Lancelot And Odysseus

Lancelot and Odysseus


     "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

compassion is revoked as Lancelot wins for a second time and beheads the knight.

Lancelot reveals, by this action, a desire to be just to all; he wants to be

generous to the girl while showing compassion to the defeated knight.  Another

shared feature in the personalities of Lancelot and Odysseus is their

interminable desire to follow through on their quest to which they have devoted

a large portion of their lives.  Even though, in the case of Odysseus, this

quest is not one that is embarked upon voluntarily, he pursues it with a passion

so rich and intense that it can hardly go unnoticed to the attentive reader.

This is also the case with Lancelot and his continuous efforts at attaining the

fleetlingly elusive love of Guinevere.  This is illustrated at the numerous

points in the story when Lancelot sacrifices himself or his own needs to satiate

those of the queen.  This passion shared by both Lancelot and Odysseus is a

common thread between the two and represents at least one similarity between the

viewpoints of the Greeks and the medieval Europeans.

     The cultures of the medieval Europeans and the Greeks do, in fact, share

many similarities; however as one probes deeper into the characters represented

in their literature, it usually appears that the converse is true.  Although

both men represent the heroic ideal, this ideal is quite different to Greek

society than it was in the twelfth-century Europe.  For instance, the way that

the hero views himself varies exceptionally between the two cultures.  Odysseus

commits the terrible sin of hubris on numerous occasions in The Odyssey.  For

instance, when Odysseus and his crew must pass the sirens to return to Ithaca,

Odysseus ins
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