Guinevere's Relationship With Lancelot

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Guinevere is a dynamic character that influences the whole Arthurian Legend story. In Guinevere, an entry in the Encyclopedia of World Mythology, Guinevere is the symbol of loyalty and betrayal, while in Alfred Tennyson’s Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere Guinevere’s life is only described through her relationship with Lancelot. Both sources are used to show how Guinevere’s relationship with Lancelot tore apart the Arthurian kingdom. Guinevere’s character has changed over time because in the earliest of Arthurian Legends she was not associated with Lancelot. In Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere it is mentioned that a man kissed Guinevere. This kiss then in part destroyed Camelot. It is never said who kissed Guinevere, but the source specifically …show more content…

It is common to see, in most modern sources, that Guinevere never loved King Arthur and that she was either forced into marriage or married him solely for his land and money. It is not surprising to see this in most modern sources because people in this day in age like to see scandalous behavior. It is a better story if it is believed that Guinevere never loved King Arthur because it makes it seem that she was either forced into marriage or she just married King Arthur for his money and land. The author in Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere makes it seem as if Guinevere married King Arthur because she loved him and it was true love at first sight between her and Lancelot. Guinevere “seemed a part of joyous Spring” while she was seeing Lancelot (Tennyson 23). This source makes it seem as if she was a completely different person when she saw Lancelot. The reason that Tennyson wrote this the way that he did is because either the story got changed up while being spread across the world or because he wanted the reader to realize how much the relationship meant between Sir Lancelot and Guinevere. If the story were to have gotten changed when being spread across the world then that would be the easy explanation. If it was because Tennyson wanted to emphasize the relationship between the two then it goes in depth more than Guinevere. The relationship between Guinevere and Sir Lancelot is only a small part of the entry in the Encyclopedia of World Mythology. Tennyson completely outlines how the two felt towards each other which gives the reader a better understanding of why Guinevere went through so much just to see Lancelot. Guinevere does not go in depth as much so the reader does not get a complete understanding of why Guinevere went through so much to see her

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