Free Essays: Lancelot in The Knight of the Cart and Odysseus of Odyssey

Lancelot in The Knight of the Cart and Odysseus of Odyssey

"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is

good (Romans 12:9)." This principal seems to be markedly evident as one closely

examines the actions and thoughts behind the character of Sir Lancelot in The

Knight of the Cart. When one encounters the adventures of Odysseus in The

Odyssey, however, the values of a completely different and slightly opposing

culture present themselves. In the medieval times of Sir Lancelot, an ideal man

would tend to follow the teachings of the Bible and live a relatively mild-

mannered life. On the other hand, in the culture of the Ancient Greeks, the

"perfect" role-model for life would be Odysseus and his perspicacious adventures

involving grandiose plots against him and his crew. The ideals exemplified by

Lancelot and Odysseus greatly and eloquently reflect the morals and aspirations

evident in the literature of their respective time periods. This idea is

demonstrated when one examines the similarities between Lancelot and Odysseus,

their differences, and the consequences of their actions on their lives.

Although Lancelot and Odysseus lived in completely different and

somewhat opposing time periods, their heroic and "larger than life"

personalities share some quite distinguishing characteristics. I say that their

time periods were somewhat opposing because the views of the culture regarding

the afterlife and any supernatural occurrence represent the conflict present

between monotheism and polytheism. One mutual characteristic of Lancelot and

Odysseus is their physical prowess present when they do battle against anyone

opposing their divine quest. Odysseus tends to take a more militaristic and

pitiless attitude toward this combat as shown during his battle with the suitors.

Not only does Odysseus slay the entire lot of suitors, but he kills any servant

or maid that has been unfaithful to him in his absence. Lancelot, on the other

hand, pursues his ultimate goal with an undying diligence while trying, more

often than not, to take pity on the individuals that he must combat. This is

best demonstrated in The Knight of the Cart when Lancelot fights the knight

that repeatedly taunts him about riding in the cart. Although he initially

shows this knight mercy by giving him another chance to fight against him, this