King Arthur’s knights are expected to uphold several courtly values: honor, fidelity/faithfulness, mercy, gentility, chastity, generosity, and courtesy. Knights are held to a high standard of character and are routinely tested when obstacles in their lives arise. In The Knight of the Cart, Sir Lancelot is tested several times throughout his journey. His first challenge is the tension between his loyalty for King Arthur, and his love for King Arthur’s wife, Guinevere. As Lancelot continues on his journey to rescue Guinevere, he encounters a woman who offers him lodging in exchange for sleeping with her. His ability to adhere to the knightly values was again tested. Lancelot would be unfaithful to Guinivere if he were to sleep with the woman, but without the lodging she is offering, he could not continue on his journey to rescue Guinevere.
Although the internal struggle between his values and desires is exaggerated in the unrealistic conflicts Lancelot experiences, most people encounter situations that involve making difficult decisions on a daily basis. Ranging from small life choices like whether to eat the tempting burger and fries or the salad you promised yourself that you would eat, to life-altering decisions like deciding whether to take a job in a different state, everyone can relate to making tough choices. Sir Lancelot chose to prioritize his love for Guinevere over all other knightly values he could have chosen to adhere to — as a result, his reputation as a knight was ruined from riding in a cart. Sir Lancelot’s challenges may not be typical in the modern day, but the tale of his journey highlight the struggles people face everyday to prioritize one moral value over another.