In the years between Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Great Britain (1136), which contained stories of a young warrior who would become ruler of an empire, and Le Morte Darthur inked from prison by Sir Thomas Malory, the religious landscape of Europe began to shift from completely Christian to a mixture of traditional beliefs and newfound spiritualism. In a detailed study of the religion of the period, Tanner (2009) highlights a population decline due to the Black Death, the spread of the Ottoman Empire across Europe, and general disillusionment with the church following the Western Schism as reasons for the decline in support for the religion of the period. Church. Due to the rise of other religious beliefs during its composition and the passages selected from the work, some critics have argued that Death of Malory (1485) is a secularized tale of Arthurian tradition rather than being influenced by Christianity. Even the foundational section of the Holy Grail, The Noble Tale of the Sankgreall, has been considered a simplified tale of the divine chalice that eschews overly Christian elements in favor of a secularized tale. Eugene Vinaver (1947) argues that Malory's Grail section is the least original of the author's work. Writing about the translation from the source material, the French Vulgate cycle La Anche de Saint Graal, Vinaver says: Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay His attitude [towards the source] can be described without much risk of oversimplification as that of a man to whom the quest for the Grail was primarily an Arthurian adventure and who regarded the Grail as intruding into Arthur's kingdom not as a means to counteract earthly and divine chivalry and condemn the former, but as an opportunity afforded to the knights of the Round Table to achieve even greater glory in this world. (1) This argument holds that Malory's work is secular in nature rather than inspired by Christian themes. The statement is apparently incorrect, as this research will demonstrate. Vinaver's argument is refuted by Charles Moorman in his 1956 essay "Malory's Treatment of the Sankgreall". In a detailed response to Vinaver, Moorman argues that the Grail story must be seen in the context of Death as a whole. Furthermore, rather than seeking glory as Vinaver postulates, Moorman argues that Malory's Grail adventure is symbolic of man's fall from God's grace – "presenting the failure of the Grail knights as a major cause of the fall of Round Table" (497). However, Moorman's opinion is rather narrow in scope. Not only is Malory's work rich in Christian influence, but it can be argued that the entire work was inspired by the author's desire to return to God. The Sankgreall is a Christian story, not a secular one, and functions as a message on the importance of true redemption. Although another knight in the tale, Galahad, achieves ultimate greatness, the story belongs to Lancelot, who also serves as a metaphorical vehicle through which Malory begins his own redemption after a life of evil deeds. In the closing lines of Le Morte Darthur, Malory invites the reader to pray for his soul. Specifically, the scribe writes: I pray to you all, jentylmen and jentylwymmen who edit this book of Arthur and his knights from beginning to end, pray for me for I am alive that God send me a good delivery; and what I'm doing, I pray that you all pray for my soul. For with this book was ended the ninth year of the reign of Kyng Edward the Fourth, by Syr Thomas Maleore, knight, as Jesu helpe hym,because of his great power, for he is the servant of Jesu both by day and by night. Amen. (698)Malory, the wordsmith most associated with the Arthurian tradition, was a troubled man who spent much time in prison. The work for which he is famous, Death, was composed while he was in prison for a series of violent crimes. Most notable among these crimes was the rape of a woman named JoanFabbro. In her essay “Malory and Rape,” Catherine Batt (1997) points out that contemporary legal documents reveal that Malory of Newbold Revel engaged in these wanton acts in the year 1450. On May 23 of that year and then again On August 6, Malory invaded Hugh Smith's home in Leicester where he "raped and carnally deposed" the man's wife and then stole the family's possessions. He was subsequently prosecuted by the local authorities, arrested and forced to serve a not insubstantial sentence in the mud of an English prison for his obscenities. However, behind those cold walls, Malory achieved greatness. His Arthurian prose told legends, added new wrinkles, and produced a coherent and concise canon for the king of Camelot and his knights of the round table. But as a lowly criminal, accused of the heinous crime of rape, how is it appropriate for such a man to write about morals, God, and proper decorum and behavior? His stories are not of desperation but of salvation. Malory's writing, while full of violence, murder, deception, and betrayal, is fundamentally a story of men seeking redemption, cautionary tales of the tragedies brought about by sin, and a guide to how human beings should treat one another . my thesis is that if it had not been for Malory's crimes and subsequent punishment, the author would never have produced Death, and the Arthurian tradition would not have its current high place in the annals of British literature. It is important to realize, due to the very nature of his writings and the obvious moral appeal he makes in the work, that Malory was strongly influenced by Christian doctrine and ideology. Furthermore, his closing lines in Death – “pray for me…may God send me good deliverance” – as well as his promise to become a