Parzival

“He had won the victory over falsity.”

Gahmuret dies while far away from his wife and unborn son. His death is considered honorable and noble, not only because it was achieved on the battlefield but because of the chivalric context in which it occurred. Falsity is a greater crime than abandoning a wife and loved ones. Honesty and honor are vital to a knight, so a death that is honest and honorable is considered to be a victory over falsity. His death recalls The Importance of Chivalry and Honor in the text.

“Now keep your wits about you, and conceal all chivalry from him.”

Herzeloyde loses her husband to the world of chivalry. After his death, she is so overwhelmed by grief that she wants to shield her son from the same fate. She forces him into exile, but her attempts to forge a new life for her son outside of the dictates of courtly society are doomed to failure. Her resistance will be one of the first obstacles Parzival will have to overcome in his quest for knighthood.

“Parzival thought he was shaped like a god.”

After being hidden away in the forest for many years, Parzival is stunned by the sight of a knight. To him, the knights seem godlike. His mother’s desperate attempts to shield him from the world of chivalry have had the opposite effect. Parzival’s enchantment with the knight speaks to his own destiny of knighthood, foreshadowing his heroic exploits.

“In the presence of strangers they behave chastely, but all this behavior is undermined by the desires of their hearts.”

The society portrayed in Parzival is arranged in adherence to the chivalric code. People seek to preserve their honor and their reputation at all times. However, the “desires of their hearts” (4.201.16) can overpower people’s adherence to social etiquette. As much as people believe in the chivalric code, passion can cause people to contravene the code based on their emotions. The chivalric code functions as a smokescreen to hide the true machinations of the heart.

“Gurnemanz advised me, in his great and limitless loyalty, that I ought not to ask many questions.”

Parzival is a sheltered individual. Unlike the other characters in the story, his mother deliberately hid him from the world of chivalry so he has not internalized the rules and manners that govern courtly society. When Gurnemanz advises him not to ask too many questions, Parzival does not see the nuance in the advice. He does not ask Anfortas about his health and, through his inability to parse advice, he nearly ruins his quest for the Grail.

“He wished to invite him to sit at the Table Round, to make him one of that company.”

Arthur seeks out Parzival because Parzival’s knightly deeds have burnished his reputation. Since Parzival has done so well, he is being offered the highest commendation: an invitation to the Table Round. The Table Round is an important symbol in the story of both The Importance of Chivalry and Honor and The Centrality of Christian Culture.

“She was nosed like a dog.”

Cundrie is described as a sorceress who operates outside the boundaries of good Christian behavior and courtly femininity. To exacerbate her non-Christian status, the narrator frames her as barely human. Whereas most female characters are praised for their beauty, the magical, non-Christian Cundrie is described as quasi-animalistic. The contrast between the descriptions of Christian and non-Christian women illustrates Parzival’s status as a Christian text, while Cundrie’s characterization also speaks to The Idealization and Limitations of Femininity in courtly society.

“They all alike grew rich by his companionship.”

Gawan demonstrates one of the important ways in which knights can win support from those around them. By fighting alongside him, the knights “grew rich” (14) with plunder and prizes. The horses, armor, and weapons they take from defeated enemies makes them rich, so much so that fighting alongside a skilled and famous knight like Gawan is a way to improve one’s material wealth in a short span of time.

“As regards the outer army, a Red Knight––those two won the prize there, no-one else excelling them, not by any means.”

Midway through the text, the narrative focus of Parzival switches from the title character to Gawan. During Gawan’s adventures, rumors and legends spread of the Red Knight and his great victories. These rumors demonstrate the ways in which Parzival is increasing his fame. Even in the moments where he is not the focus of the narrative, he is performing knightly deeds and people are sharing stories of his success. Gawan’s story shows how the legend of Parzival is spreading in real time.

“His duel’s time draws nigh.”

Gawan spends most of his books waiting for the imminent arrival of a duel. Whether waiting for Kingrimursel or Gramoflanz, Gawan’s time is measured by his relationship to combat. He is trapped by this cycle of knightly challenges, living his life in deference to his own sense of duty because to do otherwise would break from the chivalric code. Gawan’s duels demonstrate the ways in which duty can become a prison, showing how it can dominate the lives of those who take it most seriously.

“No! I’ll tell you more!”

The narrator is excited to share the story of Parzival and Gawan. The moments of direct address from the narrator to the audience reinforce the sense of the text as a story being told. The narrator builds his relationship with the audience, offering fragments of narrative that may be withheld by a lesser, more removed narrator.

“Worldly fame will pour its scorn upon you if you slay your guests.”

