Pelleas and Ettarre: Lack of Respect
by Michael Facenda.
The story of Pelleas and Ettarre is a display of how stereotypical medieval ideals would function within the real world. Pelleas’ constant failures and emasculation at the hands of Gawain and Ettarre showcase that ideals are not absolute laws of the world. However, these two are not the only causes of Pelleas’ disillusionment with the world, as his naivety and the doubts of his elders leave the young knight blinded to the world around him.
At first glance, Pelleas appears to check all of the marks to match what a knight should look and act like. This is even carried over in artistic renditions of the character as shown in the image below by Howard Pyle. Pelleas is drawn with the classic armor and helmet that knights of the era were depicted with, and he even has a swan on his helmet to represent the purity of the character. However, while Pelleas looks the part of a knight, he is not capable of being one in the context of the story due to his inexperience and personality.
Pelleas’ inexperience can primarily be attributed to his youth, though he is unintentionally prevented from developing by his king. Early in the story Pelleas competes in a competition that Arthur dubs the “Tournament of Youth.” (Tennyson, Idylls of the King, Page 235). However, this is far less of an honor than it appears at first glance, as Arthur “loving his young knight, withheld his older and his mightier from the lists.” (Tennyson, Idylls of the King, Page 235). This obviously is due to the fact that Pelleas is inexperienced compared to the more seasoned members of the Round Table, however it also unintentionally inhibits him. Pelleas easily wins the tournament since there are no knights capable of challenging him, but doing so fills his head with the idea that he is entitled to pursue Ettarre. Perhaps if Pelleas suffered a defeat during the tornament his idealism would have been humbled somewhat.
It is also clear that none of the Knights of the Round mentioned in the story truly respect Pelleas. Gawain is the most obvious example of this, but it is also worth noting that none of the knights felt the need to inform Pelleas that Lancelot and Guinevere were having an affair with one another. Pelleas only finds out after essentially asking Percivale directly, and even then “Percivale made answer not a word.” (Tennyson, Idylls of the King, Page 245). This ultimately leads to the most devastating blow delivered to Pelleas when he encounters Lancelot. Blinded by rage and grief at Lancelot’s affair, Pelleas verbally attacks Lancelot, assuming the role of “wrath and shame and hate and evil fame” to intimidate the older knight. (Tennyson, Idylls of the King, Page 246). Lancelot however is unimpressed and refuses to kill Pelleas, physically rolling his eyes while denying Pelleas a warrior’s death. Lancelot proceeds to call Pelleas a “weakling,” as if he is not worth the effort of killing. Lancelot does not see knight spitting upon his honor, he sees a child dressed as a knight making empty threats.
This depiction of Pelleas showcases him as innocent. He is decorated with swans on his helmet and armor symbolizing his purity.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Arthur-Pyle_Sir_Pellias%2C_The_Gentle_Knight.JPG/1200px-Arthur-Pyle_Sir_Pellias%2C_The_Gentle_Knight.JPG
