A Pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place that is either physical or spiritual, sometimes both. I think it is important to examine the idea of the pilgrimage in relation to the tales of Arthur and his knights in Le Morte Darthur. In a sense every story, whether or not it contains an actual pilgrimage, as we understand it, does contain the elements leading to the Grail Quest, which in itself should be recognized as the ultimate pilgrimage. In Le Morte Darthur the knights go on expeditions and participate in quests that are meant to define their character, their honor and their chivalry. The central characters in each separate tale either transforms into a more humble person through obstacles and challenges that test the human condition or, as well will find out (in the case of Gawain and his brothers in particular) who in fact follows in the footsteps of Arthur and who tries to circumvent customs and traditions that define the King and the Knights of the Round Table.

The conceptions that play out in these stories, this “travel” literature, both literal and figurative are there to test the soul. In the tales that make up Le Morte Darthur, the protagonist follows a path, both specific and unspecific, to improve their well-being, to improve upon their station and, many times, even love. Moving from one place to another, either spiritually or physically, hints at a noticeable change for the person both internally and externally. In essence the movement creates a path that the knights must follow in order to accomplish what they have been motivated toward. In due course, whether the change is expected or unexpected, the person reaches a point at which they change because of the knowledge they have gained from the experiences on the journey. In the end all, well those who have not perished, participate in the Grail Quest, as wonderful as some of the tales are, as tragic as some are, and as boring as some can be (I’m sorry Gareth), this is in the end, both literally and figuratively, about the death of Arthur.

I know this does not really expound on the great and the trivial, the good and the bad, and of course the life and death of Arthur and some of his knights but I have read Le Morte Darthur twice before and what is said above is part of what I have taken from the story. I would certainly like to delve more into why I find some of the tales so intriguing but I do not want to spoil anything because believe me some things will take you by surprise!!!