Yvain Blog #2

3.) When Laudine's messenger comes to see Yvain, she tells Yvain along with the other knights how Yvain is a coward and unworthy of the queen's gracious love.  Yvain's reaction to this speech is very unsettling and distraught.  I think that he had this specific reaction because of shame.  Yvain clearly had a lot of shame for forgetting Laudine and the promise he had made to her.  Not only did he have shame because of Laudine, but he also had shame for the manner in which the messenger disclosed this information.  Laudine's messenger was not discrete with her words and she spoke very boldly not just in front of Yvain, but also King Arthur and his knights.  Therefore, Yvain also felt the shame of embarrassment in front of his peers.  The fact that Yvain was so distraught about breaking his promise to Laudine implies that a man's word is held to a very high standard.  Therefore if a man breaks his word, he should not only be guilt ridden, but he should also die.  In the wilderness, Yvain wanders around like a savage madman.  In a sense, Yvain truly looses his mind during this time.  He goes from being a proper knight to becoming a primal savage.  I think that Yvain needs to go back to basic living which is why Chretien added this part because he needs to be reminded that at its' basic core life is not about status or gossip; it's about survival.  Therefore, I interpret this part as a theraputic method for Yvain.  As for the 'cure', I think it merely acts as a placebo effect.  Yvain thinks that this lotion will cure the illness in his body, but his true sickness is only in his mind.