For centuries, the Arthurian legend has rested upon the codex of chivalry as its backbone throughout its long history.  This nearly sacred moral code was developed in medieval times as a set of rules for Christian knights to live and die by.  Essentially, chivalry was a trio of three distinct loyalties in which “a knight vowed to remain faithful to God, loyal to his King, and true to his lady-love.” (21).  If perfidy arose in any of these areas, then a knight had betrayed the rules of chivalry that were so central to his time.  Lancelot was one of those unfortunate men who found that remaining faithful to one superior inevitably led to unfaithfulness towards another.  And this web of entangling duties was what created the tragic flaw of the “ill-made knight” (22).   

In addition to these expected devotions, a medieval knight was also expected to obey the codes of courtly love, another social component introduced into the legend by French authors.  Although it has been previously defined, it is important to remember that the one sacred law of this etiquette was fidelity to a knight’s lady-love above anything else.  This rule would become important to the plight of Lancelot as he set off to infringe upon all three aspects of chivalry.

To begin with, we must examine the French knight’s disloyalty to God.  In the time of King Arthur, Christianity was the single most significant religion of the land as Britain became increasingly civilized.  Churches are ascribed to in many texts, and it is clear that Arthur himself is a Godly man, since he organizes countless quests to seek the consecrated Holy Grail.  Therefore, it can be assumed that the piety of a knight was held in an extremely high regard. 

Alas, Lancelot went on to fail his Christian God.  In his most obvious act of disloyalty, the greatest knight in the world broke two key Commandments.  The most blatant example was his coveting of Arthur’s wife, as forbidden in the Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”  The second was Lancelot’s sin of what could best be described as idolatry.  In his book, The Arthurian Tradition, John Matthews suggests the idea that Lancelot loved Guinevere even more than God (23).  Thus, the French knight’s loyalties are not arranged in the correct priority.  He has disobeyed at least two of God’s laws through his love for the Queen.

Lancelot demonstrates further betrayal of his God by giving up his virginity.  As the expected Grail Knight, it was his duty to remain physically and spiritually pure in preparation of achieving the hallowed vessel.  Yet in time the demands of his heart become too much and he gives into his lustful urges by sleeping with Guinevere, at the same time destroying his chances of fulfilling his Christian destiny (24).  In this same act, Lancelot lost his ability to perform miracles by the grace of Heaven.  By disobeying his God, the soul of the greatest knight in the world was weakened (25).   

            Lancelot went on to betray his own king in a similar act of treason.  Obviously, he betrayed Arthur by having a secret affair with his wife for nearly two and a half decades, an act of betrayal by both ancient and modern standards. Moreover, Lancelot was appointed as the queen’s personal guard, a duty that the king bestowed only upon the most trustworthy of his knights.  When he went on to betray this strong reliance Arthur was further devastated when the truth was revealed (26).

            Amidst all these two infringements of chivalry, Lancelot also managed to betray the third figure to which he owed loyalty—his lady-love, Guinevere.  While attempting to forget his love for the Queen on a quest far from Camelot, the great knight was introduced to the princess of Corbin, Elaine.  A strikingly beautiful girl, Elaine was also the Grail Maiden.  Impressed by Lancelot’s strength and purity, the King of Corbin drugged him with a love potion by which it was intended that he would impregnate his daughter.  While enchanted, Lancelot was led into the bedroom of Elaine, whom he proceeded to sleep with under the impression that she was Guinevere.  The light of day brought more clarity to the situation, but the damage had been done.  Elaine of Corbin was pregnant with Lancelot’s bastard son whom she would name Galahad.  And this by-product of lustful sin would somehow become pure in his adulthood as he trained to usurp his father’s position as the Grail Knight. 

            Lancelot was further unfaithful to Guinevere in another instance, and once again, it was with a beautiful young princess named Elaine.  However, the “Lady of Shallot”, as this maiden of Astolat is sometimes called, offered the great knight a pure kind of love with no sins to attach to his already burdened soul.  Her fondness began when he agreed to wear her favor in a tournament that he competed in and eventually bloomed into a youthful love.  However strongly Lancelot might have yearned for a relationship that was not sinful, “his honor rooted in dishonor stood.” (27).  He was able to shake off her affections and remain true to his Queen.  Sadly, this staunchness led to Elaine’s premature death, as she perished as a result of her unrequited love for him.

The codes of chivalry demand that a medieval knight remain loyal to his God, King, and lady-love (28).  Sir Lancelot, the tragic hero of the legend, succeeded in betraying both his heavenly and earthly kings, through violations of Commandments and absolute trust.  In doing so, he felt an unimaginable amount of guilt weighing on his soul (29).  Although Lancelot’s third example of infidelity was unintentional, he went on to betray his lady-love Guinevere by physically loving Elaine of Corbin and begetting Galahad.  Furthermore, he skirted the brink of emotionally loving Elaine of Corbin since she offered him a purer kind of love than his demanding Queen did (30).  Not only did this produce vicious fits of jealousy from his Guinevere, but also added onto his heavy store of guilt.  The shame produced from these three separate betrayals was a deadly form of fuel that helped to ignite the consequential blazing scandal.