The Ill-Made Knight

The Ill-Made Knight is the third book in the Arthurian series by T.H. White. It was released in 1940.

“The Ill-Made Knight,” focuses on the great knight Lancelot and his moral conflicts. Lancelot is just a boy when King Arthur takes the throne, but he eventually becomes Arthur’s greatest knight and best friend. Queen Guinevere tries to befriend Lancelot and the two eventually fall in love.

Lancelot, trying to escape his growing feelings for Queen Guinevere, embarks on a series of quests that establish his reputation as a knight. In the last of these quests, he is tricked into sleeping with a young girl named Elaine. Guinevere grows increasingly jealous of Elaine, and her jealousy eventually drives Lancelot insane.

He roams England for several years as a wild man, unrecognized and ill-treated by everyone he meets. Finally, Elaine discovers Lancelot and nurses him back to health. Although Lancelot does not want to feel obligated to Elaine, he does, and on two occasions he leaves Camelot to spend time with her and their son, Galahad.

Meanwhile, Arthur’s kingdom begins to unravel, and he tries to keep his knights occupied by sending them to find the Holy Grail. Only three knights, Sir Bors, Sir Percival, and Sir Galahad, are pure enough to find the holy vessel.

Lancelot returns a humbled and deeply religious man. For a while, his love for God makes him stay away from Guinevere, but after he rescues her from a kidnapper, they begin their affair again.