Not many people know about Elaine but she was the one person that ever made Lancelot think twice about his romance with the queen. It wasn't that she caused any doubt in his love for the queen but she caused doubt in Lancelot about the love the queen had for him. The selection "Lancelot and Elaine" from the Idylls of the King by Alfred Tenyson describes their encounter and the fatal fate it caused Elaine.
Lancelot came to the home of Elaine, Astolat, by mere chance, he was actually trying to get to the annual Jewel joust but got lost. The first time Elaine laid eyes on Lancelot she fell in love. She was a very young and fair maiden, Lancelot was almost 3 times her age. His words enchanted her even if they weren't directed at her. His noble demeanor enhanced her feelings even more. He soon leaves to the joust with her brother Lavaine and leaves with her his shield. He takes with him an unmarked shield because he wants to enter the tournament as an unknown knight to keep the king from finding out that Lancelot lied to him about his true intentions to stay behind and not be part of the joust. Elaine soon becomes connected to the shield. She knows every scratch and dent, she makes up stories and soon feels the connection to the shield the same as a connection to Sir Lancelot. She takes very close care of the shield and even makes a cover for it to keep it protected. This is a metaphor for the close care she would later bestow on Lancelot.
Before Lancelot leaves to the joust, Elaine convinces him to wear her favour to help prevent his true identity from coming out. Since he has never worn the favour of anyone, the king and the Knights of the Round Table would never think it was him in the tournament. During the joust Lancelot gets gravely injured and tries to avoid people knowing his true identity by running away after he is pronounced the winner. The king is left with the doubt that the unknown knight could be Lancelot and soon sends out his knights to locate the unknown wounded winner. Led by Gawain, the knights arrive at Astolat and find Elaine and information about the unknown knight. Gawain attempts to court Elaine but she changes the subject back to the shield left behind by the knight that she cherishes so much. Gawain soon recognizes it as the shield of Lancelot and apologizes for ever trying to court Lancelot's lady. Gawain is left in shock by the fact that Lancelot could ever love anybody but the queen but is content to hear that he has moved on. He then leaves the task of finding Lancelot to Elaine because no one could get to him faster than the person who he supposedly loves. Elaine desperate to get to Lancelot and assure herself that he is okay, begs her father to let her go out and find him. She does and she is upset in the state that she sees him in. And like she once cared for the shield she begins to care for Lancelot. She stays by his side, she caters to his every need, and she nurses him back to health. She then begins to create a false illusion about the love between them. Elaine believes it to be a mutual love but Sir Lancelot never confirms it to her. He soon begins to care for her but it is not like the love a man has for his wife it is more like the love a person has for a friend or a sister. When he is well and they get back to Astolat, he can tell Elaine has something she desperately wants to tell him but she is keeping it to herself. He begs her to just let him know what she wants to tell him but she doesn't. Eventually she gets him alone and confesses her love. She asks first if she could be his wife, Lancelot replies no, "had I chosen to wed, I had wedded earlier (pg.78 line 929-30)." Then she asks to just be a companion in his life but he also says no. She proclaims that without him in her life she has no life to live.
Lancelot soon plans to leave Astolat and return to Camelot to give Queen Guinevere all the jewels from past tournaments along with the new one and make up for lost time. Elaine's father requests that Lancelot act wrongfully towards his daughter to make her not love him but because of his knighthood he cannot so instead the worst he can do is not bid farewell to Elaine when he leaves. He leaves and takes with him his shield. The 2 things Elaine cared for the most, were things taken care of in vain. Nothing of her nurture and love is left. Elaine's father's plan backfires and Elaine is only left in more torment. Her father tries to talk Lancelot down by confirming rumors that he could never love Elaine because he already loves Queen Guinevere. He insists that a noble man could never sin so openly, but Elaine cannot believe that either. If Lancelot ever loved someone that wasn't her, she would die even faster.
Lancelot gets back to Camelot and asks to see the queen. He gifts her the jewels but the queen has believed the rumors that Gawain brought back about his new romance. She despises the jewels and says that he should be giving them to his new maiden. Soon after jealousy takes over and instead the queen thinks it better that Elaine doesn't deserve them and throws the jewels into a river.
In Astolat, Elaine soon devises a plan. She knows she will soon die and asks her father to send her over to Camelot with a letter addressed to Lancelot. If her words did not move Lancelot, she knows for sure her actions will. Elaine will not only prove how strong her love for Lancelot was, but she will gain recognition from King Arthur, the court, and the queen.
Elaine's death was not only proof of her love for Lancelot but a statement of the strong effects Guinevere and Lancelot's love had on others. King Arthur is awed by the beauty of Elaine. He can't believe that Lancelot would have even thought twice about loving her and making her his wife. King Arthur says to Lancelot that Elaine could have been the one that "...brought thee, now a lonely man/ wifeless and heirless, noble issue, sons/ born to the glory of thy name and fame...(pg89 lines 1359-61)." But Lancelot is content to not have heirs or sons that carry his name because with his name comes the shame of his sin and the consequences to his actions. He can't believe that someone could love him so much as to die for him and the queen at the thought of loosing him to another only showed jealousy and broke out into a fit of rage. The queen pities Elaine because she too knows the feeling of pains that come from a love so strong; stronger even then her own free will. But in the end their love maintains. The queen asks for forgiveness and Lancelot happily complies. A death due to their love is still a lesser loss in comparison to the loss of their love.
