Comparing King Arthur's Court In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

King Arthur’s court is the primary setting in a variety of tales in literature. This particular setting is portrayed in various different ways. For example, King Arthur’s court in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight depicts the king and his court is all pleasant ways. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, every one of the characters in Camelot is happy and full of joy. On the other hand, in Marie de France’s Lanval, King Arthur’s court is full of lies and deception. The environment, customs and classification of characters are all components that can be evaluated in both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Marie de France’s Lanval. At the beginning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a feast at King Arthur’s round table is described. “Many good knights and gay his guests were there…” People came to the court to feast and have a fun, entertaining time. “…Such gaiety and glee, glorious to hear, brave din by day, dancing by night…” The guests at the round table drank beer and wine, danced and laughed. The lords and ladies were living an ideal life with no worries or deception. King Arthur is described, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as the “most courteous of all.” At this time, he is a young and noble
king who is full of pride. Queen Guenevere is a worthy woman who sat with the best at the round table. She is dressed in the best gems and fabric that money could buy. One of the king’s customs was to hear a grand tale before he would eat. This feast was no exception. When the Green Knight came to Arthur’s court, the king demonstrated his courageousness. Arthur stood up to the Green Knight but perhaps a bit hesitantly. It seemed as though King Arthur is content with his happy and joyful life that he did not feel it necessary to add violence. “Whose fame is so fair in far realms and wide? Where is now your arrogance and your awesome deeds?” After the Green Knight mocked the king he proudly stood up for himself and his lords. King Arthur’s court, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is certainly a place of peace and amity. It is sort of a place one might picture in a perfect fairy tale. Of course, this fairy tale in interrupted by the Green Knight. But even so, when Gawain gets back from his long journey, the blissful place is right there waiting for him. However, the same does not go for King Arthur and his court when described in Marie de France’s Lanval.
In line 5 of Lanval, King Arthur is described as “the brave and courtly king.” Arthur’s customs included giving out gifts, wives and land to all of his lords. At this point, King Arthur’s court seems almost identical to that of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. That is until, King Arthur, for some reason forgets to give the much envied, Lanval a reward. ”For he got nothing from the king and would not ask for anything.” It seems as though King Arthur is jealous of Lanval, and so, acted spitefully by refusing to reward him in any way. King Arthur is certainly not the same man that is illustrated in Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight. Moreover, Queen Guenevere is not the same woman that is portrayed in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Queen Guenevere acts unfaithfully to her husband by making a pass at Lanval. When Lanval denies her, she accuses him of being a homosexual which proves her cold heartedness. The queen then proceeds to lie to the king by telling him that Lanval tried to seduce her. Guenevere is a vindictive con artist in Lanval which is certainly the opposite of her character in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. King Arthur and his court are portrayed in completely opposite ways in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and in Marie de France’s Lanval. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, nothing could go wrong and everything was perfect. The characters never acted deceitfully and they respected one another. On the other hand, in Lanval, the entire story is built on lies and dishonesty. One can only wonder why the environment, customs and classification of characters in both stories are totally contradictory.