The legend of King Arthur and his golden court of Camelot has existed for centuries, and has been changing ever since its birth in the first millennium.  Although the myth is most certainly a piece of fiction, the basis for the character of Arthur most likely came from “a primitive Welsh battle leader of the sixth century” named Arturius (5).  As the literature increased in popularity, it spread to all parts of Europe where it became a familiar story, particularly in England and France.  Throughout the generations, authors of different nationalities and outlooks have added to the folklore—introducing new moral codes, building up previously unimportant characters, and shifting the reasons of the fated tragedy from simple deceit to a much more complicated form of treason.

            After hundreds of years of metamorphosis, the Arthurian legend has adopted a traditional form with the same basic components.  Although the exact details and names of characters may vary slightly in each separate literary example, a common skeleton has emerged.  According to this structure, young King Arthur takes the throne of Camelot following a prophecy made by the wizard Merlin that he will bring peace and justice to the land.  He chooses Guinevere of Cameliard for his wife, since he considers her to be “‘the fairest damsel’” of the land (6).  A great wedding feast is held for the newlywed couple, and on the same day, Arthur begins to induct only the most honorable knights to his famous Round Table.  The years pass, and Camelot becomes a haven for chivalry and courtly love.  Yet the honorable path that the kingdom is heading down is forever altered upon the arrival of a young knight called Lancelot.  For this seemingly invincible man would give into the one temptation that the court offered him—love.   

However infamous it has become over the years, the affair that took place between Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot was not always a part of the Arthurian legend.  Starting in the year 1178, a French writer named Chrétien de Troyes began to introduce the aspect of courtly love to the tale.  He did this in order to please his royal patroness, Marie de Champagne, who had written a book on the rules of this new social component (7).  Essentially, “the ideals of courtly love were that the lover should obey his lady almost as if she were his lord” while the lady would return his affections to whatever extent she wished (8).  Clearly, the women held the power in this medieval version of social etiquette, leaving the men at their mercy.  This consequence will be seen later, as Lancelot is made a victim of his lower standing in his relationship with Guinevere.

De Troyes is also regarded as the first author who fully developed the tragic hero of the greatest knight in the world (9).  Previously, Lancelot had just been another knight amidst the legions in the army of Camelot.  But now that he had added courtly love to the legend, de Troyes was able to rebuild the character of the Frenchman as a wholly more passionate individual.  In time, Lancelot finds himself so deeply in love with his chosen lady that he is willing to risk anything to preserve their relationship—including the fate of a kingdom (10).

The love triangle that developed in the fictional court of Camelot has become one of the most fatal plot developments throughout the long history of the legend’s existence.  In versions prior to de Troyes’, the fall of Camelot was credited chiefly to the scheming of Arthur’s insidious bastard son, Mordred (11).  However, this French author introduced love as an unlikely catalyst to the tale—and forbidden love, at that.  It was in the twelfth century that the fall of Camelot was mainly attributed not to the intentional treachery of greedy plotters, but the unintentional betrayal of two ill-fated lovers.  This plot twist changed the moral conflict of the Arthurian legend forever, and perhaps sent it to an even more catastrophic end.