Lancelot

This article is about the deceased knight, Lancelot, for the episode he is introduced in, see: Lancelot, and for the Shade version of the character, see Lancelot (Shade).

“Sir Lancelot, the bravest and most noble of them all...”
— Kilgharrah^[src]

Sir Lancelot was a friend of Merlin and a Knight of Camelot. He was also the first person to love Guinevere. He was one of the few people to have discoved Merlin's magic. He sacrificed himself in Arthur's place on the Isle of the Blessed.

History

Arrival in Camelot

Lancelot first meets Merlin when he saves him from a Griffin. Merlin, suprised at his courage, takes him back to Camelot. When it is revealed only noblemen can join the Knights of Camelot, Merlin uses his magic to create a seal of nobility to make him the fifth son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria. Merlin asks Gwen to provide clothes and armour so Lancelot looks like a nobleman. Lancelot becomes attracted to Gwen as soon as he meets her and insists on calling her "My Lady" despite her telling him she isn't a noble so shouldn't be addressed that way. He asks Merlin what kind of relationship he has with Gwen and seems pleased when Merlin says they are just friends. He later tells Arthur that he thinks she is beautiful.

Sir Lancelot — Lancelot getting knighted for the first time

Lancelot tries out for the knights and, although at first Arthur is unimpressed, he quickly identifies that Lancelot has potential. Lancelot starts out having a job cleaning the stables, Arthur approaches him and, using brooms as bow staffs, the two men duel. After the duel, Arthur says that Lancelot has passed his first test. Lancelot moves on to basic training, and is soon accepted into the knights of Camelot.

However, when Uther asks Geoffrey of Monmouth to check the seal of nobility, it is revealed to be a forgery and Lancelot is thrown into prison. Arthur, however, lets him out and tells him to leave Camelot and never return. Lancelot decides to fight the Griffin as he feels he has a duty to do so.

Before leaving to fight the Griffin, he visits Gwen's home as he needs armour. She asks him not to leave but he insists it is his duty, knight or not.

When the Griffin attacks again Arthur and the other knights are nearly killed. Lancelot tries to kill the Griffin but it is only when Merlin enchants his lance that the Griffin is killed. Arthur then appeals to Uther to reinstate Lancelot as a knight, thinking it is Lancelot who killed the Griffin.

Lancelot reveals to Merlin that he knows he is a sorcerer and promises to keep his secret, however he also says he cannot stay and take credit for killing the Griffin when it was really Merlin. He announces to Uther and Arthur that he intends to leave in order to redeem himself for lying to them (Lancelot).

Travelling Abroad

Gwen-Lancelot-merlin-on-bbc-10395023-1024-768 — Lancelot and his love, Guinevere

“I've been earning a living the only way I know. With a sword.”
— Lancelot to Guinevere

Lancelot travels after leaving Camelot and eventually starts to earn a living by fighting for others' entertainment, believing his life has become meaningless. He is working in a fighting ring run by a group of bandits when he sees Gwen has been kidnapped. The bandits have mistaken her for Morgana and are holding her for ransom. Realising Gwen's life will be in danger if her true identity is discovered, Lancelot works to free her, giving Lancelot a reason to live again. They share a kiss and their feelings for each other are rekindled. However, when they try to escape, they are captured and set to be executed. But they are saved by Arthur and Merlin, who came to rescue Gwen.

While returning to Camelot, both Arthur and Gwen go out of their way to appear indifferent to each other. Lancelot is not fooled by this and quickly realises that Arthur has strong unspoken feelings for Gwen. Merlin later confirmed this and although he has realised his own feelings for Gwen, Lancelot decides he won't come between her and Arthur. He leaves once again, asking Merlin to tell Gwen that while they aren't meant to be, she has changed his life forever. (Lancelot and Guinevere).

