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Dinadan

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Dinadan
Matter of Britain character
Sir Dinadan in a 1894 issue of Catholic World
First appearanceProse Tristan
In-universe information
TitleSir
OccupationKnight of the Round Table
FamilyBruenor, Daniel
NationalityCornish

Dinadan[a] is a Cornish knight of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend's chivalric romance tradition of the Prose Tristan and its adaptations, including a part of Le Morte d'Arthur. Best known for his humor and pragmatism, he is a close friend of the protagonist Tristan. Dinadan is the subject of several often comedic episodes until his murder by Mordred and Agravain.

Medieval literature

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Attributed arms of Dinadem.

Dinadan is a knight from Cornwall and the son of Bruenor senior, also known as the Good Knight Without Fear. His brothers include fellow Round Table knights Breunor le Noir and Daniel. Unlike many other knights in Arthurian romance, the pragmatic Dinadan tends to avoid fights and views courtly love as a futile pursuit, though he displays bravery in battle when necessary.

Like Palamedes and Lamorak, Dinadan was introduced in the 13th-century Prose Tristan, a variation of the Tristan and Iseult legend. He also featured in subsequent retellings, such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle and Thomas Malory's well-known work Le Morte d'Arthur (in "The Book of Sir Tristan"). Additionally, he appeared in lesser-known romances like Escanor, where his deep skepticism towards women serves as a comedic theme,[1] and certain versions of Les Prophéties de Merlin.

Le Morte d'Arthur

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Illustration by Arthur Rackham for "The Romance of King Arthur" (1917), depicting a scene from "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Alfred W. Pollard, where Eliot the harper sings the lay composed by Dinadan at a feast hosted by King Mark.

Malory's portrayal of Dinadan emphasizes his cynical humor and inclination towards mocking chivalry.[1] During his visit to the court of Cornwall in search of his friend, the young hero Tristan (Tristram), Dinadan shares supper with Queen Iseult (La Beale Isoud), revealing his deliberate choice to have no lady-love or paramour to inspire his noble deeds. Dinadan is often depicted as the most witty among Arthur's knights, both the source and target of numerous practical jokes. In Le Morte d'Arthur, he stands out for his ability to recognize his fellow knights beyond their shields, unlike many others. In one memorable instance, he helps Tristan identify King Arthur. Notably, Dinadan composes a derisive ballad about King Mark and arranges for a troubadour to perform it at Mark's court. In another escapade, he is caught off guard and defeated in a joust by Lancelot, who cleverly wears a dress over his armor and later dresses his unconscious opponent in it.

According to Joyce Coleman, "Margaret Schlauch praises the 'courtly realism' depicted in Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, especially highlighting 'the comically realistic Sir Dinadan', whose humorous remarks about his fear of jousting leave his audience laughing so hard they can barely stay seated. 'Sir Dinadan, the realist' [Elizabeth Edwards], described as the 'rational moralist' governed by a 'pragmatic creed' [Donald Hoffman], remains a central figure in Malorian analysis."[2] Conversely, other scholars such as Eugène Vinaver and Harold Livermore view the humor of Malory's Dinadan as inferior to that found in his French source material, where Dinadan's jokes are seen as more offensive and subversive, even addressing taboo subjects like religion.[3]

In Le Morte d'Arthur, following the Prose Tristan narrative, Dinadan tragically meets his end after returning from Cornwall, hoping to persuade King Arthur to reverse his ruling that had reinstated Mark on the throne. However, still wounded from his encounter with the evil knight Brehu the Merciless, Dinadan is ambushed and murdered by two other Knights of the Round Table, the treacherous half-brothers Mordred and Agravain, who resent him for his association with their enemy Lamorak from the rival clan of King Pellinore. Lancelot's half-brother Hector de Maris discovers Dinadan mortally wounded and brings him to Camelot, where he dies in Lancelot's arms.

La Tavola Ritonda

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In La Tavola Ritonda, a late medieval Italian rewrite of the Prose Tristan, Dinadan (Dinadano) himself attempts to murder the captured Mark (Marco) in revenge for the death of his dear friend Tristan (Tristano). In this version, Brehu the Merciless (Breus sanz Pietà) is actually his cousin. Unlike other portrayals, this version of Dinadan is depicted as a violent misogynist who harbors deep animosity towards women, including Tristan's beloved Iseult (Isotta), whom he openly insults as a "whore".[4][5] The only time Dinadan falls in love with a woman is during his brief affair with the evil Losanna of the Ancient Tower (Losanna della Torre Antica). This affair causes him to turn against Tristan, who fights to save Losanna's rival Tessina (whom Dinadan also disparagingly calls a "whore"). Dinadan's typically hostile attitude towards women earns him friendly mockery from Tristan, including a comical episode where Tristan, after Dinadan refuses to marry a daughter of Espinogres (here portrayed as a king, but in Malory's version a knight who is a companion of Tristan and Dinadan), enters Dinadan's room at night pretending to be the daughter, madly in love with him.

Modern fiction

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Dinadan has appeared in modern adaptations such as the stage version and film adaptation of the musical Camelot. In the original 1960 Broadway production, he was portrayed by John Cullum, while Anthony Rogers played the role in the 1967 film version. Additionally, Dinadan is the main character in Gerald Morris' 2003 novel The Ballad of Sir Dinadan,[6] and is featured in the chapter "Sir Dinadan the Humorist" in Mark Twain's 1890 work A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.[7] In Lev Grossman's 2024 novel The Bright Sword,[8] Dinadan is portrayed as a transgender man who uses his knight's armor to hide his breasts and female genitals.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Alternative forms of his name in various texts and manuscripts include Dinadam, Dinadano, Dinaden, Dinadem, Dinadeira, Divdan, Dynadan and Dynadam.

References

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  1. ^ a b Brook, Leslie. "Demons and Angels: Female Portrayal in Escanor" (PDF). www.reading.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. ^ Arthurian Literature XXIII. Vol. 23. Boydell & Brewer. 2006. ISBN 9781843840978. JSTOR 10.7722/j.ctt820cc.
  3. ^ Glowka, Arthur Wayne (1986). "Malory's Sense of Humor". Arthurian Interpretations. 1 (1): 39–46. JSTOR 27868608.
  4. ^ Arthurian Literature XIX. Vol. 19. Boydell & Brewer. 2003. ISBN 9780859917452. JSTOR 10.7722/j.ctt81fpd.
  5. ^ Larrington, Carolyne (1 February 2004). "04.02.30, Busby, Dalrymple, eds., Arthurian Literature XIX". The Medieval Review. ISSN 1096-746X. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  6. ^ Morris, Gerald (2008). The Ballad of Sir Dinadan. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547349848.
  7. ^ "Chapter 4: "Sir Dinadan the Humorist" | A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court | Mark Twain". etc.usf.edu. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  8. ^ Grossman, Lev (2024). The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 9780735224049.
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