Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Erec an Enide Blog #2

2) The very first words that Enide says throughout the entire text is when she tells Erec that she feels ashamed for basically taking away his pride.  Before Erec met Enide, he was a world renown, chivalrous knight, but now he has lost his fame and people are beginning to doubt his strength.  I personally think that her speech is truly genuine.  I think that she does love Erec, so she feels bad for changing him.  However, this guilt could stem from hidden feelings of disappointment.  In the beginning of the text, Enide's parents tell Erec that they have dreamed for their daughter to marry a valiant knight.  Since Erec gave up on his fights, Enide can feel resentment towards him because he is losing his prestige.  Erec interprets Enide's speech as if she no longer loves him.  He thinks that she now doubts his abilities as a knight.  Erec's reaction is understandable for his character.  Erec is extremely egotistical.  Also, nobody has ever doubted him before.  Therefore, Enide's reaction really shocks him.

3) Erec's intentions for taking Enide on the journey is to ultimately prove to her that he is still a valiant, and chivalrous knight.  Since he loves Enide, he does not want her to loose her admiration for him.  This journey is partially a journey of renewal and of pride.  On one hand, Erec wants to prove to the townspeople that there still is no knight that can overtake him.  When Enide tells Erec that people have been blaming him for not being a good knight, Erec replies that "Those who blame [him] are also right"(69).  Therefore, Erec embarks on this journey to prove to everyone else that he is still able to fight in order to cease all rumors.  On the other hand, this journey is also about pride for Erec.  Every time that Enide tries to warn Erec of danger, he continuously remarks that "[Enide has] too little esteem for [him]" (72).  Ultimately, Erec needs to prove himself to Enide.  He wants her to always think highly of him.  Therefore, he takes her on the journey to show her that he can still defeat anyone.

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