In the years between Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136), which presented the tales of a young warrior who would become the ruler of an empire, and Le Morte Darthur, inked in prison. by Sir Thomas Malory, the religious landscape of Europe began to change from one that was deeply Christian to a mixture of traditional beliefs and new spiritualism. In a detailed study of the religion of the period, Tanner (2009) highlights the population decline due to the Black Death, the spread of the Ottoman Empire in Europe, and the general disillusionment with the Church after the Western Schism as reasons for the decline of support for the Church. church. Due to the rise of other religious beliefs during its composition and selected passages in the work, some critics have argued that La Morte de Malory (1485) is a secularized account of the Arthurian tradition rather than being influenced by Christianity. Even the flagship section of The Holy Grail, The Noble Tale of the Sankgreall, has been presented as a simplified account of the divine chalice that avoids overly Christian elements in favor of a secular narrative. Eugène Vinaver (1947) argues that Malory's Grail section is the least original of the author's work. In writing the translation of the source material, the French Vulgate cycle The Quest for the Holy Grail, Vinaver said: Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay His attitude [towards the source] can be described without much risk of oversimplification as that of a man whose quest of the Grail was above all an Arthurian adventure and which considered the intrusion of the Grail into Arthur's kingdom not as a means of opposing earthly and divine chivalry and of condemning the former, but as an opportunity offered to the knights of the Round Table to gain even greater glory in this field. world. (1) This argument claims that Malory's work is secular in nature rather than inspired by Christian themes. This statement is wrong on its face, as this research will prove. Vinaver's argument is refuted by Charles Moorman in his 1956 essay "Malory's Treatment of the Sankgreall". In a detailed response to Vinaver, Moorman argues that the story of the Grail must be considered in the context of Death as a whole. Furthermore, rather than seeking glory as Vinaver posits, Moorman argues that Malory's Grail adventure is symbolic of man's fall from God's grace – "presenting the failure of the Grail Knights as the 'one of the main causes of the fall of the Round Table' (497). However, Moorman's opinion is somewhat limited in scope. Not only is Malory's work brimming with Christian influence, but it can be argued that the entire work was inspired by the author's desire to return to God. Sankgreall is a Christian story, not a secular one, and functions as a message about the importance of true redemption. Although another knight in the tale – Galahad – achieves ultimate greatness, the story belongs to Launcelot, who also serves as the metaphorical vessel through which Malory begins his own redemption after a life of evil deeds. In the last lines of Le Morte Darthur, Malory asks his reader to pray for his soul. Specifically, the scribe writes: I pray to you all, jentylmen and jentylwymmen who write this book of Arthur and his knights from beginning to end, pray for me why I am alive that God may send me a good delivery; and when I do, I beg you all to pray for my soul. For this book was finished in the ninth year of the reign of Edward IV, by Syr Thomas Maleore, knight, as Jesus helps the hymn, for itsgreat power, because he is the servant of Jesus day and night. Amen. (698) Malory, the blacksmith most associated with Arthurian tradition, was a troubled man who spent much time in prison. The very work he is famous for, Morte, was composed while he was incarcerated for a series of violent crimes. The most notable of these crimes was the rape of a woman named Joan Smith. In her essay "Malory and Rape", Catherine Batt (1997) points out that legal documents of the time reveal that Malory of Newbold Revel engaged in these gratuitous acts in 1450. On May 23 of the same year, then from Again on August 6, Malory invaded Hugh Smith's house in Leicester where he "criminally raped and carnally bedded" the man's wife, then stole the family's possessions. He was then pursued by local authorities, arrested and sentenced to serve a sizable sentence in the mud of an English prison for his obscenities. However, behind these cold walls, Malory achieved greatness. His Arthurian prose retold legends, added new wrinkles, and produced a coherent, concise canon for the King of Camelot and his Knights of the Round Table. But as a petty criminal, accused of the heinous crime of rape, how is it appropriate for such a man to write about morality, God, decorum and proper behavior? His stories are not of despair but of salvation. Malory's writings, while brimming with violence, murder, deception, and betrayal, are essentially a story of men's search for redemption, cautionary tales of the tragedies wrought by sin, and a guide to how humans should treat each other. my contention that without Malory's crimes and the resulting punishment, the author would never have produced La Morte, and the Arthurian tradition would not have its present place in the annals of British literature. It is important to realize, due to the very nature of his writings and the overt moral advocacy he makes in his work, that Malory was heavily influenced by Christian doctrine and ideology. Moreover, his last lines from La Morte – “pray for me… that God send me good deliverance” – as well as his promise that he had become a