Somehow the Pope hears about this war and writes a letter commanding Arthur and Launcelot to make up. Malory explains that the Bishop of Rochester acted as the Pope’s messenger on this one, but fails to explain how the news … Continue reading →
Cut to four months later. Arthur’s siege on Joyous Gard has gone on nearly that long; Launcelot refuses to come out. Then, Launcelot finally appears, up on the walls of the castle. He calls down to Arthur, saying that the … Continue reading →
“Alas, that ever I bare crown upon my head!” cries Arthur, when he hears about the massacre. “The Round Table is ended, as I predicted. We were running on fumes ever since the Grail quest; now we’re done. Launcelot and … Continue reading →
Meanwhile Sir Mordred, whom Launcelot did not kill, limps off to Arthur. He has to go on horseback because, as you may have forgotten, all of this went down while King Arthur was away from Camelot on the pretext of … Continue reading →
Another year, another May, another season of romance and whimsy! Book XX opens with the stark contrast between all the happy lovers in Camelot (chief among them Guenever and Launcelot) and the two villains of our piece, Sir Agravaine and … Continue reading →
New story! Once upon a time there was a Hungarian knight named Sir Urre, who fought with a Spanish knight named Sir Alphegus, at Alphegus’s father’s tournament. Urre killed Alphegus, but Alphegus had a death-curse, on account of his mother … Continue reading →
The next big jousting tournament in the rotation is the Candlemas tournament, around New Year’s. Everybody plans to attend, Launcelot included. Guenever, with whom he’s made up by now, calls him into her chambers one evening. “Listen,” she says. “I … Continue reading →
This bit here is pretty famous: Elaine of Astolat, aka the Lady of Shalott comes down the river in her funeral barge, where the knights of Camelot find her. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote a poem you might remember from Anne … Continue reading →
So one of Sir Bernard’s servants runs and fetches the shield, which of course Gawaine recognizes instantly as Sir Launcelot’s. While Elaine prattles on about how much she loves her incognito knight, Gawaine tries to reconcile Launcelot’s shield with his … Continue reading →
Meanwhile, back at the jousting tournament, everything’s wrapping up. Arthur meets with Mister 100 and the other opposition kings, to divvy up the prizes. “Obviously the grand prize goes to the mysterious knight with the white shield and the red … Continue reading →
