Scarlet Letters Literary Analysis

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Kay, Sarah. “Adultery and Killing in Le Mort le Roi Artu.” Scarlet Letters: Fictions of Adultery from Antiquity to the 1990s. Ed. Nicholas White and Naomi Segal. MacMillan Press Ltd., 1997. 34-44. Rpt. In Epics for Students. Ed. Elizabeth Bellalouna. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resource Center. Web. In medieval times adultery was wrongful because it was an “offense against property” and the laws of inheritance. However, in Le Mort d’Arthur it is considered wrong because it results in death and dissonance. The affair between Lancelot and Guinevere causes conflict between Lancelot and Arthur, so that when Mordred attempts to usurp Arthur,
Lancelot is not there to assist in the war. Earlier, both Lancelot and Guinevere commit murder accidentally and are put on trial where Lancelot engages in two “judicial duels” to determine the outcomes. Not unexpectedly, he wins both fights, so they are …show more content…
In the second duel, Lancelot prepares by praying because he believed he was guilty and would therefore lose in combat. Karen Pratt notes that the characters attempt to “reason why […] yet they never reach a conclusion.” There is debate over if he is guilty or innocent, but ultimately there is no conclusion due to the disjointed nature of the narrative. Neither duel answers any questions about adultery and treachery. The book progresses into greater violence and darkness, and much is caused by the affair. In another story two lovers consume a love potion. In contrast Guinevere kills someone with a poisonous apple paralleling the story of Eve and the fruit from the tree of knowledge. The first die. However, Guinevere and Lancelot are seemingly immune to death whilst being surrounded by it on all sides. They avoid killing whenever possible, but find it
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