Queen Guinevere
King Arthur's loving wife
Marriage of King Arthur
Was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur, in tales and folklore she was said to have a love affair with Sir Lancelot. This story first appears in chretien de Tryoes' Lancelot, the knight of the cart., and reappears as a common motif in numerous cyclical Arthurian literature, starting with the Lancelot Grail Cycle of the early 13th century and carrying through the Post vulgate.
Background
Guinevere is said to be the daughter of Leodegrance of cameliard in late medevals romance. She marries Arthur and has a love affair with Sir Lancelot which causes a mishap with Camelot. The Welsh Triads speak of "Arthur's Three Great Queens," all named Gwenhwyfar and name Gwenhwyfar as "more faithless" than the three faithless wives of the Island of Britain.
Love affair with Lancelot
Lancelot was considered to be one of the most bravest and honorable of Arthur's Knights. He was always portrayed as handsome and gallant, and respectful of women. When Lancelot first came to King Arthur’s court, Arthur, impressed by his courage and character, made Lancelot his trusted confidant. However, when Lancelot laid eyes on Arthur’s wife, he fell in love. Soon after he set off on an adventure of his own, he asked Guinevere to name him her knight and champion, which she did. When Lancelot revealed his love to Guinevere, she revealed that she was in love with him as well. The pair then began a passionate, almost obsession-like affair that lasted for years, all without King Arthur knowing. Stories differ on what happens when Arthur finds out except to say that Guinevere spends her life in a convent and Lancelot leaves the kingdom.
Bibliography
ross, Tom Peete and William Albert Nitze. Lancelot and Guenevere: A Study on the Origins of Courtly Love. 1930; rpt. New York: Phaeton Press, 1970.
Gordon-Wise, Barbara Ann. The Reclamation of a Queen: Guinevere in Modern Fantasy. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1991.
Korrel, Peter. An Arthurian Triangle: A Study of the Origin, Development and Characterization of Arthur, Guinevere and Modred. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1984
Samples, Susann. "Guinevere: A Re-Appraisal." Arthurian Interpretations 3.2 (1989): 106-18.