Depiction and Development of the Knight Hero in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival

Introduction

Wolfram von Eschenbach’s epic poem Parzival stands as one of the richest and

most profound literary works to have survived from the middle ages. Lost in obscurity for

centuries until rediscovered and republished by Karl Lachmann in 1833, the poem

enjoyed at least as great a popularity when it was first composed as it does among

today’s readers: Some eighty manuscripts have been preserved, in whole or in part,

from Wolfram’s era (Poag 40). Among the more intriguing aspects of the work is

Wolfram’s handling of the depiction and development of two of the story’s primary

characters, the knights Gahmuret and Parzival, father and son. Central to the action of

the text from its inception, yet never sharing a scene, these men function as the poem’s

heroes—larger-than-life figures of extraordinary strength, skill and courage whose

remarkable achievements and bravery carry the momentum of the story. These men

represent the classic knightly warriors of old who (at least ideally) dedicated their

energies and passions above all else to the noble pursuit of fame, honor and valor.

Indeed, in the course of discussing heroic development in Parzival, one must also note

the main characters’ chivalric development, as their natural proclivity and tendencies as

knights are clearly reflected and reinforced in their heroic manner and mien.

In the course of this investigation I wish to analyze the ways in which Wolfram

depicts these knighly heroes and their development. In this way I shall attempt to

achieve a better understanding of how Wolfram—and, by extension, the men of his

time—themselves understood the themes and events he describes. I shall also include

the critical perspectives of scholars whose have previously c...

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...its, though

not always attained thorough strict maintenance of precepts such as Campbell’s, is—

and perhaps for that very reason—the stuff of great literature.

Works Cited

Campbell, Joseph. Myths to Live By. New York: Viking, 1972.

Cousineau, Phil, Ed. The Hero’s Journey: The World of Joseph Campbell. San

Francisco: Harper & Row, 1990.

Eschenbach, Wolfram von. Parzival. English Trans., Ed. André Lefevere. New York:

Continuum, 1991.

—-. Parzival. German Trans. Wolfgang Mohr. Göppingen: Alfred Kümmerle, 1977.

Hasty, Will. ”Introduction.” A Companion to Wolfram’s Parzival. Columbia: Camden

House, 1999.

Poag, James F. Wolfram von Eschenbach. New York: Twayne, 1972.

Sacker, Hugh. An Introduction to Wolfram’s ‘Parzival.’ Cambridge: Cambridge U P,

1963

Weigand, Hermann. Wolfram’s Parzival: Five Essays with an Introduction. Ithaca:

Cornell U P, 1969.