Queen Guinevere
Erec is sent on a quest by this mythic overlord. Her presence in the story qualifies as symbolic for many reasons, not least of which being that she was already being used as a common symbolic character in many Arthurian quests like this one. As queen, she symbolizes the counterpart to the Arthurian quest, the quest for family and honor. Indeed, she sends Erec on his quest to defend honor after Yder, a foil for Erec's quest, insults her with brash and forward behavior. As a symbol, she can be seen as a matriarch or as a reference to an feminine force of nature.
Yder
This man is a foil to the protagonist. His job in the narrative is to exploit the various aspects of Erec's character that are supreme to wrongdoers. He is a foil and an antagonist, and whereas Erec demonstrates the thematic virtues of the story, Yder shows their absence. He insults the grand queen of Arthur's court, Queen Guinevere herself, starting Erec on his epic quest. Yder also shows Erec the desirable Enide, but without virtue, Yder is unqualified to win her affection.
Enide the boon
Enide serves as a symbol in two ways. The first is that she is the boon of Erec's quest. He is sent on a hero's journey to defend the sacred honor of the Queen, but instead, he returns with a bride for himself. Together, they pay tribute to Guinevere and the forces of order and natural goodness. Enide is a decent woman and a suitable match for Erec, and they enjoy their marriage for years without a hitch. When there finally is a problem, it is that they have veered too far on the side of marital bliss, forgetting their duty to their community.
Enide the ally
Enide realizes that Erec's role in their community is to be held in balance to his duty to her and their home. This realization starts her on a dynamic change. Instead of representing the happiness of marriage as an object of her lover's affection, she becomes something more. She transmutes into a new type of character. As an ally to Erec, she aides him in his journeys and responsibilities. He fights to protect her with his strength, and she uses her insightful point of view to help him predict threats. Now she has become another force of nature, symbolizing a broader feminine perspective. Erec's point of view is particular and specific, and his wife's point of view is comprehensive and motherly.
The coronation
As a reward for their successful transformations, the country honors Erec and Enide with the highest honor, dubbing them King and Queen of Nantes. The story has a cyclical narrative arc, because it starts with Erec as a page to a queen, and it ends with Erec and his wife Enide being elevated to a role of ultimate authority. As a team, they are more powerful than they are alone, so the narrative completes its original intention, honoring the importance of feminine authority. When working together as a team, Erec and Enide's masculine and feminine forces become supremely powerful and forces for good.
