own ambitions; and 4) the advance of growing numbers of Saxons into British territory was ultimately too substantial to stave off.
DeTroyes (1996), in "Lancelot or, The Knight of the Cart," described the arrival of Lancelot du Lac at Arthur's Court and the subsequent development of what became a fatal attraction between Lancelot and Arthur's queen, Guinevere. Lancelot is admired among the Knights of the Round Table because he is strong, brave, and deeply committed to Arthur's cause. He is thought of as the "best" of the Round Table Knights, known for his chivalry and his willingness to sacrifice himself for Arthur and the cause of Britain.
However, as DeTroyes (1996) demonstrates, the growing attraction between the barren, childless Guinevere and Lancelot is a fatal blow to the unity of the Court of Arthur. Arthur himself is betrayed by these relationships, and the betrayal is such that even those fellow knights closest to Lancelot and supportive of the Queen find it impossible to forgive their relationship. The ensuring conflict between Arthur's best-loved knight and the King weakened Arthur's hold on the land and the people. A king who could not, ultimately control his wife was a king who could not command the loyalty of some of his vassals, who felt that Arthur's failure to take decisive action against a woman depicted by DeTroyes (1996) as complex and frequently at the center of the activities of the Round Table.
DeTroyes (1996) also makes it quite clear that Lancelot's dedication to Guinever
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