Yvain (Part 1)

1) Lack of Prologue

There is a distinct difference between the introduction of Erec and Enide and the beginning of The Knight with the Lion. In this tale, Chretien seems to through the audience right into the story without much an introduction, whereas there was a slow, dramatic build up in Erec and Enide. (I personally prefer this; I think it makes the story more believable, and thereby more interesting). If the point in the prologue was to “establish the parallel journey upon which both author and protagonist(s) experienced,” then the lack of prologue could logically mean the lack of a moral commonality between the author and the protagonists. Whereas in Erec and Enide the author was constantly reminding the audience of how honorable their love was, there is much less of that in The Knight with the Lion. Obviously, the situation these lovers find themselves in is entirely more complex than Erec and Enide’s, making for morally grey motives and less flat characterization. (Again, I personally like the moral complexity of this story more than the other, because I feel that it makes for more believable characters and storylines, as everything is much less utopian). The lack of prologue further connects to Yvain as an individual in that Yvain may not be the prime moral example of the story.

I also found it very interesting that Yvain was barely mentioned for much of the beginning of the story. In fact, he is only mentioned once in passing, and the first several pages revolve around a completely different person. He is not made out to be important of exceptional in any way, which is highly different from Chretien’s treatment of Erec. Rather, the reader is allowed to interpret the greatness or folly of this character for themselves.

2) My Interpretation

As I stated in the above response, I like this story more than the Chretien’s first. In fact, this is by far my favorite story that we have read thus far. Ironically, though this story contains more mystical qualities, it seems altogether more realistic and believable than the near-utopia that was Erec and Enide. Another comparative irony is that in Erec and Enide there were often long, detailed descriptions of both people and events, yet I find the imagery of Yvain to be more visually impressive and believable.

To focus more on the storyline itself, one of my main concerns is Laudine’s completely random 180. Perhaps her desire to marry Yvain would make more sense if she never appeared greatly devoted to her husband, but as it is she was presented as the most sorrowful widow anyone had ever seen. Is there a deeper message behind this or did Chretien only have Laudine grieve for her husband to give him due respect and then turn the lady’s reasoning around only to advance the plot? Regarding all of this, I think it is key that the Chretien focuses much more on the love and devotion Yvain has for her than the feelings she has for Yvain.

The reasoning that Laudine uses regarding this marriage is that the spring needs to be protected. This protection of this spring is the common factor between Laudine’s two marriages. Does the spring, then, represent Laudine, or perhaps love? Though the peasant in the clearing made it seem as though the storm caused by the spring was the trial by which the knights could test their strength, I think that real “custom” he was referring to was the ‘winning’ of Laudine and her land by defeating the knight that was summoned by the storm. Also, the people of the court actually refer to the marriage as the 60-year “custom” of the kingdom.

3) Character Study

My favorite character in this story by far is the Laudine’s maiden. She demonstrates far more sense and intelligence than any other the other characters, and can be seen as the catalyst for the marriage between Yvain and Laudine. What I like most about her character is that Chretien does not focus very much on her appearance. Rather, he lets her speech demonstrate her worth. In my eyes, this maiden seems like a far more worthy person than Laudine. The difference between these two characters is seen simply in the differences in the ways they are described: Laudine is described in a completely polar fashion: her beauty is emphasized over and over again, while her speech is repeatedly marked as “confounded.”