Summary: Chapter 16
[Arthur] was hoping to weather the trouble
by refusing to become conscious of it.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Arthur, back from France, realizes that something is wrong
at Camelot. One day, he brings up the subject of Guenever with Lancelot, but
it is an awkward moment, and the affair is not directly addressed.
Lancelot then bumps into Guenever, who tells him Elaine is on her
way. Guenever seems to be on the verge of reconciling herself with
Lancelot, but she then tears herself away from him, saying that
she does not want to stand in his way if he discovers that he wishes
to marry Elaine.
Summary: Chapter 17
Guenever cordially welcomes Elaine, who brings Galahad,
though some hostility is evident. Lancelot avoids Elaine and Galahad
until Guenever orders him to go to them. Guenever adds, however,
that Lancelot is not to sleep with Elaine. Lancelot says he has
no intention of doing so. He is fascinated by the sight of his son,
but when Elaine tries to embrace Lancelot, Lancelot rushes out of
the room.
Summary: Chapter 18
The next day, Lancelot and Elaine are summoned to Guenever’s chamber.
Lancelot goes happily, remembering how he was summoned the night
before to Guenever’s room, where they spent the night together.
Guenever, however, is furious, and she accuses Lancelot of sleeping
with Elaine. Elaine defends Lancelot, saying that she thought he
was sleeping with Guenever, and Lancelot realizes that he has been
tricked once again. Guenever refuses to believe Elaine’s story. Lancelot
suddenly jumps out the window and flees the castle. Elaine bitterly
accuses Guenever of having driven Lancelot mad.
Summary: Chapter 19
Two years later, King Pelles’s friend Sir Bliant tells
him of a wild man he once encountered, who he thinks may have been
Lancelot. The wild man was naked, but spoke in the high tongue and
was so good with a sword that he managed to knock out Sir Bliant,
who was in armor. The wild man then ran to Sir Bliant’s tent, jumped
into his bed, and fell asleep. While the wild man was sleeping,
Sir Bliant brought him to his castle. A year and a half after that
first encounter, Sir Bliant was attacked by two evil knights, one
of whom was Sir Bruce Sans Pitié. The wild man saw this attack from
his window, broke his handcuffs, and saved Sir Bliant. Sir Bliant
and Pelles speculate that it may have been Lancelot.
Summary: Chapter 20
Soon after, a wild man comes to Pelles’s castle. Pelles
asks the wild man if he is Lancelot, but all the man does is roar.
Pelles tells his servants to give the wild man the clothes of a
fool and keep him locked in the stable. One night, Pelles gets drunk
and gives the wild man his cloak. In this royal clothing, the wild
man looks brave and noble, and the servants make a path for him
as he walks out.
Analysis: Chapters 16–20
This sudden mingling of Lancelot’s worlds—his relationship
with Elaine and his relationship with Guenever—turns out to have
disastrous results for Lancelot’s psyche. Now that questing and
chivalry have been contaminated for him, Lancelot has nowhere to
hide from Guenever, with the result being that he goes insane. Lancelot, who
is admittedly a little slow to learn, is tricked for a second time and
finds that what he thought of as a reconciliation in fact serves
to drive him and his love apart. He cannot, however, simply rush
out on a series of quests, as he does earlier; his first encounter
with Elaine has taught him that even adventures and questing can
be soured by love. When Guenever turns on Lancelot, therefore, he
is defenseless, unable to derive pleasure from the questing that
earlier brings him comfort, or at least distraction. Without any
way of escaping the pain he feels from Guenever’s rage, Lancelot
becomes insane from the strain.
