Lancelot


 * This article is about the knight, Lancelot, for the episode he is introduced in, see: Lancelot

Sir Lancelot was a friend of Merlin and a former knight of Camelot. He was also Guinevere's first love. Following his death on the Isle of the Blessed, he was raised from the dead by Morgana, albeit as a Shade, making him a shadow of his former self. With his task complete, the shade killed itself but Lancelot's soul was freed by Merlin, allowing him to die in peace.

Arrival in Camelot
Lancelot first met Merlin when he saved him from a Griffin and Merlin took him back to Camelot. When it was revealed only noblemen can join the Knights of Camelot, Merlin used his magic to create a seal of nobility. Merlin asks Gwen to provide clothes and armour so Lancelot looked like he was a nobleman. Lancelot became attracted to Gwen as soon as he met her and insisted on calling her 'My Lady' despite her telling him she wasn't a noble so shouldn't be addressed that way. He asked Merlin what kind of relationship he has with Gwen and seemed pleased when Merlin said they were just friends. He later told Arthur that he thought she was beautiful. Lancelot tried out for the knights and, although at first Arthur is unimpressed, he quickly identified that Lancelot has potential and accepted him into the Knights of Camelot.

However when Uther asked Geoffrey of Monmouth to check the seal of nobility, it was revealed to be a forgery and Lancelot was thrown in prison. Arthur, however, let him out and told him to leave Camelot and never return. Lancelot decided to fight the Griffin as he felt he had a duty to do so.

Before leaving to fight the Griffin he visited Gwen's home as he needed armour. She asked him not to leave but he insisted it was his duty, knight or not.

When the Griffin attacked again Arthur and the other knights were nearly all killed. Lancelot tried to kill the Griffin but it was only when Merlin enchanted his lance that the Griffin was killed. Arthur then appealed to Uther to reinstate Lancelot as a knight, thinking it was Lancelot who killed the Griffin.

Lancelot revealed to Merlin that he knew he was a magician and promised to keep his secret, however he also said he could not stay and take credit for killing the Griffin when it was really Merlin. He announce to Uther and Arthur that he intended to leave in order to redeem himself for lying to them. (Lancelot)

Travelling Abroad
Lancelot travelled around after leaving Camelot and eventually started to earn a living by fighting for others entertainment, believing his life had become meaningless. He was working in a fighting ring run by a group of bandits when he saw Gwen had been kidnapped. The bandits had mistaken her for Morgana and were holding her for ransom. Realizing Gwen's life would be in danger if her true identity was discovered, Lancelot worked to free her, giving Lancelot a reason to live again. They shared a kiss and their feelings for each other were rekindled. However, when they tried to escape, they were captured and set to be executed. But they were saved by Arthur and Merlin, who had come to rescue Gwen.

While returning to Camelot, both Arthur and Gwen went out of their way to appear indifferent to each other. Lancelot was not fooled by this and quickly realised that they had strong unspoken feelings for each other, Merlin later confirmed this and although he had realised his own feelings for Gwen, Lancelot decided he wouldn't risk coming between her and Arthur. He left once again, asking Merlin to tell Gwen that while they weren't meant to be, she had changed his life. (Lancelot and Guinevere)

The Fall of Camelot
After Camelot fell to Morgana, Merlin sent word to him for help. Along with his friend Percival he saved them from Morgana's knights, and went with them to an ancient Castle. Within the Castle he was knighted by Arthur. Together with Merlin, they sneaked into the tower, to break the enchantment, while the other's went to save the other knights and Uther. Although he was wounded during the final fight, he survived, and later went with the other new knights to get Guinevere. (The Coming of Arthur: Part Two)

Knight of Camelot
A year later, he is one of the knights that ride out with Arthur to face an unknown enemy which has attacked a village. When the group are attacked by the Dorocha, he saves Merlin when the warlock's magic proves to be useless against the evil spirits. He later travels with Arthur and Merlin to the Isle of the Blessed to restore the veil between the living and the dead, but not before promising Gwen that he will protect Arthur with his life.