Lancelot came to the home of Elaine, Astolat, by mere chance, he was actually trying to get to the annual Jewel joust but got lost. The first time Elaine laid eyes on Lancelot she fell in love. She was a very young and fair maiden, Lancelot was almost 3 times her age. His words enchanted her even if they weren't directed at her. His noble demeanor enhanced her feelings even more. He soon leaves to the joust with her brother Lavaine and leaves with her his shield. He takes with him an unmarked shield because he wants to enter the tournament as an unknown knight to keep the king from finding out that Lancelot lied to him about his true intentions to stay behind and not be part of the joust. Elaine soon becomes connected to the shield. She knows every scratch and dent, she makes up stories and soon feels the connection to the shield the same as a connection to Sir Lancelot. She takes very close care of the shield and even makes a cover for it to keep it protected. This is a metaphor for the close care she would later bestow on Lancelot.
Before Lancelot leaves to the joust, Elaine convinces him to wear her favour to help prevent his true identity from coming out. Since he has never worn the favour of anyone, the king and the Knights of the Round Table would never think it was him in the tournament. During the joust Lancelot gets gravely injured and tries to avoid people knowing his true identity by running away after he is pronounced the winner. The king is left with the doubt that the unknown knight could be Lancelot and soon sends out his knights to locate the unknown wounded winner. Led by Gawain, the knights arrive at Astolat and find Elaine and information about the unknown knight. Gawain attempts to court Elaine but she changes the subject back to the shield left behind by the knight that she cherishes so much. Gawain soon recognizes it as the shield of Lancelot and apologizes for ever trying to court Lancelot's lady. Gawain is left in shock by the fact that Lancelot could ever love anybody but the queen but is content to hear that he has moved on. He then leaves the task of finding Lancelot to Elaine because no one could get to him faster than the person who he supposedly loves. Elaine desperate to get to Lancelot and assure herself that he is okay, begs her father to let her go out and find him. She does and she is upset in the state that she sees him in. And like she once cared for the shield she begins to care for Lancelot. She stays by his side, she caters to his every need, and she nurses him back to health. She then begins to create a false illusion about the love between them. Elaine believes it to be a mutual love but Sir Lancelot never confirms it to her. He soon begins to care for her but it is not like the love a man has for his wife it is more like the love a person has for a friend or a sister. When he is well and they get back to Astolat, he can tell Elaine has something she desperately wants to tell him but she is keeping it to herself. He begs her to just let him know what she wants to tell him but she doesn't. Eventually she gets him alone and confesses her love. She asks first if she could be his wife, Lancelot replies no, "had I chosen to wed, I had wedded earlier (pg.78 line 929-30)." Then she asks to just be a companion in his life but he also says no. She proclaims that without him in her life she has no life to live.
Lancelot soon plans to leave Astolat and return to Camelot to give Queen Guinevere all the jewels from past tournaments along with the new one and make up for lost time. Elaine's father requests that Lancelot act wrongfully towards his daughter to make her not love him but because of his knighthood he cannot so instead the worst he can do is not bid farewell to Elaine when he leaves. He leaves and takes with him his shield. The 2 things Elaine cared for the most, were things taken care of in vain. Nothing of her nurture and love is left. Elaine's father's plan backfires and Elaine is only left in more torment. Her father tries to talk Lancelot down by confirming rumors that he could never love Elaine because he already loves Queen Guinevere. He insists that a noble man could never sin so openly, but Elaine cannot believe that either. If Lancelot ever loved someone that wasn't her, she would die even faster.
Lancelot gets back to Camelot and asks to see the queen. He gifts her the jewels but the queen has believed the rumors that Gawain brought back about his new romance. She despises the jewels and says that he should be giving them to his new maiden. Soon after jealousy takes over and instead the queen thinks it better that Elaine doesn't deserve them and throws the jewels into a river.
In Astolat, Elaine soon devises a plan. She knows she will soon die and asks her father to send her over to Camelot with a letter addressed to Lancelot. If her words did not move Lancelot, she knows for sure her actions will. Elaine will not only prove how strong her love for Lancelot was, but she will gain recognition from King Arthur, the court, and the queen.
Elaine's death was not only proof of her love for Lancelot but a statement of the strong effects Guinevere and Lancelot's love had on others. King Arthur is awed by the beauty of Elaine. He can't believe that Lancelot would have even thought twice about loving her and making her his wife. King Arthur says to Lancelot that Elaine could have been the one that "...brought thee, now a lonely man/ wifeless and heirless, noble issue, sons/ born to the glory of thy name and fame...(pg89 lines 1359-61)." But Lancelot is content to not have heirs or sons that carry his name because with his name comes the shame of his sin and the consequences to his actions. He can't believe that someone could love him so much as to die for him and the queen at the thought of loosing him to another only showed jealousy and broke out into a fit of rage. The queen pities Elaine because she too knows the feeling of pains that come from a love so strong; stronger even then her own free will. But in the end their love maintains. The queen asks for forgiveness and Lancelot happily complies. A death due to their love is still a lesser loss in comparison to the loss of their love.