Yvain- Part 3

Question 1-

After the scene involving the fight between the dragon and the lion, it is possible to see some change in Yvain. To explore this change, and why it caused Yvain to take a new name, I think it is prudent to look into the significance of the dragon and the lion's fight. In popular myth dragons and snakes usually signify treachery, deceit, and evil. Paradoxically, they also symbolize knowledge and learning. The very word 'dragon" stems from the Greek verb "to see" and the serpent in the Garden of Eden was offering Eve the opportunity to learn. Lions, on the other hand, represent loyalty and honor. Because of this, by Yvain taking the side of the lion, he is symbolically giving up the adventurous and precocious attitude that he had throughout his life, and instead he is taking up the mantel of honor, and by way of chivalry, ignorance.

I think that in this scene Chretien is expressing a withering criticism of chivalry and knighthood. While the story reads that Yvain is wrongfully seeking adventure in both his avenging of Calegrenant and after he marries Laudine, I would argue that a different conclusion could be drawn from this.

Arthur's world was one that was fraught with odd views of morality. Examples include Arthur being lauded, despite the fact that he murdered all of the infants in England in an attempt to save himself, and Merlin being viewed as a wise and venerable sage, even though he is a liar, deceiver, and a lecher. Hand in hand with these is a lack of rationality that is prevalent throughout the whole Arthurian canon. An example is the willingness of Arthur's knights to die upholding the Pentecostal Oath, while the oath is only a meager way for Arthur to repent for his
misdeeds.

When viewed through this lens it is easy to see how knighthood and chivalry are representative of ignorance. Because of Yvain's conscious choice to forgo learning and knowledge and be chivalric, it was necessary for him to change his name. The name Yvain is a form of the name "Owain", which means youth. This change can then be interpreted as a sign of maturation for Yvain, or as a further loss of his curiosity, an attribute that is present most profusely in childhood. By taking on the name "The Knight With The Lion" we can say that Yvain is now thoroughly adopting a close minded and chivalric attitude.

Yvain- Part 2

When Yvain shames himself Chretien does much to foreshadow and lead up to this. The first technique that was used was Yvain's dissatisfaction in his relationship with Laudine. We can see that he was not happy because he asked leave to frequent the tournaments. I liken this to modern day cases of marital dysfunction where the husband stereotypically spends little time around the house and goes out with his friends frequently. Next, the fact that Yvain must ask permission to leave and is assigned a date to return also bodes ill. If the couple truly had a solid relationship, there wouldn't be such a disparity in power. At the very least, the person with the power in the relationship would be Yvain, in accordance with the customs of the time. I think that Yvain's lack of control in the relationship was the largest factor that contributed to his shame. The whole history of the couple was based on his lack of control. He fell in love with Laudine totally by chance, and then next thing he knows he is married and required to guard the fountain. Because of this I can see why Yvain would want to leave and neglect to return.

Yvain- Part 1

In Erec and Enide Chretien presented the reader with a brief, but telling prologue. In this paragraph he outlined the remainder of the story, from the couple's rocky start to their ultimate "conjoining" into a cohesive partnership. At the beginning of Yvain we aren't granted an advantage of this sort. Rather, Chretien jumps directly into the story, providing little more than the time of year. This provides more information than some might think though. First, we are informed that the story is starting on Pentecost. Pentecost is a holiday that is usually associated with adventure and quests, at least in the Arthurian world. Seeing as the story begins on this date, we can assume that an adventure of some sort will be nigh. It is also feasible to say that the adventure will not be successful. I say this because King Arthur's Pentecostal Oath, whose name derives from the date of it's origin, ultimately leads the knights who follow it to misfortune.

Erec and Enide- Part 2

Question 1:
The emergence of Enide's character is one that does not take place until the second part of the story. Before this part Enide's character is very one dimensional and based solely on her physical attributes. The changing point in which she gains personality is the event of her marriage to Erec. Fittingly, this is when we also learn her name.

The revealing of Enide's character is done through the media of speech. Through her words we learn that she is very perceptive, much more so than Erec. When Erec's subjects are criticizing him for spending too much time "with" her, she is the one that notices it, not him. We are informed of this fact in the scene where she is agonizing over the amount of time he spends with her. Besides her perception, we also learn that Enide is very practical. Even when Erec forbids her to speak to him multiple times, she still warns him of dangers that are approaching. Ironically, this also shows her loyalty, because even though she is disobeying Erec, she cares more about his safety than his opinion of her.

Question 3
When Erec takes Enide on the adventure I think he had several motives in doing so. The first was to regain the respect he had lost through his inaction at court. He accomplished this by fighting many battles, but never stopping his journey for rest or to let his wounds heal. Even when King Arthur bade him to stop for two weeks and be cured, he refused.

Erec brings Enide with him on this journey, and I believe he does so quite selfishly. Instead of leaving Enide at the court where she would be able to live comfortably, he makes her live in the woods and endure multiple torments, such as when the evil count wanted to marry her. In these scenes we also see how haughty Erec is, and we must wonder why. He repetitively see him scolding Enide for warning him of danger, yet he himself does not see it coming. I believe it is safe to say that without Enide's help, Erec's adventure would not have ended so well. This is seen clearly in the scene where the count wants to kill Erec, but he thinks that the count has his best interests in mind. Without Enide to warn him, Erec would have probably died at hands of the count's men.

