The Ill made Knight introduces Lancelot as a child training to become a knight, which he finally becomes when he is knighted by Arthur, who he becomes very good friends with. At first Lancelot sees Guenevere as getting in the way of his and Arthur's friendship, but soon he falls in love with her. To keep himself from betraying his strong morale code, along with his friends trust by succumbing to temptation and sleeping with Guenevere he leaves on a quest.
During his travels, Lancelot upholds Arthur's ideals, by using might for right. He bests many unrighteous knights and always sending his prisoners back to Camelot to kneel before Guenevere. One night however Lancelot is tricked ,while drunk, to sleep with a girl named Elaine. When he awakes to find what he has been tricked into doing, and believing now that he has lost his innocence, he will no longer be able to perform miracles he returns to Camelot and begins an affair with Guenevere. After a while though, Guenevere learns of Elaine (who has given birth to Lancelot's son Galahad), and angrily confronts her and Lancelot. Lancelot suddenly jumps out the window and runs away, leaving Elaine to turn the tide of the confrontation, accusing Guenevere of driving Lancelot mad.
After many accounts of a wild man that might be Lancelot, Elaine finds him, and nurses him back to sanity. After Lancelot has recovered, he takes up the name Le Chevalier Mal Fet (meaning the ill made knight), and him and Elaine start living together. After a tournament Lancelot reveals to two knights of the round table his true identity, and they persuade him to return to Camelot. Lancelot promises Elaine that he will return.
Arthur, seeing that the round table is weakening sends his knights on a quest to find the holy Grail. During his search Lancelot is beaten in a joust to his son Galahad, distraught by the fact that he was no longer the best knight in the world Lancelot attempts to repent for his sins, and upon returning to Camelot does not continue his affair with Guenevere. Guenevere has him leave again so as to not torture her any longer. Lancelot is not gone long however, before he returns to fight as Guenevere's champion against an accusation of attempting to poison Gawaine. After this incident, Lancelot goes to visit Elaine, but when he leaves again, and she realizes he will never love her, she kills herself.
After rescuing Guenevere from her kidnapper Meligrance, he spares his life, but sleeps with Guenevere again. Meligrance then accuses Guenevere of sleeping with one of her guards, and once again Lancelot defends her honor, and brutally kills Meligrance in combat. After they return to Camelot, Lancelot cures a mans wounds by placing his hand on him. While everyone around him cheers at the miracle Lancelot himself cries.
Galahad becomes seemingly perfect, and pure, as opposed to his father Lancelot whose faults become apparent, yet White seems to insist that we sympathize, and generally care much more about Lancelot then the cold, pious Galahad. In this White is, I believe, showing the line between being good and righteous to the point of perfection, and actually being a human with faults, and actual emotions. For all his struggles within himself, conflicting desires, and eventual sins, we love Lancelot, for he epitomizes what it actually means to be human.
One of the strongest parts of The Ill Made Knight is Arthur's slowly growing awareness, and ignoring of the affair. When it first begins, he has blocked even the thought that it was a possibility that his best friend, and his wife would do such a thing from his mind. As we go on however he begins to realize what is happening, and instead of doing anything about it, or acknowledging it, he simply goes on pretending he didn't notice. Arthur is unwilling to expose them, for if he did, by the very principles that he built his kingdom on, he would be forced to punish them. The fact that he is unwilling to do that shows quite a bit about Arthur as a human being, rather then as a king, as we usually see him since he has become an adult.
During his travels, Lancelot upholds Arthur's ideals, by using might for right. He bests many unrighteous knights and always sending his prisoners back to Camelot to kneel before Guenevere. One night however Lancelot is tricked ,while drunk, to sleep with a girl named Elaine. When he awakes to find what he has been tricked into doing, and believing now that he has lost his innocence, he will no longer be able to perform miracles he returns to Camelot and begins an affair with Guenevere. After a while though, Guenevere learns of Elaine (who has given birth to Lancelot's son Galahad), and angrily confronts her and Lancelot. Lancelot suddenly jumps out the window and runs away, leaving Elaine to turn the tide of the confrontation, accusing Guenevere of driving Lancelot mad.
After many accounts of a wild man that might be Lancelot, Elaine finds him, and nurses him back to sanity. After Lancelot has recovered, he takes up the name Le Chevalier Mal Fet (meaning the ill made knight), and him and Elaine start living together. After a tournament Lancelot reveals to two knights of the round table his true identity, and they persuade him to return to Camelot. Lancelot promises Elaine that he will return.
Arthur, seeing that the round table is weakening sends his knights on a quest to find the holy Grail. During his search Lancelot is beaten in a joust to his son Galahad, distraught by the fact that he was no longer the best knight in the world Lancelot attempts to repent for his sins, and upon returning to Camelot does not continue his affair with Guenevere. Guenevere has him leave again so as to not torture her any longer. Lancelot is not gone long however, before he returns to fight as Guenevere's champion against an accusation of attempting to poison Gawaine. After this incident, Lancelot goes to visit Elaine, but when he leaves again, and she realizes he will never love her, she kills herself.
After rescuing Guenevere from her kidnapper Meligrance, he spares his life, but sleeps with Guenevere again. Meligrance then accuses Guenevere of sleeping with one of her guards, and once again Lancelot defends her honor, and brutally kills Meligrance in combat. After they return to Camelot, Lancelot cures a mans wounds by placing his hand on him. While everyone around him cheers at the miracle Lancelot himself cries.
Galahad becomes seemingly perfect, and pure, as opposed to his father Lancelot whose faults become apparent, yet White seems to insist that we sympathize, and generally care much more about Lancelot then the cold, pious Galahad. In this White is, I believe, showing the line between being good and righteous to the point of perfection, and actually being a human with faults, and actual emotions. For all his struggles within himself, conflicting desires, and eventual sins, we love Lancelot, for he epitomizes what it actually means to be human.
One of the strongest parts of The Ill Made Knight is Arthur's slowly growing awareness, and ignoring of the affair. When it first begins, he has blocked even the thought that it was a possibility that his best friend, and his wife would do such a thing from his mind. As we go on however he begins to realize what is happening, and instead of doing anything about it, or acknowledging it, he simply goes on pretending he didn't notice. Arthur is unwilling to expose them, for if he did, by the very principles that he built his kingdom on, he would be forced to punish them. The fact that he is unwilling to do that shows quite a bit about Arthur as a human being, rather then as a king, as we usually see him since he has become an adult.
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