The Fall of Camelot

Lancelot the Coming of Arthur — "Rise, Sir Lancelot"

After Camelot falls to Morgause's Immortal army and Morgana is crowned queen, Merlin sends word to him for help. Along with his friend Percival he saves them from Morgana's knights, and goes with them to an ancient Castle. Within the Castle, Arthur proposes to fight the immortal army to save his fathe. Lancelot is the first to stand up, saying that Arthur taught him the knight's code and will be honoured to fight with pride. He is later knighted by Arthur as a Knight of Camelot, before discussing plans on how to take back Camelot. Together with Merlin, they sneak into the tower to break the enchantment, while the others go to save the other knights and Uther. Although he is wounded during the final fight, he survives and later goes with the other new knights to bring Guinevere from the Castle of the Ancient Kings, wearing the knights' armour with the great crest of Camelot (The Coming of Arthur).

Knight of Camelot

A year later, he is one of the knights that rides out with Arthur to face an unknown enemy that 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 refuses, much to Lancelot's dismay. Later Merlin is seriously 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 merlin — Lancelot, looking after a sick Merlin

Arthur anounces that they have to return Merlin to Gaius or he will die, but Lancelot and Leon express the need to finish the quest. Lancelot is 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's 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 (The Darkest Hour).

Death

thumb|left|200px|Lancelot sacrifices himself to restore the veil After reuniting with Arthur and the knights, they travel to the Isle of the Blessed, where only Arthur, Merlin and Lancelot know a sacrifice has to be made. As they see the veil, Arthur approaches the Cailleach and offers himself to save his people. Merlin, however, prevents this by throwing him aside magically. The Cailleach asks Merlin if he will give up his life to save Arthur's, but then states that his time among men is not over and it is not yet his time. She turns to the veil, revealing that during their conversation Lancelot sneaked past them and walked to the gateway of the veil himself. Lancelot turns to look at his old friend one final time before turning back to the black abyss, smiling, and then disappearing into the veil with his arms spread out wide to embrace his fate. His sacrifice healed the tear between the two separate worlds once again, and left Merlin calling out in grief.

After returning to Camelot, Arthur pays his fallen comrade honour, citing that they all owe him a great debt. Arthur names Lancelot's legacy as more than just his last sacrifice, but also his courage, compassion and unselfish heart. Arthur calls Lancelot the bravest and most noble knight he ever knew, a destiny Kilgharrah foresaw and spoke of earlier in the quest.

Arthur built 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, distressed by her belief that Lancelot gave his life to keep the promise he made to her (The Darkest Hour:Part Two).

Releasing of the Shade

Lancelot17 — Lancelot(Shade) and Gwen, caught by Arthur in adultery

Morgana resurrects Lancelot as a Shade and he has an affair with Guinevere. Arthur has Gwen exiled from Camelot, but before he can pass judgement on Lancelot (unbeknownst that he was a Shade), a final order from Morgana comes ordering the Shade to kill himself, thus sparing Arthur the need to punish him. Arthur, melancholic on hearing the news, assumes "Lancelot" did so out of guilt and because of his strong sense of right and wrong, commenting that he had always been a man of honour "in all ways but one".

LANCELOT LASTWORDS — Lancelot thanks Merlin for setting him free

Arthur therefore gives orders for him to have a proper burial. Merlin then takes the Shade to the lake and performs a blessing on Lancelot's body. This temporarily resurrects Lancelot for a few seconds where it is shown that his soul is now free from Morgana's control and he is restored to his true self. He looks at Merlin and speaks his final words: "Merlin, thank you". Lancelot finally dies in peace and Merlin casts his friend's body across the lake in a floating pyre, igniting it with magic (Lancelot du Lac).

Personality

“I want to pay tribute to Sir Lancelot. We owe him a great debt. It is not just his deed that we'll never forget. It's his courage. His compassion. His unselfish heart.He was the most noble knight I'll ever know. He gave his life for all of us.”
— Arthur on Lancelot

Merlin_4x02_-_Lancelot's_funeral_scene — Merlin 4x02 - Lancelot's funeral scene

Tribute to Sir Lancelot

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 didn't like to take the credit for another's work, as he refused to do so when Merlin killed the Griffin and everyone thought Lancelot had. Lancelot was polite and respectful towards people of higher rank 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.