servant of Jesus Christ day and night were a profession of faith, perhaps one the faith he acquired in prison and by pondering his own evil deeds. Malory's writings and final plea indicate a man who achieved greatness, strayed from God, and committed himself to restoration. The story of the lost soul who finds God is a tale of several characters in La Morte, most notably Launcelot, who is an exemplary knight of the order but drifts away from God. And, like Malory himself, the knight finds God through the conclusion of his story. Although we know little about Malory's days in prison, his writings indicate a godly man who placed a strong emphasis on attending church and knowing God on an intimate, personal level. Although a criminal, Malory was fascinated by the church and the act of communing with God. McCarthy (1991) argues that Malory ranks his knights in a simple and singular way, with piety serving as the measure. This argument is reinforced by David Eugene Clark (2015) in his essay “Constructing Spiritual Hierarchy through Mass Attendance in Morte Darthur.” In La Morte, Malory parallels the weakness and strength of all humanity with those of Arthur and his knights. Clark assigns a ranking to the Grail Knights that places Gawain at the bottom and Perceval and Galahad as the most exemplary. This classification established the belief that Malory attributed closeness to God as vital to the soul. Malory's journey back to God beginswith his Grail Knights, who are the best among us but who are still faltering. However, none of these knights have a bad moral reputation. Gawain's basic ranking is simply a delineation intended to separate the noblest knights from those with the most corrupted souls. Clark points out that Malory links mass attendance to the piety of Arthur's knights. The more frequent the participation in mass, the closer the knight's place is to God (136). However, it is not enough to attend mass to exalt a knight. He must also be as free from sin and live as pure a life as possible. Gauvain only attends mass during “community” hours when everyone goes (128). Higher level knights spend more time en masse, which is part of their daily rituals. What separates Launcelot, a level 3 knight, from the upper echelon of Galahad and Percival (level 4), is not his lack of mass attendance but rather the way he moves away from God after having a glimpse of the Grail. After Launcelot's moment of clarity with the Grail, he pledges his soul to God but then returns to Camelot and is once again a slave to the sins of the flesh. He continues his affair with Guinevere, massacres an innocent in Gareth, and is the catalyst for the demise of Arthur's kingdom. Launcelot symbolizes anyone who finds himself close to God only to hesitate when time or inconvenience proves greater than the call to piety. It is ironic that despite the violence these men engage in, they are still considered noble and even pious because of their church attendance. They place the king (and queen in Launcelot's case) above or at least next to God, and they violate God's commandment not to kill with impunity. Although they are considered righteous by secularists, Malory's writings indicate that God sees them for what they are: broken men. Clark writes that Launcelot and Bors are both guilty of serious, even mortal, sins, but to draw closer to God, they confess their crimes, repent, do penance, and prove themselves by “pure living” (144). The task proves too great in the long run, and Launcelot's hesitation proves to the detriment of everyone involved. This idea of ​​the soldier's disgrace could be a testimony that Malory writes about himself. Through Batt's research as well as the work of others, we know that Malory was a soldier and a respected person when he was elected to Parliament. He was also a political activist in the most aggressive sense of the word as he engaged in raids to weaken and anger the Duke of Buckingham. The crimes of rape as well as countless other vile acts were committed in a seemingly more brazen manner before his incarceration. The more he engaged in criminal acts, the greater their seriousness became. But while he was in prison, his stories created an idyllic world where good triumphed over evil until small squabbles grew into major grievances. Cracks appeared in the foundations of the knightly oath established by the king, and the sin of man proved too great for the kingdom to bear. It is unclear whether these writings were politically motivated or Malory's statements about the sad state of her own life. Writing during the time of the Wars of the Roses, Malory's stories have parallels to the real world in which he lived. However, his consistent use of chivalric notions in his writings indicates that he was influenced not only by Christian teachings, but also by his own desire to atone for his violation of the chivalric code he created. While Malory could havesimply telling a story, the dedication, care and detailed, intricate expression he gave to each page indicate a man trying to convey a message. The character of Launcelot, with his failures and triumphs, indicates an author living vicariously through his creation. Malory's final plea in the book, inviting readers to pray for his soul, also indicates a man seeking forgiveness and his own redemption. At this point, it's important to return to the notion of chivalry and Malory's own violation of the code. The Pentecostal oath first appeared in the Morte and was not found in any previous incarnation of the Arthurian tradition. At its core, the oath is what Arthur considers to be the primary virtues of a knight. By taking an oath, a knight becomes