Honoring and balance
This story is Arthurian, but it is a special kind of Arthurian tale. Arthur is a hero who is classically depicted as chivalrous, but depictions of chivalry can sometimes become patronizing and weakening toward women. The narrative is not really from Arthur's point of view, though. This story is about someone in Guinevere's charge, a helper of the Queen. The Bible defines woman as the helper of man, but the story shows that the same dynamic is still healthy when shown in reverse. Indeed, Erec honors his Queen with religious adoration, and his reward for that is a healthy marriage.
The story is an allegorical depiction of honoring the balance of male and female. Without honoring his wife's perspective, Erec would be unqualified for heroism, because her comprehensive point of view is of great advantage in his tactical battles against ne'er-do-wells. The balance of male and female is set within another balance of old and new; the king and queen make new royalty out of Erec and Enide once they demonstrate their ability to work together.
Questing and hunt
The story is set within a frame of hunting. Queen Guinevere is gone hunting with her page, Erec, who serves her as her hands and feet for the parts of the hunt that she doesn't prefer doing herself. As royalty, she is entitled to sending her young helper on quests, and she does so when an insulting knight disrespects her. She sends her to defeat Yder and reclaim the honor he defiled, and in the meantime, Erec accidentally finds himself a wife. The "hunt" was not to kill an animal, but to build a family. This is a depiction of the feminine duality to take life or to give it.
Marriage and growth
By bestowing Erec with a marital blessing, blessing him alongside his new bride, Enide, she sets them on a path to become united. They figure out the sexual bit pretty easily, but that union is only private. There still remains the other side of Arthur and Guinevere's example—the ability to serve their community as a holy team. They grow through marriage, and marriage is coupled with combat imagery to metaphorize the way young couples grow together, by combining their points of view to have victory. They grant freedom and safety to prisoners and family alike.
Quality leadership
Unknowingly, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere are discipling new leaders in the country. Their lives will end one day, and instead of leaving the kingdom to fall apart whenever that happens, they council a young couple and establish them in royal dominion over Nantes. This is a demonstration of good leadership. Not only does Quinevere lead Erec well, the epic king and queen of England also raise up young friends and mentees to be leaders in their absence. This is the ultimate depiction of health in the kingdom, where male and female work as one, and where wisdom is passed along to new generations.
