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Victoria Perez
Ms. Franco
AP English IV
31 July 2015
No, you cant have it all
There is no such thing as perfection, it doesnt exist. Yet, the very idea of it is found to be
the center of many literary works. These kinds of novels paint a vivid image that the
protagonists lifelong achievement revolves around an impossible conception, to exist without
any flaws or defects. T.H Whites The Once and Future King is an exemplary model for this
notion being that the protagonists aim is to embody perfection, to make everything go according
to plan. Perhaps that is what makes the fate of a tragic hero so inevitable, their inability to see
beyond their expectations. A character that falls into this characterization is Lancelot; the inner
conflict he faces of dealing with his quest for spiritual purity and his love for Guenever are the
source of his demise.
Lancelot is introduced to the novel as the ugly son of King Ban; he is depicted as being
different, of having something that sets him apart from the others. He madly admires King Arthur
and only seeks to be the best knight the world has ever seen and to be able to perform a miracle.
However, he falls in love with his beloved kings wife, Guenever, which results being his one
tragic flaw. He is described as a man who tries to have a Word, (339) since he regards it as the
most valuable thing one can hold. However, there is an emphasis on the word try, meaning that
he makes many attempts to reach this but ultimately fails to attain this honor. The devotion he

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has towards Guenever acts as a strong attraction that he cant ignore, so he attempts to leave his
feelings behind as he goes on a quest. He rescues a woman named Elaine who tricks him into
sleeping with her. Peripeteia unfolds when he loses his virginity to her thinking she is Guenever.
His drunken mistake costs him his purity making it a turning point for him. It is fitting that with
the loss of his innocence he is able to perform a miracle. Elaine enables him to reach a pious
height, by saving her, and a low, by losing his virtue. This causes him to discover that it was
brought about by his own actions, so he liberates himself from the tedious discipline of his
morality, thus allowing himself to love Guenever. He returns to her and they finally consummate
their betrayal knowing that he is a lie (379) in Gods eyes, so he might as well be a lie in his
own eyes.
The reader cant help but feel empathy for the character, his conflict is relatable and
catastrophic. When he is accused by Guenever of having slept with Elaine it serves as a breaking
point for him. He goes mad and becomes the Wild man, (400) this scenario serves to resolve
this conflict in his life. Here is where Lancelot, through his journey to chastity, the ridicule he
faces, and the scars on his hands from imprisonment make him an allegory to Jesus Christ. The
lifelong infidelity he has lived in does not separate him from the hubris he possesses. After all
that has happened, he is convinced that there is still hope to become the best knight when the
Holy Grail is introduced. Unfortunately, his dream to find perfection is shattered when he comes
across the most beautiful chapel he has ever seen and is denied entrance. He can see the Holy
Grail but cant touch it, so it is as if he is taunted by the concept of piety. This shows that he is
not as pure as he wanted to be; he still is conflicted between the spirit and the flesh. Nevertheless
after he goes to confession and is defeated a third time, he realizes how he has never thanked
God for being victorious, so he sees this adventure as a blessing.

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Lancelots comes to the idea that he is no longer the best knight in the world after his son
Galahad unhorsed him, so when Sir Urre asks Lancelot to heal his wounds he doesnt want to
make a public demonstration of his sin. The fact that he was able to cure him shows that the real
miracle is that despite his sin he is still pure. This seems ludicrous because since he keeps living
in unfaithfulness, he essentially chooses Guenever over God. As the novel progresses, it is
evident that Lancelot has not escaped his fate and meets a tragic end. He is warned by Gareth,
who acts as a sort of oracle, of the revenge that Mordred has planned. Yet, his hubris blinds him;
he puts an immense weight on his abilities as a knight and thinks there is nothing that can stop
him from being with Guenever. It is revealed at the end that Arthur evidently dies and the fact
that Lancelot was not able to help him marks the end of his romance with Guenever. He isolates
and separates himself from the world by becoming a monk.

It is obvious that one cant cheat fate by reaching perfection since it is not attainable.
Lancelot meets Aristotles definition of a tragic hero most importantly by his tragic flaw. His
love for Guenever deviates him from his foremost goal, to live up to Gods expectations.
Throughout the novel, he struggles between choosing to live by the flesh or for the spirit. It
seems as if his conflict between God and the Queen is like a disloyalty for either of them, like he
is cheating on a real person. He feels necessary to vacillate between the two to not show neglect.
Except, he truly cant have both purity and love, he must choose. Towards the end of the book, it
is shown that he clearly chose the Queen over his piety and that forced Arthurs demise. His road
to perfection was not successful and he clearly could not have it all.

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Works Cited
THE TROUBLED HEART OF T.H. WHITE: WOMEN AND "The Once and Future King"
KURTH SPRAGUE
Arthuriana, Vol. 16, No. 3, THE TROUBLED HEART OF T.H. WHITE: WOMEN AND "The
Once and Future King" (FALL 2006), pp. 1-33, 35-67, 69-105, 107-197
T.H. White's The Once and Future King. Arthurian Studies 30 by ELISABETH BREWER
Review by: JEAN E. JOST
Arthuriana, Vol. 5, No. 4, ARTHURIAN ARMS AND ARMING (WINTER 1995), pp. 100-103
White, T. H. The Once and Future King. New York: Putnam, 1958. Print.