Erec and Enide- Part 1

Question 2:
The opening scene of this story is one that is fraught with contradictions. Chretien mentions that the story is taking place on Easter and in the springtime. These are two times that are generally associated with life and new beginnings, things that are positive in nature. I find it interesting that he stresses the springtime, even though it is commonly known that Easter falls in the spring. The adjectives used to describe Arthur's court also emanate a positive attitude. Then the mood changes. This change started with Arthur suggesting a hunt for the white stag, a violent act, and one that is incongruous with the previous sentences. Not only does the story change because of the suggestion for a hunt, but Gawain makes a potentially prophetic statement of warning to Arthur. He warns Arthur that the hunt will not end well because Arthur would need to chose one maiden as the most beautiful, and that would cause unrest in the court.

This implies that Arthur's court is not as great as Chretein makes it out to be. Besides the dual imagery, the fact that Arthur's choice might cause problems in court brings up the question of his knight's loyalty to him. Arthur himself says that the kings word must not be contravened, and he truly believes that it won't. Gawain's lack of confidence in this matter leads the reader to believe that a different outcome will result. This could be a case similar to that of King Mark, where the king is blind to what is really going on at court, but the subjects know the truth. It is also a statement that is reflective of the male's pride for their "property", ie women. Because of this, by Arthur choosing the maiden that he finds to be the most fair, he is in effect choosing the knight that has the most valuable "asset". When viewed through this lens it becomes easy to see Gawain's doubts as to the security of the court.

Romance of Tristan- Parts 14-19

Question 3
In the part entitled "Tristan's Madness" we see yet another one of Tristan's disguises. In this piece of the story the author says that Tristan realized that he couldn't enter Cornwall undisguised because Mark would kill him. To remedy this he disguised himself as a mad man by cropping his hair and acting the part of a fool. I find this type of disguise common in medieval literature. In "Le Morte D'Arthur" Merlin is initially introduced as a crazy beggar. It is only when he is able to tell Sir Ulfius information that nobody should know that he was recognized for who he was. Tolkein also uses a similar disguise for Gandalf the wizard, a character no doubt inspired by medieval works such as these.

Question 4
While the antics of Tristan and Yseut are entertaining throughout the first 15 parts or so, the story soon loses it's novelty. In this fact lies the reason for the lover's deaths.

After the love potion "wears off" it becomes apparent that it was not the only cause for their relationship. Even after they repent, they still scheme against Mark, and they are still deeply in love. If they were allowed to live, the story would languish and become tiresome. By having them die, Beroul creates an ending that is as dramatic as the preceding parts, which in effect moves the story on while providing its resolution. Tristan and Yseut's deaths also serve to rouse a last burst of pathos from the reader, which seems to be Beroul's mission throughout the entire work.

The Romance of Tristan- Parts 7-14

Question 2
While both Tristan and Yseut were affected similarly by the potion, their reactions when it wore off were quite different. When Tristan realizes that the effects of the potion are no longer active he becomes repentant and he mourns the hardship that he has caused Yseut. He also is upset about the situation that he is in, but this issue is of less importance to him than that of Yseut's suffering. He also resolves to reconcile Mark and Yseut so that she can live a life that befits a queen.

Ysuet's reaction to the potion wearing off shows much more self sympathy. Her prime concern was that she wasn't being treated like a queen. She does mention the fact that much of Tristan's life has been wasted, but the majority of her monologue is self pitying.

I believe that the reason for this disparity in reactions is due to a difference in the couples feelings for each other. I think that Tristan is more in love with Yseut than she is with him. My reasoning for this lies in a scene later on in the book. Towards the end there is a part called "Tristan's Madness". In this scene Tristan goes mad from his love for Yseut and he cuts his hair and looks like a vagabond. When he goes to Yseut she refused to believe it is him and cites the fact that Tristan was hansom and the new Tristan is not. She continues to cling to this logic, even when Tristan tells her numerous facts that only he could know. I find that this shows that Yseut's love for Tristan is based more in his good looks than in his actual personality, whereas Tristan's love is more accepting.

Romance of Tristan Parts 1-6

Question 1:

I find that the characterization of Tristan is one that gives the reader much insight as to the culture and beliefs of Beroul's time. From the outset of the novel Tristan is seemingly incapable of determining his own fate. This idea is proposed in several fashions. The first is at the end of the introductory paragraph, when the narrator speaks about Tristan being born in sorrow. This statement is a way to foreshadow the rest of the story, which is plagued by sorrow and misfortune. It seems like Beroul is implying that because Tristan was born to unfavorable circumstances, he will forever be subject to bad luck.

Besides this, the very event that caused Tristan to fall in love with Ysuet was beyond his control. He was striving to act nobly by finding a wife for his uncle, but his poor luck caused him to take the love potion. As a matter of fact, the potion seems to have drastically altered Tristan's whole attitude. Before he took the potion Tristan used his prowess and abilities to benefit the king and do chivalric things. After he was exposed to the potion Tristan's attitude changed and he then used his talents to trick King Mark and find time to spend with Yseut.

This concept of helplessness is one that is reflective of the medieval mindset. I am currently reading a book called "The Forge of Christendom" that addresses the lack of control felt by the medieval man. A large part of this helplessness was a result of the medieval obsession with the date of the apocalypse, and what many felt was it's imminent arrival. In response to this concern the church taught that the date of the event should not be speculated, and that humanity should just wait for the anti-Christ to arrive. As one could imagine, this tension would encourage many to believe that destiny is beyond the individual's control. In addition to this the government of 12th century England was very unstable and in a state of civil war, which also contributed to the feelings of the day. In characterizing Tristan as a benevolent, but helpless character, Beroul effectively expressed a feeling common in his society.