Comparing Sir Launcelot In 'Acts Of King Arthur And His Noble Knights'

Although both Sir Thomas Malory in "Sir Launcelot du Lake" and John Steinbeck in "Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights" characterize Sir Launcelot as a mad lover, Malory uses tone to characterize Launcelot as trustworthy, while Steinbeck uses imagery to characterize him as unloyal. In both stories, Sir Launcelot were madly in love with King Arthur's wife, Queen Gwynevere throughout the stories. In Steinbeck's story, Launcelot is constantly drooling over Gwynevere and even ends up having a sexual encounter with her. “Their mouths met, and each devoured each other.” In Malory’s story, Guinevere loves Launcelot more than any other knight. “ Of all the knights” Launcelot was “the favorite of Queen Gwynevere”, and he had “sworn oaths of fidelity”
to her. In addition, Morgan le Fay stated: “Sir Launcelot, I know that Queen Gwynevere loves you, and you her.” In both these stories, Launcelot’s love for Gwynevere was prominent and he did little to hide it from her.
On the other hand, Malory and Steinbeck also had different portrayals of Launcelot. Malory uses tone to characterize Launcelot as trustworthy. For example, Launcelot told the noblewoman “...when the time comes, [he] promise” to not “flail” on her. He promised to save her after she helped give directions to the abbey and released him from Morgan le Fay. In Steinbeck’s story, he uses imagery to characterize Launcelot as unloyal. For example, after Launcelot was done talking with King Arthur he was met by Gwynevere in a “darkened entrance” where “their bodies locked together” and they “each devoured each other.” This shows how Launcelot is not trustworthy because he is having an affair with another man’s wife, let alone the king’s wife.