does not immediately move against Tristram who proves to be a valuable asset against invasions of his kingdom. Mark later murders his brother who wins glory by defeating an invasion without Mark’s assistance. He tries to murder his son-in-law and his nephew, but the knight lets them leave under the condition that Alisander, the nephew, would avenge his father in due time. Alisander’s mother raises him to be a fierce knight and hands him his father’s bloody shirt on the day he is given the title of Sir. Alisander defeats many knights that day, and word of his true identity reaches the ears of King Mark.
Tristram tries to have Alisander join Arthur’s court, but Mark intercedes by appealing to Morgan le Fay for help. Morgan finds Alisander injured from a fight with a knight and takes him back to a castle. She imprisons him there with a promise, but Alisander escapes her grasp while winning a lot of acclaim for his skill as a knight. He eventually moves away with a young noblewoman called Alice, and their child eventually avenges his father and Tristram’s murder by slaying Mark.
King Arthur, Launcelot, and Guenever attend a jousting tournament, where Lamorak shines as one of the best fighters. King Arthur regrets Lamorak’s fate, as he had been unable to marry Margawase since she had been slain by her son, Gaheris. Arthur wishes to have Lamorak accompany them back to England, but Lamorak fears the vengeful children of Margawase. Meanwhile, the condition in Cornwall disintegrates once again as Mark tries to get rid of Tristram once again. Mark comes up with a very contrived lie for creating an army with the hoax of a Saracen invasion. Percival rescues Tristram from Mark’s prison, and eventually, Tristram escapes to England with his lady Isoud. They are warmly received by Launcelot, who shares the news with King Arthur. The king decides to hold a tournament with several knights of the country, and Tristram begins to make his way to the tournament. The knights begin to hear reports that Lamorak had been unfairly defeated and killed by the sons of Margawase. Sir Gareth is ashamed about the conduct of his brothers and claims to have severed all relations with them. The tournament proceeds with great success, and Tristram’s relationship with Arthur’s knights continues to deepen. His rivalry with the mighty Saracen knight, Palomides, worsens due to their mutual love for Isoud.
The narrative shifts away from Tristram and towards Launcelot, and his son Galahad. King Arthur receives a hermit in his court the same year as the birth of Galahad and declares that the knight who would rise to the quest of the Sangreal would be born that year. Launcelot sets out on an adventure and ends up in Corbin, where he is of crucial aid to King Pelles, a cousin of Joseph of Arimathea, who possesses the Sangreal. The king is aware of a prophecy about Launcelot’s son with his daughter, Elaine of Corbin, and the Sangreal. The king bewitches Launcelot with the help of a woman since Launcelot is loyal to Queen Guenever. They make him believe that Elaine is Queen Guenever so that he could conceive a child with her, and the plan works. Launcelot is furious when the enchantment wears off, and he departs with a burning hatred for the woman who had cast the bewitchment.
Elaine names her son, Galahad, and this child is seen by Sir Launcelot’s nephew, Sir Bors, who comes to the land of Corbin for adventures. He also learns about the presence of the Sangreal at the castle, and though he proves himself a capable fighter, he is told that he cannot achieve the Sangreal. However, the king tells Bors about the son of Launcelot, who would surely surpass his father and attain even the Sangreal. Bors also learns that Launcelot cannot achieve the Sangreal because of the sins that he has committed. Bors returns to King Arthur’s court and the news about Launcelot’s son begins to spread among the nobility. Guenever seethes in fury as she confronts Launcelot about the news of his son, but he manages to placate her by revealing the truth of that encounter. Later, Elaine visits Arthur’s court for a feast, and she successfully lures Launcelot to her chamber once again. Guenever confronts him, and he is driven mad by her accusations and the confusion of finding himself with Elaine. Launcelot escapes out of a window and disappears for two years. Elaine criticizes Guenever for being unfaithful to her husband, and for treating Launcelot so poorly. Arthur sends forth several knights to recover Launcelot, but none find success. Percival accidentally fights with Ector de Maris, Launcelot’s brother, while searching for Launcelot. The two knights are severely injured, however, Percival prays to Jesus. The knights are magically healed by the power of the Sangreal as it suddenly appears before them.
