PAOLO/FRANCESCA, LANCELOT/GUINEVERE

Speranza

From Wikipedia, "Francesca da Rimini":

"In the third act Francesca, in her luxurious apartment, is reading the
story of Lancelot and Guinevere to her women."

----

From Wikipedia, "Lancelot"

"Lancelot's first appearance as a main character is in Chrétien de Troyes.
Best known for his love affair with Arthur's wife Guinevere."

The Wikipedia entry features a nice illustration, "Lancelot rode his way
with Guinevere unto Joyous Gard" ("The Boy's King Arthur", p. 278).

from page 278 of The Boy's King Arthur: Launcelot and Guinevere- "He rode
his way with the Queen unto Joyous Gard."

The Wikipedia entry goes on:

"The problem is that critics have been unable to agree on how to reconcile
[Lancelot's] perfect “saintliness” with his obvious adultery with King
Arthur’s Guinevere."

"How can the lovers’ consummation be considered a “saintly affair” when it
is also adultery?"

"And against King Arthur, to whom William Bowman Piper suggests all knights
owe selfless respect, according to Arthurian politics."

"Raabe compares Lancelot’s quest for Guinevere in “Lancelot, the Knight of
the Cart,” as a quest likening to Everyman’s quest for salvation and
Christ’s quest for the human soul."

"Danielle MacBain’s study of Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d'Arthur,” claims
Lancelot’s affair with Guinevere is often seen as parallel to that of
Tristram, or Tristan, and Iseult. MacBain suggests that it is Lancelot who is
ultimately identified with the tragedy of chance and human failing that is
responsible for the downfall of the round table."

"Almost immediately upon his arrival at King Arthur's court, Lancelot falls
in love with the Queen."

"One of his very first adventures is rescuing Guinevere from Arthur's
enemy, Meleagant."

"It is Galehaut is the one who finally convinces Guinevere to return
Lancelot's affection, an action that at least partially results in the fall of
Camelot."

"Lancelot's affair with Guinevere is a destructive force, esulting in the
death of Gawain's brothers and his two sons, the estrangement of Lancelot
and Gawain, and Mordred's betrayal of King Arthur."

"Upon hearing the news of Arthur's death, Lancelot finds that Guinevere has
become a nun."

"Guinevere blames all the destruction of the Round Table upon her and
Lancelot's love, which, indeed, according to Le Morte D'Arthur, is the seed of
all the dismay that followed."

"Guinevere refuses to kiss Lancelot one last time, tells him to return to
his lands, and that he will never see her face again."

"Instead, Lancelot declares that if she will take upon her a life of
penitence, then so will he."

"Lancelot then retires to a hermitage to live the remainder of his life in
penitence with eight of his kin, including Sir Bors, joining him.
Eventually he becomes a priest, later conducting rites over the deceased body of
Guinevere (who has become an abbess)."

"As she had indicated, he never saw her face again in life. She had prayed
that she might die before he arrived, and so she did, half-an-hour before
his arrival (he had been told to go due to a dream he had had the night
before)."

"After Guinivere's death, Lancelot and his fellow knights escort her body
to be interred beside King Arthur (it was in the same place that Gawain's
skull was kept)."

"Lancelot, distraught for the loss of his beloved king and queen, begins to
fail. In fact, even before this time, Le Morte D' Arthur states that he
had lost a cubit of height due to his penitent fastings and prayers."

"Six weeks after the death of the Guinevere, Lancelot dies."

"It is implied that he wished to be buried beside the king and queen;
however, because he had some time before made a vow to be buried at Joyous Gard,
he asks that he be buried there so as not to break his word."

---

"It is possible that originally Lancelot's tale did not include an affair
with Guinevere, as the German Lanzelet knows nothing of it."


The good thing will be perhaps to see how the thing -- D'Annunzio's tragedy
-- is turned into a metrical scheme to fit the episode, when, to repeat
the Wikipedia reference,

"in the third act Francesca, in her luxurious apartment, Francesca is
reading the story of Lancelot and Guinevere to her women."