Lanseloet van Denemerken
Encyclopedia
Lanseloet van Denemerken (Lancelot of Denmark) is a Middle Dutch
drama
. It is one of the four abele spelen
that are contained in the Hulthemse handschrift
and consists of 925 lines in rhyme
The other abele spelen are: Esmoreit
, Gloriant
and Vanden Winter ende vanden Somer
The play Lanseloet van Denemerken deals with the (impossible) love
between people of a different social class and is followed by the sotternie, the farce
, Die Hexe.
Lanseloet’s mother wants to end this affaire and imagines that Lanseloet’s love would soon disappear once he has possessed Sanderijn. She thinks of a plan to make Lanseloet promise her he will let Sanderijn go forever after one night with her. Lanseloet agrees. Sanderijn feels humiliated and betrayed and leaves the court.
After many journeys she meets a noble knight who marries her even after she has been dishonoured.
Lanseloet now understands how shamefully he has treated Sanderijn. He is still in love with her and sends of his manservant Reinout to find her. when he does she tells him she would never leave her husband for Lanseloet.
Trying to spare his master from suffering he tells him Sanderijn has died. At first Lanseloet distrusts this message, but after seeing evidence of their meeting he knows Sanderijn will be lost to him forever.
Lanseloet dies of grief and unanswered love.
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects which were spoken and written between 1150 and 1500...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
. It is one of the four abele spelen
Abele spelen
The Abele Spelen are a collection of four plays contained in the valuable Hulthemse Handschrift. This manuscript dates from 1410 and is in the collection of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the Royal Library in Brussels, Belgium, hs. 15.589-623....
that are contained in the Hulthemse handschrift
Van Hulthem (manuscript)
The manuscript known as the Van Hulthem manuscript is a masterpiece of medieval Dutch literature. Its contents of over 200 stories from around Brussels, Belgium was summarized in the following slogan: 'all of life’s intensity in one volume'....
and consists of 925 lines in rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
The other abele spelen are: Esmoreit
Esmoreit
Esmoreit is a Middle Dutch drama. It is one of the four abele spelen that are contained in the Hulthemse handschrift and consists of 1018 lines in rhymeThe other abele spelen are: Gloriant, Lanseloet van Denemerken and Vanden Winter ende vanden Somer...
, Gloriant
Gloriant
Gloriant is a Middle Dutch drama. It is one of the four abele spelen that are contained in the Hulthemse handschrift and consists of 1142 lines in rhymeThe other abele spelen are: Esmoreit, Lanseloet van Denemerken and Vanden Winter ende vanden Somer...
and Vanden Winter ende vanden Somer
Vanden Winter ende vanden Somer
Vanden Winter ende vanden Somer is a Middle Dutch drama. It is the shortest of the four abele spelen that are contained in the Hulthemse handschrift and consists of 625 lines in rhyme...
The play Lanseloet van Denemerken deals with the (impossible) love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
between people of a different social class and is followed by the sotternie, the farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
, Die Hexe.
Roles
- Lanseloet
- Sanderijn
- Sine moeder (Lanseloet'‘s mother)
- Een ridderRidder (title)Ridder is a noble title in the Netherlands and Belgium. The collective term for its holders in a certain locality is the Ridderschap . In the Netherlands and Belgium no female equivalent exists...
(a knight, husband of Sanderijn) - Reinout (manservant of Lanseloet)
- Des ridders warande huedere (the gardiner of the knight)
Plot
The nobleman Lanseloet is love with the young maiden Sanderijn. He tries to seduce her, but she doesn’t want to get involved because of her own low standing fearing she would not come to marry Lanseloet.Lanseloet’s mother wants to end this affaire and imagines that Lanseloet’s love would soon disappear once he has possessed Sanderijn. She thinks of a plan to make Lanseloet promise her he will let Sanderijn go forever after one night with her. Lanseloet agrees. Sanderijn feels humiliated and betrayed and leaves the court.
After many journeys she meets a noble knight who marries her even after she has been dishonoured.
Lanseloet now understands how shamefully he has treated Sanderijn. He is still in love with her and sends of his manservant Reinout to find her. when he does she tells him she would never leave her husband for Lanseloet.
Trying to spare his master from suffering he tells him Sanderijn has died. At first Lanseloet distrusts this message, but after seeing evidence of their meeting he knows Sanderijn will be lost to him forever.
Lanseloet dies of grief and unanswered love.
External links
Original Middle Dutch text- Lanseloet van Denemerken (with line numbers) bij de Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse letteren: The Digital Library of Dutch literature