a member of the Round Table and receives wealth and land. One of the main principles of the code concerns the treatment of women. When it comes to Malory's crimes, there is a section of the oath to consider: "...and always to make ladies, ladies, jantilwomen, and widows [socour], to strengthen their rights, and never to enforce, against payment of the debt…” (77). The author did not respect this part of his own code (and it can be argued that any author's words, especially codes of conduct, are their own beliefs). Although Malory violated his own oath, we must nevertheless affirm that the Death is a testimony of repentance and a call to follow the Christian virtues contained therein. The prose clearly illustrates a man with an overt message of hope and a call for readers to follow the virtues contained within. If Malory remained an unfeeling criminal, what would be the point of writing messages of hope unless he was seeking forgiveness for his crimes and perhaps had already discovered God? What does a cold criminal have to gain by writing messages of love, piety and creating tales of an uplifting nature and illustrating the suffering of sin? Malory was inspired, asked for the light of the Christian God and, in his own words, found that light. However, despite these revelations, some have argued that Malory's work was not inspired by Christian influence. Among the detractors is Alastair Minnis (2006), who has argued that simply because the tale "Sankgreall" deals exclusively with the Holy Grail, La Morte as a whole should not be considered a Christian work (34). He says the work contains Christian elements but only in limited form, likening the work to many individual keys for many distinct beliefs rather than a skeleton that opens the entire work to Christianity. The challenge, as Hodges (2007) explains, is then what keys to use when they appear and how the public is “invited to respond to what they find when the locks are opened”. Secularization aside as well as any arguments for or against Christian influence, the story of Launcelot and his path to the Grail are keys to unlocking Malory's own hidden call for redemption. Before we can argue that Launcelot was a representation of Malory himself, we must examine the literary character as well as the author's influences in the training of the knight. From various sources across Europe, Malory pieced together an official Arthurian “canon.” Some of the canon, including much of Launcelot's story, was altered for its own purposes, and others, such as Perceval's tale, were significantly altered. The Sankgreall is inspired by the French text La Queste de Saint Graal. However, Malory reduced the work to almost a third of its original length. During his expulsion, the authorimprisoned removed the long dogmatic dialogues. Mary Hynes Berry (2001) argues that the cuts create new perceptions of the Grail story and writes: "While we can never be sure whether Malory understood or not, his deletions undoubtedly follow a clear and consistent pattern » (244). This model involves focusing largely on Launcelot. There are other knights – Bors, Percival, Galahad – but it is Launcelot who is at the center of the plot. Specifically, the story focuses on a man's desire to repent and please God while struggling against his own nature and the desires of the flesh. Malory's hero is deeply flawed, but not beyond redemption. Ultimately, before the story's final act, Malory comes to his symbolic conclusion by writing about Launcelot's partial success in seeing the Grail, being denied all the glory because of his sin, and then promising to dedicate return his life to God. The thematic lesson of the story is to constantly work to improve. Lancelot is the best that Earth has to offer. He contrasts with Galahad, whom Malory uses as the embodiment of what all should strive to be. Galahad is ideal. Lancelot is reality. This father/son dynamic is also intriguing and will be discussed later in the book. Returning to Malory's excisions, he essentially trims the fat from the French text by excluding sermons and long spiritual sections which, as Berry explains, "develop meaning but fail to advance the plot" (246). This dogma slows down the text and while Berry and other Arthurian experts believe the cuts are made to sharply focus the message of hope and return to God, some critics argue that Malory's Grail story secularizes the material. This is a return to the Vinaver argument stated previously. Snyder (1974) disagrees with Vinaver and argues that Malory's Grail story is a broader statement about society and man's place in it as he struggles to get along with it. God rather than to go with the greed of the flesh. Snyder realizes that Death must be considered as a whole and that the reader must understand why the cuts were made. Complementing Snyder's arguments, Moorman argues that the failure of the Grail Knights was not only the catalyst for the fall of the Round Table. but also Malory's metaphor for man's failure to find God. Moorman: “He eliminates from the hermits' comments those purely religious comments which are extraneous to his purpose, but he is always careful to retain, usually in summary, the religious core of the argument presented” (498). He agrees with the thesis of this essay and that Vinaver's statement on secularization is wrong. If Malory had wanted to secularize the Grail, he could very easily have excluded the words of the hermits completely. In fact, their inclusion continues to slow down the narrative. If Malory had only wanted to continue his tradition of describing war and battles in detail (the soldier in him), it would have been easier to move