The Lancelot and Guinevere scandal also significantly undermines the credibility of the queen in the court. This is most evident in the poisoned apple episode in which the queen is falsely accused of murdering Sir Patrise. The queen's credibility is so damaged by the scandal that King Arthur has great difficulty finding a champion to defend her honor in judicial combat. Even Sir Bors, who reluctantly agrees to defend the queen's honor, does so conditionally:
'My lord,' seyde Sir Bors, 'ye requyre me the grettist thynge that ony man may requyre me. And wyte you well, if I graynte to do batayle for the quene I shall wretth many of my felyship of the Table Rounde 'But as for that,' seyde Bors, 'I woll graunte for my lorde sir Launcelottis sake, and for youre sake: I woll at that day be the quenys champyon onles that there com by adventures a better knyght than I to batayle for her.' (Malory, 616)
This passage is important because it illustrates the extensive erosion that Guinevere's credibility has undergone in the court. It is truly astounding that none of the knights have enough confidence in Guinevere's integrity and honor to defend her publicly. Although Lancelot saves the queen from execution, this act does little to restore her tarnished reputation. Guinevere's damaged integrity makes her vulnerable to a series of future accusations of wrongdoing: Malegrant's claim that she has slept with one of her wounded knights; Agravaine's claim before the king that Guinevere is having an adulterous relationship with Lancelot. Sadly, this volatile climate of scandal and distrust is a catalyst for the final conflicts between Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, which culminates in the demise of their glorious fellowship.
Although Malory attempts to characterize Lancelot and Guinevere's love as an idyllic "summer " love that transcends the base desires of the flesh, close examination of the text reveals many problematic elements of their relationship: Their love is arguably lecherous by medieval Christian definitions; it is characterized by obsessive and dysfunctional elements and it causes unprecedented scandal and division within the court, contributing immeasurably to the demise of the glorious dream known as Camelot.