Term Papers on Lancelot And Odysseus

Term Paper Title	Lancelot And Odysseus
# of Words	1429
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	5.72

Lancelot and Odysseus

     "Let love be without hypocrisy.  Abhor what is evil; cling to what is
good (Romans 12:9)."  This principal seems to be markedly evident as one closely
examines the actions and thoughts behind the character of Sir Lancelot in The
Knight of the Cart.  When one encounters the adventures of Odysseus in The
Odyssey, however, the values of a completely different and slightly opposing
culture present themselves.  In the medieval times of Sir Lancelot, an ideal man
would tend to follow the teachings of the Bible and live a relatively mild-
mannered life.  On the other hand, in the culture of the Ancient Greeks, the
"perfect" role-model for life would be Odysseus and his perspicacious adventures
involving grandiose plots against him and his crew.  The ideals exemplified by
Lancelot and Odysseus greatly and eloquently reflect the morals and aspirations
evident in the literature of their respective time periods.  This idea is
demonstrated when one examines the similarities between Lancelot and Odysseus,
their differences, and the consequences of their actions on their lives.
     Although Lancelot and Odysseus lived in completely different and
somewhat opposing time periods, their heroic and "larger than life"
personalities share some quite distinguishing characteristics.  I say that their
time periods were somewhat opposing because the views of the culture regarding
the afterlife and any supernatural occurrence represent the conflict present
between monotheism and polytheism.  One mutual characteristic of Lancelot and
Odysseus is their physical prowess present when they do battle against anyone
opposing their divine quest.  Odysseus tends to take a more militaristic and
pitiless attitude toward this combat as shown during his battle with the suitors.
Not only does Odysseus slay the entire lot of suitors, but he kills any servant
or maid that has been unfaithful to him in his absence.  Lancelot, on the other
hand, pursues his ultimate goal with an undying diligence while trying, more
often than not, to take pity on the individuals that he must combat.  This is
best demonstrated in The Knight of the Cart  when Lancelot fights the knight
that repeatedly taunts him about riding in the cart.  Although he initially
shows this knight mercy by giving him another chance to fight against him, this
compassion is revoked as Lancelot wins for a second time and beheads the knight.
Lancelot reveals, by this action, a desire to be just to all; he wants to be
generous to the girl while showing compassion to the defeated knight.  Another
shared feature in the personalities of Lancelot and Odysseus is their
interminable desire to follow through on their quest to which they have devoted
a large portion of their lives.  Even though, in the case of Odysseus, this
quest is not one that is embarked upon voluntarily, he pursues it with a passion
so rich and intense that it can hardly go unnoticed to the attentive reader.
This is also the case with Lancelot and his continuous efforts at attaining the
fleetlingly elusive love of Guinevere.  This is illustrated at the numerous
points in the story when Lancelot sacrifices himself or his own needs to satiate
those of the queen.  This passion shared by both Lancelot and Odysseus is a
common thread between the two and represents at least one similarity between the
viewpoints of the Greeks and the medieval Europeans.
     The cultures of the medieval Europeans and the Greeks do, in fact, share
many similarities; however as one probes deeper into the characters represented
in their literature, it usually appears that the converse is true.  Although
both men represent the heroic ideal, this ideal is quite different to Greek
society than it was in the twelfth-century Europe.  For instance, the way that
the hero views himself varies exceptionally between the two cultures.  Odysseus
commits the terrible sin of hubris on numerous occasions in The Odyssey.  For
instance, when Odysseus and his crew must pass the sirens to return to Ithaca,
Odysseus ...

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