How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
Her voice was low at first, being full of tears,
But as it cleared, it grew full loud and shrill,
Growing a windy shriek in all men's ears,
A ringing in their startled brains [...] (lines 49-52)
At the beginning of her speech, Guenevere's voice seems to be tinged with what we could call "madness," or at least hysteria. It is "shrill" and "shriek[y]."
Quote #2
'[...] while I laughed out loud,
And let my lips curl up at false or true' (lines 77-78).
After Launcelot arrives at Arthur's court, Guenevere laughs and smiles, whether it's appropriate or not. Lines like these make some critics think Guenevere is hysterical, or even mad, throughout the poem. Others, though, argue that she's totally in control. What do you think?
Quote #3
'While I was dizzied thus, old thoughts would crowd' (line 81)
Guenevere seems to want to convince her listeners that she was half-crazy during the springtime after Launcelot's arrival. She says she was "dizzied" with her memories of her past life and her depression. Is she trying to plead insanity?