Essay Questions

Historians argue about the existence of King Arthur. in what way does this story offer support for or against his existence?

Many historians feel that King Arthur is a character from folklore and not from history. However, when history is mostly verbal and not written it can be embellished and shrouded in the mists of mystery which whilst stretching the limits of believability can nonetheless stem from the truth. The number of anecdotes on the story that feature magic and folklore would seem to support an argument for his being a folkloric figure. The knights often meet with giants and giants are mentioned as something completely normal and accepted. They also experience mystical events, such as being made invisible or creating a storm just by dropping spring water onto a rock. These events would seem to suggest a fictitious King; yet it is also likely that King Arthur really did exist and that the tales of his valiant acts and the stories of potions and invisibility rings are embellishments added from the people's beliefs at the time and not a reflection of the validity of King Arthur himself.

What do we learn about the position of women at this time in history?

The women in this writing are strong and respected. They are equals to their Lords not subordinates and when the Lord is killed they are not elbowed aside but assume the mantle of leadership. It actually seems as if Lady Laudine wears the pants in their marriage - she has he casting vote on whether Yvain can leave to take part in tournaments, she gives him a timeline for his return and she also is the one to cast him out of the marriage when he does not abide by her conditions. It appears that power in this historical time has more to do with nobility of birth and position and less to do with gender.

Yvaim is credited with being a great Knight yet he is often in need of rescuing. How is this demonstrated?

Yvain has great skills that it is believed a knight should have. He is honorable and wants to avenge his cousin's defeat. He is a skilled dueler and not easily unseated or overthrown. He is not unnecessarily brutal but fights to win. He also defends the innocent against those who threaten them. He is clearly skilled at winning tournaments and so is widely respected. However we're not for Lunete and the noblewoman he would have come to a much different and much more unpleasant end. Lunete is the unsung hero of the text as she saves him from revenge attack with magic rings that make him Invisible, she persuades Lady Laudine to marry him and she also convinces her to take him back when they are estranged. Similarly were it not for the noblewoman he might have spent the rest of his days a hermit in the forest out of his mind with remorse. His skills are particular to battle and that is why he is seen as a great knight but situationally he is reliant upon others, particularly women, for his longevity.