Erec and Enide (Part 1)

1) The Proverb

The proverb in the beginning of the text states that people sometimes take what they have for granted, and even hold it in contempt. Chretien states, “A man does not act intelligently if he does not give free range to his knowledge” (37). The implication of this proverb in the text has yet to be fully realized, but I am guessing that it may have something to do with Erec and Enide’s appreciation for one another. The text states, “he who neglects his learning may easily keep silent something that would later give much pleasure” (37). After reading the first part of text, I thought that this was a very important line, because Erec’s “beautiful maiden” is completely silent throughout the entire story thus far. So, even though on the surface of the text it would seem as though most of the women in the story are treated as property as opposed to equal human beings, there may be an underlying theme of appreciating and learning from women.

2) The Contests

The hunt for the white stage is one of the main focal points of the opening scene. In the text, there are two contests involving a hunt for an esteemed animal, both wielding the dame outcome – the honor of claiming a beautiful lady. The stag hunt is the first contest, followed by the sparrow-hawk competition. I think that there are two different ways in which you can view these contests: The surface of the text implies that women are equal to jewels and other finery, to be won and shown off by men as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. The women are also compared to highly valued animals, as the men in the story ‘hunt’ for both valuable beasts and women. On the other hand, you could say that the women are not simple objects of admiration but are ‘pulling the strings’ of their respective men. Queen Guinevere, for example, has a far more important role in the action of the story than King Arthur. The King listens to and obeys the Queen’s advice concerning the outcome of the stag hunt, and it is she to whom Erec sends the knight Yder for punishment.

The actions of all of the men in the story thus far, in fact, are based off of the custom and admiration they have towards either the women or the contests (which, it has already been established, both lead back to the value of women).

3) Characterization

The thing that bothered me in the test the most was the excessive focus on appearances, particularly clothing. Before anything else about a character is described, their clothes are depicted down to the last detail; there is a resonating idea that “the clothes make the man.” The focus on clothes seems to be so excessive that I have to wonder if the author did this purposefully, to draw attention to the importance appearances have in social standing, according to society. When the author mentions the wisdom a character possesses, it is almost always the very last thing mentioned, as if only an afterthought.

I found it interesting that Enide’s name is never actually given in the text. In fact, none of the women in the story, besides Guinevere, are given a name. Enide is “the beautiful maiden,” then we have “the vavasour’s wife,” “the knight’s maiden,” and “the cousin.” Does the author wish to draw attention away from the individual and simply focus on a general interpretation of the ideal woman? All of the women in the text are given the same characteristics: beauty, nobility, good sense, and in some cases wisdom, but there is never a more detailed, individualizing description of their characters. On the other hand, the names of the various knights, lords, barons, and kings of the court are given quite often, many times in long lists of one right after the other. In this context, a stark contrast can be seen between the view of males and females, where males are viewed as individuals, while females are grouped into one general ideal without any individualism at all.

I was very intrigued by the line comparing looking at Enide to looking at a mirror, because it immediately made me think of the tale of Narcissus, who died after falling in love with his own reflection. If this is the allusion the authors wishes to make, it can be easily argued that Erec’s enamored feelings towards Enide based on her looks will end up having negative results. In this context, does saying that “one might gaze at her just as one gazes in a mirror” suggest that Enide is a portrait of vanity? If so, it certainly doesn’t refer to her own vanity, but the vanity of those who look upon her, particularly males. This leads directly back to the way that the men in the story view women as descriptions of their own worthiness.

5) The Red Dress

In the scene in which Queen Guinevere has Enide dressed there is once again an almost excessive focus on the material makeup (beauty, clothes and other finery) of a character, and the way in which it should express the value of the person they adorn. The dress-changing scene is, I think, most representational of the ‘transfer’ of Enide over to King Arthur’s court. I noted in the text that Enide is treated as a valuable possession to be transferred from one man to another; Enide’s father literally “gives her away” to Erec, and his insistence upon her being dressed by Guinevere reveals his obsession with formally ‘initiating’ her into his life and removing her from the status she once held.