servant of Jesus Christ day and night were a profession of faith, perhaps a faith he gained while he was in prison and reflecting on his own evil deeds. Malory's writings and final plea point to a man who has achieved greatness, turned away from God, and committed himself to being restored. The story of the lost soul finding God is a narrative of several Death characters, most notably Lancelot, who is an exemplary knight of the order but turns away from God. And, like Malory himself, the knight finds God through the conclusion of his story. While we know little about Malory's days in prison, his writings indicate a devout man who placed much emphasis on church attendance and knowing God on an intimate, personal level. Although he was a criminal, Malory was fascinated by the church and the act of communing with God. McCarthy (1991) argues that Malory classifies his knights in a simple and unique way, using piety as a measuring stick. This argument is supported by David Eugene Clark (2015) in his essay “Constructing Spiritual Hierarchy through Mass Attendance in Morte Darthur”. In Death, Malory parallels the weakness and strength of all humanity with that of Arthur and his knights. Clark publishes a level ranking for the Grail Knights which places Gawain at the base and Perceval and Galahad as the most exemplary. This ranking establishes the belief that Malory attributed closeness to God as vital to the soul. Malory's journey back to God begins with his Grail Knights, who are the best among usyet they still falter. None of these knights, however, have a low moral standing. Gawain's basic ranking is simply a delineation to separate the noblest knights from those with the most corrupt souls. Clark highlights Malory's connection between attending mass and the piety of Arthur's knights. The more frequent the attendance at mass, the closer to God the knight's place is (136). But simply attending mass is not enough to exalt a knight. He must also be free from sin and lead as pure a life as possible. Gawain attends mass only during “common” times when everyone else goes (128). Higher level knights spend a greater amount of time at mass, making it part of their daily rituals. What separates Lancelot, a level 3 knight, from the higher level Galahad and Perceval (level 4) is not his lack of participation in the mass, but rather how he turns away from God after being granted a glimpse of the Grail. After his moment of clarity with the Grail, Lancelot pledges his soul to God but then returns to Camelot and is once again a slave to the sins of the flesh. He continues his affair with Guinevere, slaughters an innocent in Gareth, and is the catalyst for the end of Arthur's reign. Lancelot symbolizes any person who finds themselves close to God only to falter when time or hardship proves greater than the call to mercy. It is ironic that despite the violence these men engage in, they are still considered noble and even pious because of their church attendance. They place the king (and queen in Lancelot's case) above or at least next to God, and violate God's commandment not to kill with impunity. Although they are seen as the most righteous by secularists, Malory's writings indicate that God sees them for what they are: broken men. Clark writes that both Lancelot and Bors are guilty of grave, even mortal sin, but to get closer to God they confess their crimes, repent, do penance, and prove themselves through "clean living" (144). In the long term the task proves too great and Lancelot's indecision proves to be a detriment to all involved. This idea of ​​the soldier's fall from grace may be a testimony to Malory writing about himself. From Batt's research and the work of others, we know that Malory was a soldier and a revered person when he was elected to parliament. He was also a political activist in the most aggressive sense of the word as he participated in raids to undermine and raise the ire of the Duke of Buckingham. The crimes of rape and countless other evil acts were carried out in a seemingly more brazen manner before his incarceration. The more criminal acts he committed, the greater their severity became. But while he was in prison, his stories created an idyllic world where good triumphed over evil until small squabbles turned into major grievances. Cracks appeared in the foundation of the king's oath of chivalry, and the man's sin proved too great for the kingdom to bear. It is unclear whether these writings were politically motivated or Malory's statements about the sad state of his life. Writing during the War of the Roses era, Malory's stories have parallels to the real world in which she lived. However, his constant use of chivalric notions in his writings indicates that he was influenced not only by Christian teachings but also by his desire to make amends for the violation of the chivalric code he created. While Malory could have simply been telling a story, the dedication, care and detailed, intricate expression he gave to each page indicates a man attempting to convey amessage. The character of Lancelot, with his failures and triumphs, indicates an author who lives vicariously through his creation. Malory's final request in the book, for readers to pray for his soul, also points to a man seeking forgiveness and his own redemption. At this point, it is important to return to the concept of chivalry and Malory's violation of the code. The Pentecostal Oath first appeared in Death and was not found in any previous incarnation of the Arthurian tradition. Basically, the oath is what Arthur believes to be the key virtues of a knight. By taking the oath, a knight becomes a member of the Round Table and is granted riches