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kerowyn-ankh:

When he came before me smiling and expecting that I would be glad to see him and would welcome him, and when I would not look at him, was not that a mortal blow? When I refused to speak with him, then doubtless at one blow I deprived him of his heart and life. These two strokes have killed him, I am sure; no other bandits have caused his death. God! can I ever make amends for this murder and this crime? No, indeed; sooner will the rivers and the sea dry up. Alas! how much better I should feel, and how much comfort I should take, if only once before he died I had held him in my arms! What? Yes, certainly, quite unclad, in order the better to enjoy him. If he is dead, I am very wicked not to destroy myself. Why? Can it harm my lover for me to live on after he is dead, if I take no pleasure in anything but in the woe I bear for him? In giving myself up to grief after his death, the very woes I court would be sweet to me, if he were only still alive. It is wrong for a woman to wish to die rather than to suffer for her lover’s sake. It is certainly sweet for me to mourn him long. I would rather be beaten alive than die and be

at rest.

Day 3: Guinevere

I…have mixed feelings about Guinevere, or rather, about her portrayal. Certainly she was treated better by some authors than others (I actually really liked the Pearl Poet’s characterization of her, even though she only gets a few lines in Green Knight). Chretien likes his dramatic emo Guin. I think one of my favorite scenes in all of Chretien is in Percival, when Percival wanders into Camelot and everything is a disaster and Arthur grabs him and is like “that monster spilled wine on Guinevere’s dress, and she’s locked herself into her room, and I THINK SHE’S GOING TO DIE.” What a drama couple. All three of them, man. They deserve eachother.