LE3 .A278 2010

2010

Whetter, Kevin

Acadia University

Master of Arts

Masters

English

English & Theatre Studies

his thesis advocates an approach to Malory's Morte Darthur that is focused on the presentation of knights and chivalry. The thesis argues that a study of the Morte which considers the historical practice of English knighthood offers a unique approach to understanding Malory's text and the treatment of Lancelot. The thesis offers an overview of fifteenth‐ century English knighthood and considers the Morte alongside other medieval works concerned with chivalry such as the alliterative Morte Arthure and the Awyntyrs off Arthure. Taking Malory's Pentecostal Oath as the standard for chivalry in Le Morte Darthur, the thesis reassesses the status of Lancelot's knighthood. Particular attention is given to chivalric virtues and the ways in which chivalry is compromised by Lancelot's involvement with Guinevere, both Elaines, and with Urry. The thesis concludes that a sustained chivalric critique reveals Lancelot as a flawed hero torn between love and the stringent demands of chivalry.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:160