Fleeing the Future, Forgetting the Past: Becoming Malory’s Lancelot

The conflicting perspectives of Lancelot apparent within the first two tales of Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur highlight the competing impulses that haunt Malory’s ideal knight from his earliest appearances in the narrative proper. Through skilful renegotiation of tradition, Malory effectively challenges audiences to consider the precise nature of the values commemorated in every retelling of the Arthurian legend.