and lands. One of the key principles of the code concerns the treatment of women. Regarding Malory's crimes, there is a section of the oath to consider: "...and ever make ladyes, damesels, and jantilwomen, and wydowes [socour], strengthen the hem in hir ryghtes, and never enforce them, after the payment of dethe…” (77). violated his own oath, we must still argue that Death is a testimony of repentance and a call to follow the Christian virtues contained therein clearly illustrates a man with a clear message of hope and a call to readers to follow the virtues contained in it. If Malory remained a callous criminal, what would be the point of writing messages of hope if he was not seeking forgiveness for his crimes and perhaps had already discovered God. What does a cold criminal have to gain by writing messages of love, mercy and inventing stories that are natural warn and illustrate the suffering of sin? Malory was inspired, asked for the light of the Christian God, and, in his own words, found that light. However, despite these revelations, some have argued that Malory's work was not inspired by Christian influence. Among the detractors is Alastair Minnis (2006), who argued that precisely because the story “Sankgreall” deals exclusively with the Holy Grail, the entire Death should not be considered a Christian work (34). He says the work contains Christian elements but only in limited form, likening it to many individual keys to many separate beliefs rather than a skeletal key that opens the entire work to Christianity. The challenge then, as Hodges (2007) explains, is knowing which keys to use when they appear and how the public is “invited to respond to what they find when the locks are opened”. Secularization and any arguments for or against Christian influence aside, the narrative of Lancelot and his path to the Grail are the keys to unlocking Malory's hidden quest for redemption. Before we can argue that Lancelot was a representation of Malory himself, we must examine the literary character as well as the author's influences on the knight's formation. From a variety of sources across Europe, Malory has assembled an official Arthurian “canon.” Some canons, including much of Lancelot's story, were modified for his purposes, while others, such as Perceval's tale, were significantly altered. The Sankgreall was inspired by the French text La Anche de Saint Graal. However, Malory reduced the work to nearly a third of its original length. In his removal, the imprisoned author eliminated a long dogmatic dialogue. Mary Hynes Berry (2001) states that the cuts create new perceptions of the Grail story and writes: "Although we can never be sure what Malory understood or did not understand, his deletions indisputably follow aclear and coherent pattern" (244). This pattern involves focusing largely on Lancelot. There are other knights – Bors, Perceval, Galahad – but it is Lancelot who is at the center of the plot. Specifically, the story focuses on the desire for a man to repent and please God as he struggles with his own nature and the desires of the flesh. Malory's hero is deeply flawed, but not beyond redemption. Ultimately, before the final act of the story, Malory reaches his symbolic conclusion as he writes of the Lancelot's partial success in seeing the Grail, of which he was denied the full glory due to his sin, and thus the promise to rededicate his life to God. The thematic lesson of the story is to constantly work to improve oneself he is the best the Earth has to offer. He is in contrast to Galahad, who Malory uses as the epitome of what everyone should strive to be the ideal. This father/son dynamic is also intriguing and will be discussed later in the work. Returning to Malory's excisions, he essentially trims the fat of the French text by excluding sermons and long spiritual sections that, as Berry explains, “develop meaning but do not advance the plot” (246). This dogma weighs down the text, and while Berry and other Arthurian experts believe the cuts were made to focus more on the message of hope and return to God, some critics argue that Malory's Grail story secularizes the material. This is a return to Vinaver's argument stated earlier. Snyder (1974) disagrees with Vinaver and argues that Malory's Grail story is a broader statement about society and man's place in it as he struggles to go with God rather than follow the greed of the flesh . Snyder realizes that Death must be seen as a whole and that the reader must understand why the cuts were made. Complementing Snyder's points, Moorman argues that the failure of the Grail Knights is not only the catalyst for the fall of the Round Table. but also Malory's metaphor of man's failure to find God. Moorman: “He eliminates from the hermits' commentaries the purely religious commentary which is alien to his purpose, but is always careful to maintain, usually in summary, the religious core of the topic presented” (498). He agrees with the thesis of this essay and that Vinaver's statement of secularization is wrong. If Malory had wanted to secularize the Grail, he could easily have excluded the words of the hermits entirely. Their inclusion, in fact, continues to slow down the narrative. If Malory had been interested only in continuing his tradition of detailing war and battle (the soldier in him), it would have been easier to go from one dangerous adventure to another on the Grail path than to stop and take life lessons from those who are passed on the path. This was evidently not Malory's wish. He had no intention of making a work about blood and violence. Malory's Grail tale is an effort to illustrate a man's repentance from his sin and desire to find God