Launcelot wanders the wild in his madness, however, some knights try to assist him back to health. Launcelot’s madness seems incurable, and he ends up in the land of King Pelles. There he becomes the town fool, but he is soon found by Elaine of Corbin, who sees the sorry state of the once glorious knight. Elaine enlists the aid of her father King Pelles in restoring Launcelot’s sanity through the means of the Sangreal. The recovered Launcelot is severely ashamed of his state, and he asks Elaine to keep his actions as a madman a secret. He also asks her to aid him in securing a position in the court of her father, King Pelles, since he believes that he can no longer serve King Arthur due to his last interaction with Guenever. King Pelles gladly welcomes the famed knight into his retinue, and they organize a large jousting tournament. Launcelot continues to miss England, and Guenever, even as he thrives at the tournament by defeating all the knights that come before him.
Percivale and Ector De Maris find their way to the tournament, where they learn of a knight that had been restored to sanity through the means of the Sangreal. The knights decide to face this knight in a joust, but midway through the bout, Launcelot learns about Percivale and Ector’s true identities. He reveals himself to them, and the knights exclaim in joy as they tell him that they have been searching for him for several years along with a lot of the other knights of the round table. Launcelot attempts to refuse their offer to take him back to the court, but he quickly changes his mind when he learns that both Arthur and Guenever have been distraught over his absence. Elaine of Corbin is sorry to see the love of her life leave her once again, and she parts with him by telling him that their son, Galahad, would soon come to Arthur’s court to be knighted.
Launcelot is welcomed to the King’s court with pomp, while King Arthur thinks that Launcelot had stayed away from court due to his love for Elaine of Corbin, the other members of the nobility are aware of the truth. Meanwhile, Tristram’s renown in the kingdom has only continued to grow since Launcelot’s departure. Tristram heads for King Arthur’s court to welcome Launcelot, but encounters his old enemy and sometimes friend, Palomides. Tristram learns that Palomides hadn’t yet been baptized since he had to complete one final battle to fulfill the vow that he had made. Tristram assists Palomides by being his final opponent, and they begin a fierce battle in which both of them are wounded. However, Tristram manages to disarm Palomides, who concedes defeat and asks to become friends with Tristram once again. He apologizes to him and explains that his love for Isoud was never supposed to be a means to dishonor Tristram. They visit a church together where Palomides is baptized, and they make their way to Camelot.
Analysis
The reader continues to see a repeated pattern among the stories of King Arthur’s knights. In this section, we see parallels drawn between the accounts of the downfall of both Tristram and Launcelot. To begin with, Launcelot and Tristram are widely referred to as the most skilled knights in all of their lands. These knights are both in deeply loving relationships that ought to be considered sinful since Guenever and Isoud are both married to different men. Their downfall is triggered not by a battle, but rather heartbreak, which reveals a rather sensitive aspect of the character of such veteran warriors. Launcelot is driven mad when Guenever accuses him of being unfaithful, while Tristram goes mad because he thinks Isoud is being unfaithful to him. These knights are then exposed to absolute lows as Tristram wanders the countryside naked and among the shepherds, and Launcelot ends up becoming a town fool. However, both knights are restored to their sanity through the intervention of women who love them. Launcelot is rescued by the utterly devoted Elaine, despite the unrequited nature of her love, and Tristram is restored through the love of Isoud.
The quest for Sangreal gains greater urgency in this section with the appearance of the object in the possession of King Pelles. The miraculous object is said to have been brought by Joseph of Arimathea, who had managed to collect the blood and sweat of Jesus Christ in the cup that the Son of God had used for the Last Supper. The Sangreal is shown to possess limitless power as it instantly restores Percivale, Ector De Maris, and Launcelot. The Sangreal cannot be attained by just any knight, as we learn of the prophecy around Launcelot’s son with Elaine of Corbin, Galahad. This also creates a point of conflict between Galahad and Percivale, both of whom have been prophesied to attain the seat of Siege Perilous on the Round table. Percivale has seemingly already demonstrated his worthiness for the Sangreal by summoning it to him through prayer.
