Comparison Between Erec and Enide and Don Quixote
Comparison between Erec and Enide and Don Quixote
The famous Spanish novel, Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote is a parody for epic. It mimics traditional epic in a funny way so as to destroy the conventional expectation behind this serious genre. Therefore, its plot structure can be compared with Chrétien de Troyes’ Erec and Enide ,a classic romance epic in Late Middle Ages.
In Erec and Enide, the value of chivalry, courtly love and guest and host relationship may be found in this work. Speaking of chivalry, it starts from Erec’s adequate qualities of knighthood: handsome, valiant, noble, young and wealthy. He is qualified as a knight perfectly in appearance, social position and personality. Thereafter, Erec goes through two adventures. In the first one, he experiences a dishonored event, humiliated by a dwarf, the knight named Yder’s servant, and he fights and gains his honor back. In this combat, the dwarf’s physical imperfect may suggest his mental shortage, since he didn’t go hunting as other knights do, but he chose to accompany the queen with casual dress. This behavior and his lack of equipment may indicate that he may not fulfill his obligation of chivalry well. Therefore, the retribution means not only for the return for his honor but for the correction for his uncourtly behavior. After that, Erec becomes so attached to his wife , Enide, that he quits hunting with other knights. Afterwards, he goes on to the second journey. In the second one, he encountered a giant, Guivret, who symbolizes his overacting of courtesy. Guivret is also defeated, showing that Erec has corrected his behavior of overdoing. These two adventures tell that chivalry should be followed neither lacking nor exceeding. When it comes to courtly love, it may be shown from the relationship between Erec and the queen. At the beginning of the story, Erec’s undressing and his accompany with the queen may suppose his unusual relationship with her. When he triumphs over Yder, he commands
The famous Spanish novel, Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote is a parody for epic. It mimics traditional epic in a funny way so as to destroy the conventional expectation behind this serious genre. Therefore, its plot structure can be compared with Chrétien de Troyes’ Erec and Enide ,a classic romance epic in Late Middle Ages.
In Erec and Enide, the value of chivalry, courtly love and guest and host relationship may be found in this work. Speaking of chivalry, it starts from Erec’s adequate qualities of knighthood: handsome, valiant, noble, young and wealthy. He is qualified as a knight perfectly in appearance, social position and personality. Thereafter, Erec goes through two adventures. In the first one, he experiences a dishonored event, humiliated by a dwarf, the knight named Yder’s servant, and he fights and gains his honor back. In this combat, the dwarf’s physical imperfect may suggest his mental shortage, since he didn’t go hunting as other knights do, but he chose to accompany the queen with casual dress. This behavior and his lack of equipment may indicate that he may not fulfill his obligation of chivalry well. Therefore, the retribution means not only for the return for his honor but for the correction for his uncourtly behavior. After that, Erec becomes so attached to his wife , Enide, that he quits hunting with other knights. Afterwards, he goes on to the second journey. In the second one, he encountered a giant, Guivret, who symbolizes his overacting of courtesy. Guivret is also defeated, showing that Erec has corrected his behavior of overdoing. These two adventures tell that chivalry should be followed neither lacking nor exceeding. When it comes to courtly love, it may be shown from the relationship between Erec and the queen. At the beginning of the story, Erec’s undressing and his accompany with the queen may suppose his unusual relationship with her. When he triumphs over Yder, he commands