Galahad
As the epitomy of what a knight should be Galahad is respected everywhere he goes. He completes adventures that no one else can manage just by simply being himself (i.e. the fiery tomb and the sword). Then, he achieves ultimate success by completing the quest for the grail. Once he is revered in Sarras as their king and has achieved everything that a knight strives for, he gives his life to God. This brings about the disappearance of the grail from the world, which seems to contradict the whole point of questing after it. This seems to me to be a rejection of the worldliness and prowess of the knightly order in favor of a more religious outlook because while the grail as an object is gone, it leaves a lasting impression that knights must strive for to achieve God’s favor. Are there any further ideas about this?
Tessa wrote:
Perhaps the loss of the Grail represents the impending fall of King Arthur or in the broader historical picture the invasion of the Saxons and the ‘loss’ of Christianity in England for a time. It certainly seems to differ in flavor from much of the more secular Arthuriana. Perhaps Malory is merely reflecting his French source, probably the Vulgate which is very religious in context probably written by monks if I’m not mistaken. Wouldn’t it make sense for the monks to model Galahad, the best of the knights, on themselves who are bound to chastity and obedience to the abbot and God. They live their lives and die for God yet aren’t worshipped or necessarily revered, perhaps this is their way of giving a hero to the monks of the world!
Posted 05 Nov 2007 at 9:28 pm ¶