from one perilous adventure to another on the path to the Grail rather than stop to listen to the life lessons of those who have crossed the path. This was obviously not Malory's wish. He did not intend to make a work about blood and violence. Malory's Grail Tale is an effort to illustrate a man's repentance from his sin and his desire to be reunited with God. Continuing this line of thought, Riddy (1987) says that Malory's cutting of the source text was a "reaction against the overly explicit." . . literary fashion” (113-114). He goes on to note that the tone of the French text was "too didactic and that Malory's rejectionwas simply meant to trim the fat, regardless of whether he was religious or secular.” Kennedy (1985) posits that Malory's treatment of the Grail story "reflects the attempts of fifteenth-century writers to reconcile religion with their own life experience" (286). And given Malory's life experiences and his situation in life at the time he wrote La Morte, it's pretty easy to argue that Launcelot was Malory himself on the page. The written adage “write what you know” was true in the Middle Ages as it is today. Launcelot was Malory and Malory was Launcelot. Launcelot's downfall is foreshadowed at the very beginning of the Grail story as he kindly rejects his king's order to remove the sword from the stone: “Sir, strike ys nat my swerde. Moreover, I have no boldness to fix my sharpeners there, because it must not be my syde” (498). Although this act may seem minor, it is a betrayal of one of the key decrees of Arthur's Pentecostal oath. It is a parallel between Christian chivalry and its failures and the failures of our lives. Throughout the story, Launcelot encounters hermits and damsels as well as other knights and is always considered the "best of all synfull men". He is the best in a sinful world and can do no more. When comparing Malory as a person to his creation in Launcelot, it is important to remember that Malory does not tolerate Launcelot's failures or sins. It paints a dark picture of what Launcelot (who replaces Malory as well as humanity) brings to those he loves simply because of his vanity, hubris, and pride. It describes the common problem among men throughout time. Repenting and undertaking penance is not enough if you do not continue on the right path. Launcelot's essential flaw is his instability. It is not his past sins that have cost him dearly, but his continued inability to direct himself exclusively to God. Like all humans, it is not about good and evil. There are too many shades of gray. It is about the path to God. Malory, writing about Launcelot in the weeks before he entered Corbenic Castle, describes a man who is in constant prayer: "And the wynde arose and chased Sir Launcelot more than a month through the land, where he slept . small,but he prayed to God that he might see some tydynges of the Sankgreall” (575). He arrives at the castle, sees a guard of lions and returns to his ship to arm himself. Then a voice: “…why do you trust your harness more than your Creator? For he could better use your love in the service in which you are placed” (576). Lancelot obeys the voice, enters the castle freely. After a period of searching, he walks towards a screen door which opens and Launcelot catches a glimpse of the Grail. Amazed and wanting to get closer, the voice tells him not to enter because he is not worthy to go any further. The critical error occurs when he sees a character appear distressed. Disobeying the voice, he rationalizes: “Fayre Fadir, Jesu Cryste, I will not be touched if I help the good man who needs help” (577). Lancelot is kicked out of the room and found the next morning by the people. He sleeps in a coma for 24 days. The door is closed; the way is closed, simply because Lancelot does not put his trust in God. The knight here is rejected because he once again ignores advice and orders in the pursuit of chivalrous chivalry. Rather than ignoring the warning and trying to help the sick man, Launcelot should have believed in God that the deity would protect those who had faith in him. In other instances in history, Launcelot did not take the hermits' words to heart. These hermits undoubtedly serve as messengers of Godwhich provide key information that can be followed or ignored. Ignoring advice, however, has consequences. There are also many tempters and temptresses along the path to the Grail that all knights encounter. Chief among them would be the devil posing as a beautiful woman who tempts Perceval. A religious gesture (the sign of the cross) saves the knight. So it is not entirely Launcelot's fault, for how can a man know who is friend and who is foe? In the case where he is literally at the gates of the Grail, Launcelot's ignoring the warnings results in the knight's inability to realize that God will help those who have faith. Perhaps if Launcelot had not been so reckless and had faith, just as Daniel survived the lion's den, the knight's story might have had a different ending. But even Launcelot had more than a glimpse, he continued to fail to meet the demands of Christian chivalry upon his return to Camelot. If Launcelot is a replacement for Malory in this case, what can we say about Galahad? As the illegitimate son of Galahad, one could draw a parallel to the virgin birth of Christ in that he entered the world under unusual circumstances, was then raised by someone other than his father and is the only soul capable of accomplishing what others cannot. We know that Malory had at least one son, but it is not possible to know whether Launcelot and Galahad's father/son dynamic is the result of Malory's own desire for