Yvain, Blog #2

3

After returning late from the “knightly exploits” that Yvain so hastily rushed away to, he was banished by his wife for breaking his promise to return in one year’s time. Yvain gets so caught up in the knightly tournaments that he forgets he must return in a timely fashion; and when he does return late, his wife, as she threatened, refuses to see him. Yvain then self exiles himself into the woods where he lives as a savage. I think Yvain was so embarrassed by his own actions, his carelessness, that he feels he must flee from everything. Drawing back to what I said earlier, I believe Yvain is a “true character” one that has both good and bad characteristics, and at this point in the story, he realizes what he truly did wrong. Unlike Erec, he truly feels remorse for what he did wrong; for his carelessness, his deceitfulness, and infidelity. In the woods he quickly comes to terms with all of this, and is thus driven mad by his own misdoings. I think that Yvain may have actually realized the foolishness of his exploits, and expressed it in his self-exile and insanity.

4

Stemming from the fourth question, something that I found both perplexing and interesting was the presentation and loyalty of the lion. Yvain frees the lion from death, and thus it becomes loyal to him. I see this as a metaphor to Yvain and Lunete. Lunete represents the knight while Yvain is the lion, the dragon would be the death that was going to befall Yvain after the slaying of the knight. Lunete saves Yvain, and he feels some loyalty to her. In return he actually returns to save Lunete from her own death. Yvain feels loyal to Lunete for her saving him, unlike Erec who felt dishonored by a woman trying to save him. This interpretation is the first thing I thought of while reading, and the more I read the more it seemed to hold true.