Yvain, like Erec, hides his name in order to recredit himself. Yvain's need to hide his identity was greater though because his wife had forsaken him he needed to fool her to have another chance with her. It seems to be a sound solution as its appears in the final page of the text that that is the only way they could have come back together, like any good relationship, through lies. (J/k)

Day Two

3. Yvain Loses his mind and runs mad naked through the woods, Losing his humanity with the loss of his Love. Being that his wife represents language it is not surprising that without the most human of the arts Yvain is driven to beast like behavior. He comes across a hermit giving him unleavened bread out of pity and is eventually found and cured through a special ointment.

Enide's inner Monologue

Enide's inner voice gives us insight to her insecurities and instead of wisdom we find a lack there of. Repeatedly she is told not to warn Erec of anything yet over and over again she does. It proves that she is insecure and doesn't realize the first two times that Erec will be okay. In fact if the out come was NOT also predetermined by the author it would be obvious her so called intellect is short sided and all together not there. Her plan with the count of pretending to give in to him and then waiting till morning to tell Erec was foolish as the count could have attacked anytime through the night.

Question 2

Tristan and Yseut's love proves over and over again to be ignoble. They constantly seek out revenge against those who've tried to put a stop to their adulterous ways and prove to be little more than violent children with no self control to attempt to overcome the desires of their id. They truly are pathetic and never think of anyone but themselves and their brutal murders of Barons proves that. All we know of the Barons is that they correctly advised King Mark of Tristan and Yseut's crimes even at the risk of their honor and public opinion. Thus proving them if anything better men than Dinas. Tristan kills these loyal Baron's and paves the way for more corrupt men to potentially take their positions. None of the murders in this text are justified, they are acts done out of Tristan and Yseut's fear and passions.

Themes and bias in Tristan

The Romance of Tristan is an interesting story to follow. Its engaging yet it contradicts itself often enough that I find myself alienated from the text. It constantly talks of God but only in favor of Tristan and Yseut, anyone opposing them is apparently to be damned even though they are adulterous and arguably traitors to their king. Yet all who opposed them are deemed evil connivers, and no matter how great or how many their sins Tristan and Yseut are always "in God's favor. "Cursed be all such magicians! Whoever would have thought of such wickedness as this Dwarf did? May God curse him!"(The Romance of Tristan, Beroul pg 61). Another prevalent theme is the class association of good and evil, Tristan, born of noble blood, is better than all the students around him rises to the top of society where lepers are used as a personification of evil. The class system also is shown with the servitude of Governal and Brangain. As simply servants they live only for their noble masters and even when faced with death Brangain chooses to defend her master and though by this she is further enabling Yseut and Tristan's sin.