In the world of Parzival, The Importance of Chivalry and Honor governs courtly society. One of these laws forbids anyone from hurting or killing their guests. The law is enforced by the same fame that makes Parzival a celebrity. Anyone who breaks the law will have their reputation ruined; stories and gossip will spread through society, leading to any rulebreakers being ostracized.

“Open up!”

Book 9 of Parzival changes the typical narrative mode. By opening the book with a line of dialogue, the narrator starts the book in media res. The characters are in the middle of an ongoing scene, rather than being introduced or established by the narrator. By making such adjustments to the storytelling methodology, the narrator is able to keep the story engaging throughout the text.

“Women are, let’s face it, always women.”

The narrator emerges as a character throughout the text. In addition to the narrative flourishes and direct addresses to the audience, the narrator occasionally breaks from the story to editorialize. In his discussions of women, the narrator reflects the misogynistic conception of gender roles in medieval European society. The narrator expresses the then-held belief that women prey on men’s affection, minimalizing their agency and intelligence in comparison to men. This comment reflects The Idealization and Limitations of Femininity in courtly culture.

“Because of this a tale emerged that he is a fisherman. That tale he has to bear with.”

Anfortas is not only experiencing physical pain, but also a painful loss of reputation. His wound means that his mobility is limited. One of the few activities t he can still enjoy is fishing. His fondness for fishing means that most passersby regard him as a fisherman, rather than a knight, a lord, or a king. He is the “Fisher King, ” whose sins in the past have not only harmed his body but his reputation and his status.

“Therefore Kingrimursel renounced his quarrel with Gawan the bold warrior.”

Even though Kingrimursel and their upcoming duel dominates Gawan’s thoughts for several books, the dispute is peacefully resolved away from the narrative focus. Both men are able to preserve their honor and maintain their reputation, without having to actually fight. The peaceful resolution foreshadows what will occur later during Gawan’s dispute with Gramoflanz.

“Who can have love unearned?”

Love, in the world of Parzival, does not exist in isolation. Instead, love must be earned in exchange for good and knightly deeds. In this sense, love is a form of currency that is exchanged for commendable behavior. By adhering to social expectations (as dictated by the chivalric code), a person can earn love. To have love without earning it would be an infraction of social expectation.

“With unheard-of speed the bed propelled itself in this direction and that!”

On entering the castle, Gawan is attacked by a magical bed. In this castle, the rules of the universe are inversed. A bed—an object that is associated with rest and recovery in Gawan’s stories—becomes weaponized. Gawan is being attacked by an object that he would otherwise associate with healing, showing him that nothing in this particular castle can be trusted.

“Except for one called Gawan.”

Gramoflanz talks to Gawan about his sworn vengeance against the knight named Gawan. These words demonstrate the power of knowledge and identity. To know a person’s true identity can be the difference between life and death. In this moment, Gawan has the power, as he can choose to reveal the truth to Gramoflanz. To reveal the truth—and thereby endanger his life—would be the honorable option, so Gawan is beholden to let Gramoflanz know the truth.

“Now arrange my cavalcade with such unmistakably lavish expenditure that wealth may be clearly observed.”

When Arthur joins Gawan in the lead-up to the fight against Gramoflanz, Gawan intelligently orders Arthur’s lavish court to be used in a tactical way. He weaponizes the pomp and decadence of Arthur’s court as a show of power. This demonstration of power lets Gramoflanz know that Arthur—the most powerful and respected king—is associated with Gawan. This psychological warfare is theatrical, showing how Gawan’s skills are not limited to only the physical aspect of combat.

“I would rather attack a woman now, than you in this exhausted state.”

Gramoflanz sees how Parzival exhausts Gawan before their arranged duel. Noticing that Gawan has been greatly tired by the duel, Gramoflanz offers to delay the fight. He sees no honor in defeating a tired man, as he wants to prove his strength in a fair fight against Gawan. This offer demonstrates that Gramoflanz may be an antagonist in Gawan’s story but he is not necessarily evil. He is as bound by honor as Gawan; they are simply unlucky enough to be embroiled in an enmity that has been passed down from their fathers.

“Now Parzival thought once more of his fair wife and of her chaste gentleness.”

During the course of his adventures for the Grail, Parzival has left his wife and his young children behind. He has abandoned them to atone for his earlier sin, but he begins to think more and more of his wife as he watches other people fall in love and marry. To be separated from his wife is the price he must pay for his adventures. In turn, her passive, waiting state speaks to The Idealization and Limitations of Femininity.

“The heathen was soon recognized, for he bore the magpie’s marks.”

Feirefiz is of diverse heritage. His father is European, and his mother is from the Middle East, which prompts the other characters to refer to his skin as “magpie-like.” However, the medieval European conception of race means that his ethnic identity is rendered secondary to his religious identity. This distinction echoes The Centrality of Christian Culture in the text.