Editing Lancelot (section)

===Guinevere's rivals and Galehaut===
{{Further|Galehaut|Elaine of Astolat|Morgan le Fay}}

[[File:Sidney Paget - Lancillotto ed Elena.jpg|thumb|[[Sidney Paget]]'s painting of Elaine of Astolat with the injured Lancelot in her care]]

Lancelot becomes one of the most famous Knights of the Round Table, even attested as the best knight in the world in Malory's own episode of Sir Urry of Hungary, as well as an object of desire by many ladies, beginning with the gigantic Lady of Malehaut when he is her captive early on in the Vulgate ''Lancelot''. An evil sorceress named [[Hellawes (sorceress)|Hellawes]] wants him for herself so obsessively that, failing in having him either dead or alive in Malory's [[chapel perilous]] episode, she soon herself dies from sorrow. Similarly, [[Elaine of Astolat]] (Vulgate's ''Demoiselle d'Escalot'', in modern times better known as "[[the Lady of Shalott]]"), also dies of heartbreak due to her [[unrequited love]] of Lancelot. On his side, Lancelot falls in a mutual but purely [[platonic love]] with an avowed virgin maiden, whom Malory calls Amable (unnamed in the Vulgate).

Lancelot, incognito as the [[Black Knight (Arthurian legend)|Black Knight]]<ref name=":1">{{cite book |author=Bruce, ___ |title=The Arthurian Name Dictionary |page=200}}</ref> (on another occasion he disguises himself as the [[Red Knight]] as well),<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lacy |first=Norris J |title=Lancelot-Grail 10: Chapter Summaries for the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles and Index of Proper Names |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |year=2010 |isbn=9781843842521 |pages=40}}</ref> plays a decisive role in the war between Arthur and a powerful foreign invader, Prince Galehaut (Galahaut). Galehaut is poised to become the victor and conquer Arthur's kingdom, but he is taken by Lancelot's amazing battlefield performance and offers him a boon in return for the privilege of one night's company in the bivouac. Lancelot accepts and uses his boon to demand that Galehaut surrender peacefully to Arthur. Galehaut then becomes Lancelot's self-proclaimed vassal and the king's ally, later joining the Round Table after Lancelot finally does.<ref name=arts/>

The exact nature of Galehaut's passion for Lancelot is a subject of debate among modern scholars, with some interpreting it as intimate friendship and others as love similar to that between Lancelot and Guinevere.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Todd W. |last1=Reeser |first2=Lewis Carl |last2=Seifert |year= 2008 |title=Entre Hommes: French and francophone masculinities in culture and theory |publisher=Associated University Presse |isbn=9780874130249 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x2zd2JyROkAC&pg=PA53 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Galehaut is obsessed with having Lancelot all for himself. Publicly submissive to Lancelot by his own choice, he is constantly acting very possessive of him regarding both Guinevere and Arthur, so much that Gawain comments that Galehaut is more jealous of Lancelot than any knight is of his lady.<ref name=arts>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DtXMstWzw5QC&pg=PA115|title=The Arts of Friendship: The Idealization of Friendship in Medieval and Early Renaissance Literature|first=Reginald|last=Hyatte|date=27 April 1994|publisher=BRILL|via=Google Books}}</ref> At first, Lancelot goes to live with Galehaut in his home country of Sorelois. Guinevere joins them there after Lancelot saves her from the bewitched Arthur during the "[[Gwenhwyfach|false Guinevere]]" episode.<ref>{{cite web |title=Will the real Guinevere please stand up? |date=2017-12-17 |website=Medievalists.net |language=en-US |url=http://www.medievalists.net/2017/12/will-real-guinevere-please-stand/ |access-date=2019-06-08}}</ref> After that, Arthur invites Galahaut to join the Round Table. Galahaut is also the one who convinces Guinevere that she may return Lancelot's affection.<ref name=arts/> In the [[Prose Tristan|Prose ''Tristan'']] and its adaptations, including the account within the post-Vulgate ''Queste'', Lancelot himself harbors in his castle the fugitive lovers [[Tristan]] and [[Iseult]] as they flee from the vengeful King [[Mark of Cornwall]].

[[File:Sir Launcelot lay asleep under the apple tree.png|thumb|left|Morgan, Sebile and two other witch-queens find Lancelot sleeping in [[William Henry Margetson]]'s illustration for ''Legends of King Arthur and His Knights'', abridged from ''Le Morte d'Arthur'' by Janet MacDonald Clark (1914)|alt=]]

Faithful to Queen Guinevere, he refuses the forceful advances of Queen [[Morgan le Fay]], Arthur's enchantress sister. Morgan constantly attempts to seduce Lancelot, whom she at once lustfully loves and hates with the same great intensity. She even kidnaps him repeatedly, once with her coven of fellow magical queens including [[Sebile]]. On one occasion (as told in the prose ''Lancelot''), Morgan agrees to temporarily release Lancelot to save Gawain, on the condition that Lancelot will return to her immediately afterwards; she then sets him free under the further condition that he not spend any time with either Guinevere or Galehaut for a year. This condition causes Lancelot to go half mad, and Galehaut to fall sick out of longing for him. Galehaut eventually dies of anguish, after he receives a false rumour of Lancelot's suicide.