On Pain of Death

Authors

Declan Cummings, Macalester CollegeFollow

Document Type

Honors Project - Open Access

Abstract

On Pain of Death is a fictional retelling of the story of Sir Pelleas, who, in Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, is depicted as a noble knight with unrequited love for Lady Ettarde. He follows her for weeks, repeatedly declaring his love for her, despite her clear rejections. In rewriting this story, I hope to draw attention to the fact that, by today’s standards, what he is doing is clear-cut stalking. By introducing a character with a periphery perspective, I hope to call into question how “romantic” these stories of unrequited love really are.

Recommended Citation

Cummings, Declan, "On Pain of Death" (2017). English Honors Projects. 37.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/english_honors/37