Later while looking for wood with Merlin he pleads with his friend to return to Camelot, as his magic cannot help him against the spirits. However Merlin refused, much to Lancelot's dismay. Later Merlin is injured by the Dorocha, providing the Arthur with the dilemma of whether to take him back to Camelot or abandon their quest. (The Darkest Hour: Part One). Lancelot was given permission to take Merlin back to Camelot so that Gaius can aid him. While taking a brief rest by a stream, the Vilia reveal themselves to Lancelot. They explain they are the kind spirits of the brooks and streams, also released by the sundered veil. They wish to help restore the balance and mean them no ill will. They tell Lancelot that both he and Merlin are necessary to heal the veil. When Lancelot expresses concern for Merlin, the Vilia reassure him by explaining that the young warlock has a future that has been written the dawn of time and they will heal him. They also provide Lancelot and a recovering Merlin with shelter and protection from the Dorocha for the remainder of the night.

By morning, Merlin is healed and the both of them head out to reunite with Arthur and the other knights. While taking shelter the two friends discuss why they are going back to help Arthur. Merlin guesses that Lancelot is helping Arthur because of Gwen. Lancelot explains that he respects Arthur and Gwen's happiness with the prince is what matters to him more than anything.

Later while being attacked by the Dorocha, Merlin summons Kilgharrah, who comes to their aid by eliminating the spirits attacking them. Upon learning Lancelot identity, the Dragon appears to treat him with reverence, calling him "the bravest and most noblest of them all", a statement that Lancelot did not believe to be true, but the Dragon is adamant about. While Merlin talks to the Dragon and says goodbye to his old friend, Lancelot learns that Arthur intends to sacrifice himself to heal the veil and that Merlin plans on taking the prince's place. Later he expresses his admiration for Merlin and wonders if he had the courage to sacrifice his life as his friends were planning.

Death


After reuniting with Arthur and the knights, they travelled to The Isle Of The Blessed, where only Arthur, Merlin and Lancelot knew a sacrifice must be made. As they see the veil, Arthur approaches The Cailleach and offers himself to save his people. Merlin however prevents this by pulling him back with magic and knocking him out. The Cailleach asks Merlin (calling him Emrys) if he would give up his life to save the prince but explains that his time among men is not over and it is not his time. She turns to the veil revealing Lancelot has sneaked past them and walking into the veil. Lancelot turns to look at his old friend one final time before turning back to the black abyss and smiling, disappearing into the veil with his arms spread out wide as if he were embracing his fate. His sacrifice heals the tear between the two separate worlds once again, while Merlin screams out in grief.

After returning to Camelot, Arthur pays his fallen comrade honour, citing that they all owe him a great debt. That Lancelot's legacy won't just be his sacrifice; but also his courage, compassion and unselfish heart. Arthur calls Lancelot the bravest and most noble knight he has ever known, a destiny Kilgharrah had foreseen and told him earlier.

Arthur creates a funeral pyre for his fallen friend, laying out his cloak and sword upon the blaze in lieu of a body. While holding Arthur's hand and staring at the pyre, Guinevere mourns over the loss and explains to Arthur that Lancelot gave his life to keep a promise to he made to her. To protect Arthur with his life. Lancelot proved to be a worthy Knight Of Camelot and a dear friend to all those in the kingdom. (The Darkest Hour: Part Two)

Return from the Dead
Upon learning that Arthur intended to make Gwen his queen, Morgana travelled to the Dochraid and asked her how to use a special coin her sister had given her. With it she resurrected Lancelot from the dead, however he was only a shade, a shadow of what he had been.

He still possessed all his skills, but he could not remember anything other than his name, and was enthralled to Morgana. She taught him all he would need to know, and he returned to Camelot, telling everyone that somehow he had cheated death, but he himself could not remember how, that he had been found by travellers who took him in, and he went with them till he had recovered enough to return.

However, noticing several things wrong, and discovering Lancelot could not remember that Merlin possessed magic, Merlin knew something was wrong, and upon study, he came to the conclusion that he was a victim of necromancy, the darkest form of magic.

Upon proving it, Merlin and Gaius kept an eye on Lancelot, suspecting him to try and kill the king. Meanwhile, Lancelot gave Gwen an enchanted bracelet that made her fall in love with him. Upon an order of Morgana, the now returned Lancelot joined in the celebratory joust, and continued to win, till he was facing Arthur. Lancelot's blow wounded Arthur, and as they came for a second run, it looked the end for Arthur. But as some of his old personality returned, Lancelot yielded.

Now that the spell was complete, he had Gwen meet him in the royal chambers. Merlin tried to intervene but due to his undead nature Lancelot was unaffected. Agravaine led Arthur to the chambers, where he caught Guinevere kissing Lancelot. Filled with grief Arthur turned on Lancelot as the duo commenced to a duel, and although at first winning, Lancelot managed to gain the upper hand, and if it wasn't for Merlin, Lancelot would have killed Arthur. Angered, Arthur went for the kill but Gwen intervened with sadness as Lancelot was thrown into the dungeons along with Guinevere who releases the bangle from her wrist.



