Le Morte Darthur, Chapter 422 summary

What happens

1. Launcelot awakens on the twenty-fifth day, mourns his lost vision, and connects his twenty-four days of stillness with years of sin.
2. He learns he is at Carbonek, puts on his hair shirt again, and accepts that he can see no more of the Grail.
3. King Pelles welcomes Launcelot and tells him of his daughter’s death; Launcelot mourns her and praises the knight she bore.
4. Pelles keeps Launcelot for four days, and Launcelot takes leave in the morning.
5. During a meal supplied by the Holy Grail, doors and windows close untouched, and a knight outside repeatedly demands entry.
6. Pelles condemns the visitor, then regrets his words when Ector identifies himself; Ector learns Launcelot is inside and rides away ashamed.

In this chapter

What to notice

Launcelot values his sacred experience more than his return to ordinary awareness. His grief makes his awakening a spiritual loss rather than simple relief.

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