Merlin_4x09_lancelot's_death — Merlin 4x09 lancelot's death

Sir Lancelot is sent to Avalon by Merlin

Lancelot was willing to risk his own life to save the people he cared about. He developed feelings for Guinevere as soon as he met her but despite this he left so he wouldn't come between her and Arthur, displaying his selflessness. 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.

Relationships

Merlin

“You know, Merlin? You're the one Arthur should knight. You're the bravest of us all and he doesn't even know it.”
— Lancelot to Merlin

LancMerl — Lancelot and Merlin, best friends

Merlin appears to be Lancelot's best friend. Lancelot was willing to die for him when he sacrificed himself at the Isle of the Blessed. Merlin did many things for Lancelot, like attempting to make him a Knight of Camelot and giving him comfort when he needed it. They shared secrets between each other, like Merlin having magic and Lancelot loving Guinevere. When Merlin sent word for Lancelot to help Arthur take back Camelot he arrived as soon as he could. After he became a Knight of Camelot, and sacrificed himself a year later to vanquish the Dorocha, Merlin mourned very heavily as did everyone else. When Lancelot was resurrected as a Shade, moments after returning to Camelot, Merlin suspected he was not himself, and something sinister was at play. Lancelot, while working for Morgana, kissed Guinevere in front of Arthur and was ordered by Morgana to kill himself again. When he did, Merlin temporarily returned him from the dead to free his soul. When he was freed and reanimated he spoke his last words to Merlin: "Merlin... Thank you." He died peacefully, leaving Merlin to mourn even heavier than the first time.

Guinevere Pendragon

73dsa — Lancelot and Guinevere about to kiss

“I would die for you 100 times over. Live for me, or everything that I am has been for nothing.”
— Lancelot to Guinevere

When Lancelot first saw Guinevere he was instantly attracted to her, and called her "My lady". Gwen was sad when Lancelot left, and she shared her emotions with Morgana. Lancelot was reunited with Guinevere when she was impersonating Morgana, and helped her escape, sharing a kiss before parting. In the process, Lancelot was captured by Hengist's men and was later ordered to be fed to the Wilddeoren.

He later discovered that Gwen didn't escape, and that she was set to be fed to the Wilddeoren as well. However, they were both saved by Arthur and Merlin. Lancelot left when he discovered that Arthur was in love with Gwen, so that he wouldn't come between them. When Lancelot was reunited with Guinevere again, they had little interaction, he only guided her back to Camelot along with the other Knights. When Arthur intended to sacrifice himself, Gwen asked Lancelot to bring him home safely. Lancelot promised he'd give his life for Arthur, and meant it literally. Gwen mourned at his burial, longer than everybody else. What Guinevere feels about him after their presumed betrayal of Arthur is unknown.

Arthur

“ You taught me the values of being a knight, the code by which a man should live his life. To fight with honour for justice, freedom, and all that's good. I believe in the world that you will build.”
— Lancelot to Arthur

Lancelot30 — Lancelot passes his test to become a knight

Lancelot was good friends with Arthur, despite them both being in love with Guinevere. Arthur insisted on Lancelot being a Knight of Camelot, only to discover that it was forgery. He later decided to free Lancelot from prison and told him to leave. But soon after, Lancelot (and Merlin) killed the Griffin. Arthur demanded that Uther knight Lancelot, but Uther refused. Upon discovering that Merlin defeated the Griffin, Lancelot left Camelot. Arthur next saw Lancelot when he was fighting alongside him to kill a Wilddeoren. Arthur later discovered that Lancelot and Gwen were in love, and was heartbroken. However, Lancelot soon discovered that Arthur was also in love with Gwen, and he selflessly departed.

A long time after, Arthur gladly welcomed him into his small group of Knights resisting Morgana Pendragon. Lancelot was later Knighted. Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table then fought and defeated the Immortal army, and survived. As a Knight of Camelot, he served Arthur honourably, and Arthur said that he was the bravest and noblest of all his Knights. Lancelot proved this by sacrificing himself for Albion when the Dorocha were freed.

