The romance genre is centered around many themes, the most famous being love. The protagonist is almost always the one character that is receiving love or working towards obtaining love. The Romance genre began around the 12th century in Europe. The most famous author of that genre and time was none other than Chretien De Troyes. Troyes is the author of seven poems, four of which were completed by just him. The other three have been worked on and finished by other authors. In this essay the themes from two of his works will be discussed. The works being analyzed are The Knight of the Cart (Lancelot) and The Story of the Grail (Perceval).
The first theme being discussed is love. Love would be the most common thing found in romances. The word romance directly translates and means the word love. In both of the stories love is a driving factor behind the protagonists. The story of Lancelot is based on Lancelot's love and desire for Queen Guinevere. Lancelot went to all possible lengths to achieve the compassion and love of Guinevere. The love Lancelot had for the queen is an all consuming love. He pushed two horses to their deaths to try and get to Guinevere. Another example of Lancelot's never-failing love was when he came into contact with the 'elegantly dressed woman'. The elegantly dressed woman offered Lancelot her hospitality if only he spent the night in her bed. The woman decided to stage a fake rape scene to see how Lancelot would react. Lancelot proved himself honorable and also proved his love for another woman(lines 1104-1479). The rape was intended to show Lancelot's weaknesses. Instead it just enforced the dignity and honor he had. Lancelot did not take advantage of the elegantly dressed woman. He did n...
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... The themes found in the two readings ran almost seamlessly throughout the whole book. The discussed themes of love, honor, important women roles, and mercy were the most noticeable and common themes from the readings. There is no doubt in that Troyes was the father of romances. Troyes's poems and stories are the most famous and influential of any stories from his time. Chretien De Troyes's stories were created hundreds and hundreds of years ago but are still read and still entertain audiences in today's society.
Works Cited
De Troyes, Chrétien, William W. Kibler, and Carleton W. Carroll. "The Story of the Grail (Perceval)." Arthurian Romances. London, England: Penguin, 1991. 381-499. Print.
De Troyes, Chrétien, William W. Kibler, and Carleton W. Carroll. "Knight of the Cart (Lancelot)." Arthurian Romances. London, England: Penguin, 1991. 207-94. Print.
In Malory’s famous account of the King Arthur legend, the most notable example of woman as destructive sexual temptation is, of course, Queen Guinevere. Sir Lancelot’s affair wi...
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Abstract: This is an analysis of celtic mythological motifs or themes (usually found Arthurian romances) in the medieval romance Yvain and the victorian classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland .}
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At first glance, Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur is a story of a kingdom falling into destruction. However, Malory continually highlights the exploits of Sir Launcelot, a man in an adulterous relationship. Though flawed, Launcelot becomes a hero, because in the end, he is both the “flower of knights” (Malory 6.4; vol. 1) and a “good man” (Malory 15.6; vol. 2) – the title Launcelot aspires to over the course of Malory’s text.
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Chrétien’s Perceval stands apart from other contes in its early and highly significant reference to the Grail, but also due to the inclusion of dual plots. The seemingly forced intrusion of the Gauvain-plot into the eponymous hero’s quest narrative leads modern criticism to deem Chrétien’s work overly episodic and ultimately haphazard. However, this potential problem should be seen as minor and transitory when considering the value of both plots to this highly significant text and to romance as a genre. I would argue fundamentally that a Perceval without Gauvain would lose its complexity and insight into the chivalric ideal, a view critics such as Matilda Tomaryn Bruckner support . Arthur’s nephew provides a benchmark against which to measure
He may even have been the first to sing the tragic love of Tristan and Isolde. One of Chretein de Troyes’ works, Chevalier de la Charette (The Knight of the Cart) expresses the doctrines of courtly love in its most developed form. The plot of this story is believed to have been given to him by Marie of Champagne and has been called “the perfect romance” for its portrayal of Queen Guinevere’s affair with Lancelot of the Lake.1
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In The Lais of Marie de France, the theme of love is conceivably of the utmost importance. Particularly in the story of Guigemar, the love between a knight and a queen brings them seemingly true happiness. The lovers commit to each other an endless devotion and timeless affection. They are tested by distance and are in turn utterly depressed set apart from their better halves. Prior to their coupling the knight established a belief to never have interest in romantic love while the queen was set in a marriage that left her trapped and unhappy. Guigemar is cursed to have a wound only cured by a woman’s love; he is then sent by an apparent fate to the queen of a city across the shores. The attraction between them sparks quickly and is purely based on desire, but desire within romantic love is the selfishness of it. True love rests on a foundation that is above mere desire for another person. In truth, the selfishness of desire is the
In The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, our characters face many challenges but must follow a different code for how to deal with them. Tristan is an ideal representative of the chivalric knight that faces a large number of situations where many people would be incapable of maintaining morals. We see the feudal structure of this medieval time in place and its importance to maintaining the structure. The Romance of Tristan and Iseult displays the chivalric roles required in this society through Tristan and his many interactions.
In the authorian romance "Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart" poet Chretien de Troyes depicts Lancelot as a perfect medieval hero. An epic tale of a knight who goes on a grand quest to save his beloved Queen from the evil grasps of a lustful villain. Lancelot risks life and limb just so he can reach his beloved, with love being the driving force of his determination. While everything stated leads the reader to believe Lancelot acts as the embodiment of a chivalrous knight, his constricted view for love is often detrimental to his well-being and knighthood.