again. Continuing this line of thought, Riddy (1987) states that Malory's cutting of the original text was a “ reaction against what is too explicit. . . literary manner” (113-114). He goes on to note that the tone of the French text was "too didactic and Malory's refusal was simply to trim the fat, no matter whether it was religious or secular." Kennedy (1985) posits that Malory's treatment of the Grail story “reflects fifteenth-century writers' attempts to reconcile religion with their own life experience” (286). And considering theMalory's life experiences and his position in life while writing Death, it is quite easy to argue that Lancelot was the same Malory on the page. The writing saying “write what you know” was as true in the Middle Ages as it is today. Lancelot was Malory and Malory was Lancelot. Lancelot's downfall is foreshadowed at the very beginning of the Grail story when he graciously refuses his king's command to draw the sword from the stone: “Lord, strike my sword. Besides, I have no resistance to fix my affinity upon it, for the long nat shot to hang will be my side” (498). While this act may seem small, it is a betrayal of one of the key decrees of Arthur's Pentecost Oath. It is a parallel between Christian chivalry and its failures and the failures in our lives. Throughout the story, Lancelot encounters hermits, damsels and other knights and is always considered the "best of all sinfull men". He is the best in a sinful world and cannot get more. When comparing Malory as a person to his creation in Lancelot, it is important to remember that Malory does not condone Lancelot's failures or sins. It paints a dark picture of what Lancelot (representing Malory and humanity) brings to those he loves simply because of his vanity, arrogance, and pride. It outlines the common problem in men throughout the times. Repenting and doing penance are not enough if you do not continue on the right path. Lancelot's essential flaw is his instability. It is not his past sins that cost him, but his continued inability to turn exclusively toward God. Like all human beings, it is not about good and evil. There are too many shades of grey. It is about the path to God. Malory, writing of Lancelot in the weeks before he entered Corbenic Castle, describes a man who is in constant prayer: “And the wynde arose and pushed Sir Lancelot for more than a month after, where he slept little ,but prayed to God that he might see some tydynges of the Sankgreall” (575). He arrives at the castle, sees a lion guard, and returns to his ship to arm himself. Then a voice: “…why do you trust more in your harneyese than in your Creator? For He may be more useful to your love than to yours in the service into which you have been placed” (576). Lancelot obeys the voice, enters the castle freely. After a period of searching, he finds his way to a barred door that opens and Lancelot can glimpse the Grail. Amazed and eager to get closer, the voice tells him not to enter because he is not worthy of going any further. The critical error comes when he sees a figure appear to be in trouble. Disobeying the voice, he rationalizes: "Fayre Fadir, Jesu Cryste, you suffer a guiltless blow if I help the good man who has grete nede of help" (577). Lancelot is thrown out of the room and found the next morning by the people. He sleeps in a coma for 24 days. The door is closed; the path is closed, simply because Lancelot does not place his trust in God. The knight here is rejected because he once again ignores advice and commands in the pursuit of chivalric chivalry. Rather than ignore the warning and try to help the sick figure, Lancelot should have placed faith in God that divinity would protect those who have faith in Him. In other instances in history, Lancelot did not take the hermits' words to heart. These hermits likely serve as messengers from God who provide key information that can be followed or ignored. Ignoring the advice, however, has consequences. There are also numerous tempters and temptresses along the path to the Grail that all knights encounter. Chief among them would be the devil posing as a beautiful woman who tempts Perceval. A religious gesture (the sign of the Cross)save the knight. So it's not all Lancelot's fault, because how does a man know who is a friend and who is an enemy? In the event that he is literally on the threshold of the Grail, Lancelot's ignoring the warnings causes the knight to fail to realize that God will help those who have faith. Perhaps if Lancelot had not been so reckless and had had faith, just as Daniel survived the lions' den, the knight's story might have had a different ending. But even Lancelot has been given more than a taste, he still fails to meet his requirements of Christian knighthood upon his return to Camelot. If Lancelot is a stand-in for Malory in this case, what can be said about Galahad? As the illegitimate son of Galahad, one could argue the parallel of Christ's virgin birth in that he enters the world under unusual circumstances, was then raised by someone other than his father, and is the only soul who can achieve what others No. We know that Malory had at least one son, but it is not possible to know whether the father/son dynamic between Lancelot and Galahad is the result of Malory wanting his son to have a better life than his or whether Galahad is just a symbol of Christ as an example of what humanity should strive to be. Regardless, it's easy to view Lancelot's failures as greater than they are because of Galahad's success. However, it must be argued that Lancelot is even more successful as a knight because of Galahad's achievements. The father wants more for the child, a statement