Yvain Day 2

2. Yvain's problem is that he is in love with the enemy. He had succeeded in slaying the knight that had caused his cousin's shame, but ended up falling in love with a maiden of the knight's court. His imprisonment is due to love, and if he was to avoid it, he would be ashamed. "He is detained by love and shame, which rise up before him on either hand. He is ashamed to go away for no one would believe in the success of his exploit. On the other hand, he has such a strong desire to see the lady at least, if he cannot obtain any other favor, that he feels little concern for his imprisonment."(Troyes) Yvain is trapped in the home of his enemy.

Yvain

1. The lacking of a formal prologue reveals that the message of the romance will be much clearer. The court is described as being "abased of love" (Troyes). Unlike Erec and Enide which had a more hidden message, this story will be far more up front about love. The characters will discuss love and the problems surrounding it. Chretian has by now established his theme and message for the arthurian romances.

2. Calogrenants story is a story of adventure. The genesis of his story somewhat resembles the prologue in the sense that he is telling his listeners to truly listen and take to heart what he has to stay. I found interesting Calogrenant's description and wholehearted respect for the maiden he meets while lodging at a house. He continues to tell of his adventures the next day. He tells of how after maddening the stronger knight, he shamefully lost in a fight against him. Even after this embarassing loss, in which the knight took his horse, he still decided to return to his host's house. To his surprise, his host and the maiden greet him with the same respect, despite his shabby appearance and lack of steed. Calogrenant makes a statement against knights such as Kay who are quick to judge and disrespect, instead of commending one for their initial bravery. It seems that Chretian is delving into another problem with King Arthur's Court.

Erec and Enide. Day One.

1. In the prologue, Chretian lets the reader know that there is more to the story than there seems to be. He encourages his audience to pay close attention to the book and to use their intellect to find the deeper meanings. In the first line he begins to tell us that the lesson in the book is more understood and demonstrated by the common people of the time, the peasants. It seems the novel will deal with the pitfalls of the rich and royal peoples, whose ambition and confidence can lead to arrogance and confusion. The novel is titled a romance. But Chretian in the prologue tells us it deals with much more than the typical romantic tale.

2. The first chapter fills us in on a contest and right away shows us how the royals gain and lose their respect and how they treat the women. The knights have little on their minds but themselves, fighting, and "acquiring" maidens through fighting. The court seems to function in a very gossip-centric way, in the sense that if a knight is made a fool of, he must have vengeance in order to re-establish his self-righteousness and the good opinion of the other members of the court. The knights will not stand to lose any of their respect in battle and action, as they are the only things that get them money, power and especially women. Unlike the "peasant-folk" that Chretian mentions in the prologue, the knight's way of winning a heart is to impress it through feats of strength and dominance. This puts the maidens on a pedestal, one that requires them to do as is directed by the outcome of various contests and rules. The peasants are considered lowly, and not worthy to compete, which in turn gives them an environment which allows them to meet their future spouses, as opposed to winning them.