Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Knight with the Lion (Yvain) - Day One

2. I think Calogrenant's story is typical - 'boy meets girl.' Of course, it is a typical story for the Middle Ages.  The maiden is 'beautiful, tall and proper' and the knight immediately falls in love with her. It's also a story of a knight on a quest seeking adventure to test his strength and courage. He is given an impossible quest by the lord of the wild beasts, and although it is fraught with danger he seeks it anyway; or perhaps, because it is so dangerous. I believe he does so because he is desperate to prove himself a proper man- chivalrous, strong and brave. Something that strikes me as interesting is that in the beginning Calogrenant states, "...I do not speak of a dream, or a fable, or a lie..." (pg.227) However, his story is so incredible as to almost be considered a fantasy. There were certainly magical qualities included in this story, several examples being the tree that remains green all year round or the fact that a vicious storm could be summoned practically out of nowhere.

3. Yvain is a good character to do a character study on. He is possessed of several distinct qualities,which are like complete opposites; he is brave, yet also very cunning and impatient. Love is very important to Yvain, and he believes that by displaying chivalry he can win over the heart of his beloved. "The power comes from my heart, which commits itself to you;my heart has given me this desire."

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