"The Ill-Made Knight" is the third book in the epic novel The Once and Future King, by T. H. White. It was first published in 1940, but is usually found today only in collected editions of all four books of the novel. Much of The Ill-Made Knight takes place in the fabled Camelot, full of blue castle tops, red banners and white castle bricks. Against this happy backdrop, White constructs a tragedy. The Ill-Made Knight is based around the adventures, perils and mistakes of Sir Lancelot. Lancelot, despite being the bravest of the knights, is ugly, and ape-like, so that he calls himself the Chevalier mal fet - "The Ill-Made Knight". As a child, Lancelot adored King Arthur and spent his entire childhood training to be a knight of the round table. When he arrives and becomes one of Arthur's knights, he also becomes the king's close friend. This causes some tension, as he dislikes Arthur's new wife Guinevere. In order to please her husband, Guinevere tries to befriend Lancelot and the two eventually fall in love. T.H. White's version of the tale elaborates greatly on the passionate love of Lancelot and Guinevere. Suspense is provided by the tension between Lancelot's friendship for King Arthur and his love for and affair with the queen. This affair leads inevitably to the breaking of the Round Table and sets up the tragedy that is to follow in the concluding book of the tetralogy - The Candle in the Wind.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unexpectedly passionating.,
By Stephanie Noverraz "crooty" (Lausanne, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Ill-Made Knight (Hardcover)
This is the third book in The Once and Future King pentalogy (after The Sword in the Stone and The Witch in the Wood _also called The Queen of Air and Darkness_ and before The Candle in the Wind and The Book of Merlyn).The Ill-Made Knight tells the story of the life of Sir Lancelot, an ugly young man, fervent admirer of King Arthur, who comes to Camelot to become a Knight of the Round Table. It won't be long until he and Arthur's Queen, Guenever, fall in love with each other. And soon Sir Lancelot is tormented by a devastating inner struggle. He is thoroughly ashamed of this love, which he considers a sin. So for his redemption, he swears to become the best knight in the world. As for King Arthur, his knights have been busy restoring peace in all Europe, but soon the situation gets out of hand again, and he has to find something to keep them from fighting each other. He'll send them on a quest for the Holy Grail. I was quite surprised by this book, which I enjoyed much more than the previous two. There's action at last, the characters are better defined, the story more gripping. I wonder what the last two have in store for me.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of T.H. White's Once and Future King,
This review is from: The Ill-Made Knight (Hardcover)
If you like King Arthur and even if you don't you should read The Once and Future King. Especially Ill Made Knight. The most moving and compelling account of Lancelot's affair with Guenivere ever written.
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the more brilliant books I have ever read.,
This review is from: The Ill-made Knight (Hardcover)
An incredible view of Lancelot. Here, he is stripped down as a self-loathing, hideous, knight who struggles between his love for his idol and his love for the only woman who paid him attention. One of the more brilliant books I have ever read.
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