The Knight with the Lion (324-353)

1. The outcome of Gawain's speech influences Yvain to leave Laudine almost immediately after they are wed. He convinces Yvain that if he doesn't uphold his reputation as a powerful, respectable knight then he will lose his worth and and Laudine's love. Because Yvain is lord of Laudines's land, he fears that if he does not practice his skills as a knight he will be looked upon as an easy target to future attackers. The agreement between Laudine and Yvain was surprising to me. I expected his time away to be much shorter, and she offered him a year's absence without him propsing that much time. He even mentioned that it was too long. I think she was very reasonable to make the agreement; I don't think as a newly wed I would tolerate my husband leaving me for an entire year.

2. Lunete delivers a harsh message to Yvaine, and although I thought he deserved it for breaking his promise to return within one year, I appreciated Chretien's talent as a writer because I could feel Yvain's anguish. I felt sorry for him when I read, "He hated nothing so much as himself and did not know who to turn to for comfort now that he was the cause of his own death. But he would rather lose his own mind than fail to take revenge upon himself, who had ruined his own happiness." (330).

Knight with the Lion (295-324)

2.I found the beginning to be interesting because it did not foreshadow that Yvain was to become the hero. The way Calogrenant described the peasant to the most hideous creature he had wondered how nature could create something so ugly, I thought he and the wild bulls would have more significance in the story. Because Calogrenant was seeking adventure, I assumed he would be the main character, and the daughter in the lodging would fall in love with him. I also found Lunete's ring to be an interesting part of the story, because the significance of a ring reminded me of the ring King Mark had given to Yseut in The Romance of Tristan. I was curious about it because it is the sole reason Yvain was not captured and killed for killing the knight.

3. Yvain is not the "braggart" Kay made him out to be and proved all his insults false when he defeated him and gave the King of Britain his horse. He is a noble knight who fought Esclados the Red righteously. Though he mortally wounded him, I found it interesting that he said Laudine had avenged her husband without knowing it, because death would be less of a punishment than to be love stricken eternally.

Erec and Enide (90-122)

Erec and Enide (60-90)

Erec and Enide (37-60)

The Romance of Tristan (14-19)

1. Yseut's vindication was my favorite part in the story. I had been curious as to why she had ridden the back of the leper, only to avoid getting muddy. At first I wondered why she would draw extra attention to the leper, making it possible that someone would recognize him to be Tristan. However, in her oath when she had said that no man had been between her thighs except the King and the leper she rode to the court, I realized how clever her initial plan was. Although Ysuet was speaking with a forked tounge, her plan gave technical truth to her oath, making the King and the people in the court believe her passionate words.

4. I think Tristan and Yseut must die at the end of the text to give it some sort of closure. It is a tragic love story, and in the greatest love stories for instance, the lovers who pursue forbidden love will inevitably die in the end. I feel that the only way Tristan and Yseut could find peace was to die, because the continuation of their lives would have been a constant struggle to be together and a cycle of pain. I feel that their love was unable to survive during their lives, but prevailed after death because of the intertwining trees that grew back even after being cut down three times.

The Romace of Tristan (7-13)

1. Tristan and Yseut's stay in the woods is terrifying for them both. They are constantly moving, and are unable to sleep deeply because they are always in fear of being found. Their clothes become worn and torn, and their skin turns pale because they are unable to consume proper nutrients; they eventually run out of bread and and rely soly on meat from Tristan's hunting. The significance of the lovers' struggles is obvious at this point because neither has ever lived an ordinary life. They were both used to lives of luxury and comfort, but they surrender all their material possesions to be together.

4. When the love potion wears off Tristan and Yseut have very different reactions. Tristan immediately drops to his knees and repents. He mourns the loss of his respect as a knight and nephew of King Mark, and yearns for his old life as a successful warrior. He thinks of the hardship he and Yseut endured, and recognizes the pain he has caused his uncle for commiting adultery with his wife. Yseut, however, has a rather selfish reaction and her revelation has to do with her current situation. She does not take responsibility for pursuing her husband's nephew, but blames the potion. She also complains about the way she had to live in the woods for three years when she was supposed to be living lavishly like a queen.

The Romance of Tristan (1-6)

1. Tristan is the most feared and accomplished knight. He is highly respected as the king's nephew, but earns that respect by demonstrating bravery in his conquests. He is an upper class citizen with strong values. He is similar to the stereo-typical "prince charming," and and "knight in shining armor," because he and Yseut share a forbidden love. Tristan's passionate love for Yseut conflicts with his devotion to his king, and finds his internal struggles are often as difficult as his external ones.

3. The message we obtain from the text tells us that love is uncontrollable. Tristan and Yseut drink the love potion, and become overwhelmingly obsessed with one another. The text displays the idea that the desire between them is irrevocable, because they continue their adultery despite their fear, and the possibility that it could be the death of them.