Castle Anthrax

Castle Anthrax is a fictional stone-built 8th century fortress a few days ride from Camelot visited by Sir Galahad the Chaste (Michael Palin) in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Overview

All residents of the castle were female. The castle was unusually well furnished, containing beds that were both warm and soft, and very very big. It was also distinguished by a grail-shaped beacon that was visible to approaching travellers.

The community comprises "eight score young blondes and brunettes, all between the ages of sixteen and nineteen-and-a-half."

Galahad first meets one of the castle's commanders (Carol Cleveland). When he tells her his name is "Galahad the Chaste", she introduces herself as "Zoot -- just Zoot!" The castle inhabitants' time was, according to Zoot, generally spent bathing, dressing, undressing, and making exciting underwear. Other residents include Midget and Crapper, Zoot's minor companions in the opening scene of Castle Anthrax, and Doctors Piglet and Winston, who have a "basic medical training" but aren't real doctors.

Galahad tells the women that he is there seeking the Holy Grail which he has seen above the castle. Zoot's identical twin sister, Dingo (also Cleveland), then realizes that Zoot has been setting alight their grail-shaped beacon. She explains that the only punishment for setting alight the grail-shaped beacon was that the guilty party is to be tied down on a bed and spanked. The rest of the girls offer to be punished by Galahad, to be followed by "the oral sex".

Sir Galahad is invited to inflict the appropriate penalties, but Sir Lancelot and company burst in to "rescue" him (or rather his chastity), professing the terrible peril he was in. Galahad dutifully volunteers to stay at the castle, explaining, "Look, it's my duty as a knight to sample as much peril as I can", and as he is dragged out of the castle exclaims, "Look, I can tackle this lot single-handed! Honestly, I can cope. I can handle this lot easily. There's only 150 of them!" The women all say, "Yes, let him handle us easily!", "We haven't a chance". As they escape, a visibly disappointed Galahad says to Lancelot, "I bet you're gay"; Lancelot pauses before indignantly replying, "No I'm not".

The humor in this scene is expanded upon when one realizes that, in Arthurian Legend, Sir Galahad is the son of Sir Lancelot.

In reality, most of the many rooms in the castle were the same room, the kitchen in Doune Castle shot from numerous angles. Doune Castle also masqueraded as several other castles in the movie, both exteriors and interiors.

In the musical version of The Holy Grail, Spamalot, Lancelot is indeed gay, as he and the effeminate Prince Herbert get married at Swamp Castle after the prince helps him learn to accept his homosexuality.

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