It was not until I read this article that I recognized a certain pattern in the Stanzaic Mort. Throughout the poem the majority of Lancelot's actions and choices are dictated (if indirectly) by Gaynor , rather than him forging his own destiny, his choices tied to a thread that has been stitched by Gaynor. As Whetter points out, it was by Gaynor's wish that the tournament was held, the tournament in which Lancelot was wounded. It's interesting that he should meet the Maid of Ascolot as a direct consequence of Gaynor's insistence on a tournament. Now, this is not to suggest any sort of Second Eve line of thinking, I am not insinuating fault, but rather causality, in this case. Later on, Lancelot's return to the court is for the purpose of defending Gaynor, and again later to rescue Gaynor from being burnt to death. Whetter's article touches on something which we did not have a chance to discuss much in class: Lancelot's taking the cowl. Again, Lancelot's actions are guided by Gaynor's own. Whetter states that "having become religious only out of love for the Queen, Launcelot's secular motives are further apparent in his subsequently praying for a kiss before they part," and relates that Lancelot's vow to religion is not so much about being pious or anything like that, but rather "as a reflexion of who is on his amorous mind." (Whetter, 100).
With agency being an ever-present topic, I cannot help but wonder: between Gaynor and Lancelot, who displays the most agency? Or are they simply moved by Fate?
Wow, I love this question. I’ve noticed this pattern across many (or most? Or all?) of the texts we’ve read this semester: the presence of a prominent female character often indicates that the male protagonist’s choices will be shaped by her actions and/or requests. Does this give the female agency? I’m not so certain that it does. I see this as the flattening of female characters to plot devices. Often, the female acts as a catalyst for male action. She must be present in order to move the plot forward and give the male character(s) something to physically do while the female stays relatively stationary. She is typically merely a signpost in the plot directing the male hero toward his next task. Only because this is a pattern across multiple texts do I see it as a more general flattening of character. Because the female character’s presence is a plot device to shape male characters’ movement, there is no way for the female character to achieve the status of a rounded, realistic character; her desires and motivations exist only to steer the male hero towards conflict, climax, and conclusion.