that rings true over time, regardless of creed or color. In the story's closing pages, Malory writes of Galahad's success in his quest for the Grail and his dominion over the land of Sarras. Galahad is approached by a descendant of Joseph of Aramathy, who was entrusted with the task of protecting the Grail, and takes the knight to heaven. Before he leaves, Galahad has one last word for his friends Percival and Bors: And when he had spoken these words, [Sir Galahad] went to Sir Percivale, and kissed him, and commended him to God; and so he went to Sir Bors and kissed his hymn and commended it to God, and said: "My fayre lorde, sell me to my lord Sir Launcelot, my fadir, and soneas you see him, remember this unsettled world. (586)In his final moments, once the mission is accomplished, he tells his friends to convey a message to Lancelot, his father. The message is not necessarily of love, but of encouragement. Remember the unsettled world world and the ease of sin. His message is intended to give hope and encouragement to a father who is struggling to continue to be a good man in an indecent world. Following this line of thought, the message could be of love, although it is a didactic love. The roles of father and son are almost reversed in this case, which is the purpose of the character of Galahad and his son they are very different souls. The son stands out from other men and we are only aware of his almost perfect nature. But in his nature he shows little human emotion. Malory seems to have intentionally written the character in a way that emphasizes Lancelot's humanity. In this way, the reader is told that we can all be Lancelot and that the only thing stopping partial success from blossoming into full victory is ourselves. Berry writes: “The meaning and effect of Lancelot's partial success depends on our clear recognition that his achievements are limited. Galahad provides the counterpoint. He embodies the ideal” (253). So while Galahad succeeds and shows us all what can be achieved, Lancelot concludes hisvoyage. He promises to follow the advice of those he met on his journey and to reform his life of sin (pride, adultery, and betrayal) and begin to live in servitude to God. Lancelot remarks, “Now I thank God for the great mercy of what I saw, for the blow that is enough for me. For, as I suppose, no man in your world has lived better than I to ingratiate himself with what I have done” (578). These lines illustrate that Lancelot has a new understanding of what he should do, the life he should lead, the sins he should never commit again. However, the hearts of men remain easily corrupted, and Lancelot's pride and vanity manifest upon his return to Camelot and his reunion with Arthur and Guinevere. The scene at the castle is grim as Malory describes the Round Table to which he returns with more than half of his knights "slain and destroyed." Malory's foreshadowing of the brief reunion with the king and his best knight establishes the final act and final fall of the kingdom known as Camelot. Although Lancelot is Malory's conduit to the story of redemption, it is unfair to blame the knight exclusively. Moorman reminds us that Lancelot's failure lies in the hereditary defect of the entire system. Malory's Camelot, and Galahad's role in it, is representative of Jesus Christ (overt Christianity and the redemption angle are like clubs) and his role for believers. Galahad is an autonomous character, sent from Above to achieve the sole goal of the Grail quest. Arthur's knights failed to reach their goal. It needed someone much more powerful just as according to Christian doctrine Jesus Christ died for the sins of all humanity. Sent by God, Galahad reveals the inadequacies of Arthur's court and the mystical, secular world in which they live. In modern parlance, Galahad is the clarion call to “get right with God.” This leaves Lancelot in a tragic light, as Moorman writes: "Malory would therefore appear to use Lancelot as a tragic hero, as the man whose greatest strength, his devotion to the code of chivalry, is at once his greatest weakness and ruin" (501). In other words, the system itself is flawed in that it requires a commitment to Arthur rather than God. As has been established, Malory's favorite knight is undoubtedly Lancelot. To this end, considering Malory's predicament at the time of Lancelot's writing, it is arguable that Malory used the knight as a stand-in for himself. Malory pleads with the reader in the closing lines of Death to pray for his soul, which had found God and was a warrior for Jesus day and night. It is only after Lancelot has lost everything, his king, his relatives, his beloved, his kingdom, that he finds ultimate redemption and renounces worldly desires and chivalric things. He takes on the role of a hermit, a man of God, and dedicates himself to that service. In a final meeting with Guinevere, he laments his inability to fulfill what he promised God upon awakening from his coma. Now he begs the queen for a final kiss which she refuses. Heartbroken, surrounded by the irreparable pieces of his shattered life, Lancelot retreats to a mass with the Bishop of Canterbury, whereupon he falls to his knees and asks the bishop to "shryve hym and assoyle." “Then the Bishop said, 'Will I do it,' and there he put a haybte on Sir Launcelot. And there he served God day and night with prayers and troubles” (693). The entire Death, especially the Grail section, indicates that Malory had a great desire to be absolved and serve God just as Lancelot did. Imprisoned, a life wasted because of the sins of the flesh, Malory died in prison. Perhaps Sir Thomas Malory just wanted one last chance. If he were allowed,.