Following Guinevere's departure from Camelot, a final order by Morgana came into place as Lancelot killed himself. Arthur gave orders for him to have a proper burial. Merlin then took Lancelot to a lake and, and performs a blessing on Lancelot's body. Surprisingly, this temporarily resurrected Lancelot for a few seconds. His soul was now free from Morgana's control and restored his normal personality. He looks at Merlin and spoke his final words "Merlin, thank you", bringing incredible joy to the warlock. Lancelot finally dies in peace, Merlin casts his friend's body across the lake in a floating pyre, lighting it on fire with magic before mourning his lost friend once again. (Lancelot Du Lac).

Personality
Lancelot had a very strong sense of right and wrong. He was never comfortable with the idea of lying about his social status in order to qualify for knighthood. He also refused to take the credit for another's work, as he refused to do so when Merlin killed the Griffin and everyone thought he had. Lancelot was polite and respectful towards people higher ranked than himself even if they treated him unfairly.

During his duel with Arthur, Lancelot defeated the prince through trickery rather than skill. However, in a real battle a warrior would need every advantage they could get and earlier in the episode Arthur believed that Lancelot was not ready for a real battle. Therefore, Arthur accepted his defeat and allowed Lancelot to join the Knights of Camelot.

Lancelot was willing to risk his own life to save the people he cares about. He developed feelings for Guinevere as soon as he met her but despite his feelings for her he left so he wouldn't come between her and Arthur. This showed that he was very selfless. Eventually, he sacrificed his life to keep to a promise he had made to Gwen; to protect Arthur with his life.

Kilgharrah greatly respected Lancelot, telling him that he was the bravest and most noble knight in Camelot. Although he was certainly a courageous and noble man, Lancelot apparently had some insecurities about his own courage because at first he was doubtful that what Kilgharrah said was true. This shows that in addition to his courage and selflessness he was also very humble.

Following his resurrection, and forgetting who he was, Lancelot was a shell of the man he had been, completely under Morgana's influence. He took part in a plot to ruin Gwen's chances of becoming queen. Despite this at least some of his personality survived, as he refused to finish Arthur when he was injured, showing that some of his honour stayed with him. However, despite initially sparing Arthur's life, Lancelot almost killed Arthur when fighting with him again after he saw Gwen kissing him. Lancelot remembered his true identity after Merlin brought him back from the dead one last time and thanked his old friend for reminding him who he truly was.

Abilities
Lancelot was a highly skilled swordsman and one of the very few who was able to fight Arthur as an equal and defeated him during their duel. It should be noted however that he defeated Arthur through trickery rather than skill. (Lancelot) Like Arthur he was capable of defending himself against numerous opponents at once defeating several of Hengist's bandits before finally being subdued. When he and Merlin went to search for the Cup of Life he fought against numerous immortal knights and drove them into the path of Excalibur, which was being wielded by Merlin, resulting in the knights defeat. Hengist was impressed by Lancelot's combat prowess noting that he was a skilful warrior. (Lancelot and Guinevere)

In addition to being a formidable opponent with a sword, Lancelot was skilled with a lance using it to slay a griffin that attacked Camelot. However his lance was made more powerful by Merlin's magic and Lancelot claimed that it was Merlin, not he, that had killed the griffin.

Although, he lost his memories and much of his personality following his resurrection, his skills did survive, and during his duel with Arthur, he would have won, if Merlin hadn't telekinetically knocked the sword out of his hand. He also defeated every other knight in jousting, even Arthur, although he refused to go in for the kill.

Also after his ressurection, Lancelot, because he was now a shade, became resistant to magical attacks as he resisted Merlin's attempt to knock him unconscious with magic.

Trivia

 * Knight Valiant, Lancelot, and Gwaine are the only male characters to have an episode named after them. However, the former two are deceased.

Appearances

 * Series 1
 * Lancelot (first appearance)


 * Series 2
 * Lancelot and Guinevere
 * The Last Dragonlord (mentioned only)


 * Series 3
 * The Coming of Arthur: Part Two


 * Series 4
 * The Darkest Hour: Part One
 * The Darkest Hour: Part Two (first death)
 * Lancelot Du Lac (return) (second death)