Gaius

Lancelot and Gaius had a similar bond to Gaius and Merlin, since Lancelot lived in the same household. He gladly supported Lancelot as he tried to become a Knight of Camelot, but Lancelot decided to leave when he killed the Griffin. Gaius next met Lancelot several years later when both of them were part of a resistance set up by Arthur to defeat Morgana. Lancelot was then made a Knight and they succeeded in taking back Camelot. As a knight, Gaius, Merlin and Lancelot lived in the same household. Gaius appeared to be very sad when Lancelot died, and was amongst the happiest members of the court when he returned, albeit as a Shade.

Percival

Lancelot first met Percival when Percival's village fell at the hands of an Immortal army. Percival and Lancelot then agreed to help each other find Lancelot's old friend, Arthur, and defeat the army. When they met with Arthur, they were both Knighted and they succeeded in defeating the Immortal army. As knights, they both went on many adventures and like everyone else, Percival was sad both times Lancelot died.

Morgana

Lancelot09 — Lancelot(Shade) and Morgana

“ For you are Lancelot, the noble, the brave, the honourable. You're everything the Knight's Code stands for.”
— Morgana to Lancelot^[src]

Lancelot respected Morgana when he arrived in Camelot but when she betrayed Camelot, he plotted against her. He also thwarted Morgana's plan by sacrificing himself and closing the veil between the worlds. Morgana seemed to respect Lancelot a lot, as she expressed to be sad beyond words when she had to strip him of his former glory and force him into adultery with Gwen, since he had lost all his former pride and glory.

The Great Dragon

Lancelot Meets Kilgharrah — Merlin and Lancelot meet Kilgharrah

“Of course. Sir Lancelot, the bravest and most noble of them all.”
— Kilgharrah to Lancelot

Lancelot only met the Great Dragon once, but at that time he told Lancelot that he was the "bravest and noblest of them all...". Lancelot was at first frightened by Kilgharrah and raised his sword, but when Merlin stopped him, he respected Kilgharrah as a magnificent creature and appeared to be proud that Merlin had the ability to command him.

The Vilia

When the Veil was torn and Merlin was on the brink of death, Lancelot was taking him back to Camelot when he found the Vilia. They had a conversation before they cured Merlin. Lancelot smiled as they provided them protection from the Dorocha.

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 knight's defeat. Hengist was impressed by Lancelot's combat prowess noting that he was a skillful warrior (Lancelot and Guinevere). Later Lancelot beat Arthur a second time, this time without cheating, when he confronted the king as a Shade and proved victorious. If it was not for Merlin's magic, Arthur would have been slain by Lancelot.

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.

Trivia

Knight Valiant, Lancelot and Gwaine are the only male characters to have an episode named after them.
He is also the only character to have three episodes named after him: Lancelot, Lancelot and Guinevere and Lancelot du Lac.
After the Shade Lancelot killed himself in Lancelot du Lac, Arthur said he was an honorable man in all ways but one, which showed that he still respected him a lot.
Lancelot will most likely not appear in Series 5, since the producers said that he had already been ressurected once and his story has ended.

Memorable Quotes

"I would die for you one hundred times over." to Gwen
"Live for me, or everything that I am has been for nothing." to Gwen.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. You reminded me of who I am. I will die with faith in my heart... that is worth more than anything." to Gwen.
"My feelings do not matter. I will not come between them." to Merlin on Arthur and Gwen.
"I heard you. I saw you. Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me, but I cannot take the credit for what I did not do. There'll be no more lies, no more deceit." to Merlin.
"You're the bravest of us all and he doesn't even know" to Merlin on Arthur.
"My name is Lancelot my lady, I am yours to command..." to Morgana
"Merlin... Thank you..." to Merlin
"Then you have given me a reason to live." to Gwen
"You taught me the values of being a knight, the code by which a man should live his life. To fight with honour for justice, freedom, and all that's good. I believe in the world that you will build." to Arthur.
"Ever since I was a child I've dreamed of coming here. It's my life's ambition to join the knights of Camelot" to Merlin.
"Maybe one day fate shall grant me another chance to prove myself a worthy knight of Camelot." to Arthur and Uther