his son to have a better life than him or whether Galahad is only a symbol of Christ as an example of what humanity should strive to be. Regardless, it's easy to view Launcelot's failures as more serious than they are because of Galahad's success. However, it must be argued that Launcelot is even more successful as a knight because of Galahad's achievements. The father wants more for the child, which is a statement that remains true across time, regardless of the mother's creed or color. In the final pages of the story, Malory speaks of Galahad's success in the quest for the Grail and his rule over the land of Sarras. Galahad is approached by a descendant of Joseph of Aramathy, who had been entrusted with the protection of the Grail, and takes the knight to paradise. Before leaving, Galahad has one last word for his friends Percival and Bors: And having spoken these words, [Sir Galahad] went to Sir Percivale and kissed him and commended the hymn to God; and so he went to Sir Bors and kissed him and commended him to God, and said: "My lord, sell me to my lord Sir Launcelot, my father, and so on. While you say it, remember of this unstable world. (586) In his final moments, his mission accomplished, he told his friends to deliver a message to Launcelot, his father. The message is not necessarily a message of love, but one of encouragement. Remember the unstable world. Remember the perils of the world and the ease of sin. His message aims to give hope and encouragement to a father struggling to continue being an honest man in an indecent world. In this line of thinking, the message could be a message of love although it is a didactic love. The roles of father and son are almost reversed here, which is the goal of the character of Galahad. The message is the same as that spoken by Christ. In this portrait, Galahad speaks to Launcelot, Malory and the reader. Launcelot and his son are very different souls. The son is set apart from other men and we only know his almost perfect nature. But by his nature, he shows few human emotions. Malory appears to have intentionally written the character of away that emphasizes Launcelot's humanity. In doing so, we indicate to the reader that we can all be Launcelot and that the only thing stopping partial success from blossoming into complete victory is ourselves. Berry writes: “The meaning and effect of Launcelot's partial success depends on our clear recognition that his success is limited. Galahad provides the counterpoint. He embodies the ideal” (253). While Galahad succeeds and shows us all what can be achieved, Launcelot completes his journey. He promises to follow the advice of those he met on the journey, to reform his life of sin (pride, adultery, and betrayal), and to begin living in bondage to God. Launcelot remarks: “Now I thank God for his great mercy towards what I have felt, for it is enough for me. For, as I suppose, no man in this world has lived better than I to achieve what I have done” (578). These lines illustrate that Lancelot has a new understanding of what he should do, the life he should lead, the sins he should never commit again. However, the hearts of men remain easily corrupted and Launcelot's pride and vanity shine through upon his return to Camelot and his reunion with Arthur and Guinevere. The scene at the castle is grim as Malory describes the Round Table he returns to as having more than half of its knights "killed and destroyed". Malory's foreshadowing of the brief meeting with the king and his best knight establishes the final act and final fall of the kingdom known as Camelot. Although Launcelot is Malory's vessel for the redemption story, it's not fair to go after the knight exclusively. Moorman reminds us that Launcelot's failure lies in the inherited flaw of the entire system. Malory's Camelot, and Galahad's role in it, is representative of Jesus Christ (manifest Christianity and the redemption angle are like hammers) and his role for believers. Galahad is an autonomous character, sent from above to accomplish the sole objective of the Grail quest. Arthur's knights were unable to achieve their objective. Someone much more powerful was needed, just as, according to Christian doctrine, Jesus Christ died for the sins of all humanity. Sent from God, Galahad reveals the inadequacies of Arthur's court and the mystical, secular world in which they live. In the modern vernacular, Galahad is the clarion call to “be right with God.” This leaves Launcelot in a tragic light, as Moorman writes: "Malory would therefore seem to use Launcelot as a tragic hero, as the man whose greatest strength, his devotion to the chivalric code, is at the same time his greatest weakness and his greatest downfall. » 501). In other words, the system itself is flawed because it requires an oath to Arthur rather than God. As has been established, Malory's favorite knight is undoubtedly Launcelot. To this end, given the difficult situation Malory found himself in at the time Launcelot was writing, it can be argued that Malory used the knight as a stand-in for himself. Malory's appeal to the reader in the last lines of La Morte to pray for his soul, that he had found God and that he was a warrior for Jesus day and night. It is only after Launcelot loses everything, his king, his loved ones, his beloved, his kingdom, that he finds ultimate redemption and renounces worldly desires and chivalrous things. He assumes the role of hermit, a man of God and devotes himself to this service. During a final meeting with Guinevere, he laments his inability to keep what he promised God when he awoke from his coma. He now begs the queen to grant him one last.