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.