Inner Conflicts of Heroes

Paper Summary:

This paper shows how Yvain's conflict is that he is in love with the wife of a knight he killed in retaliation for a slight to one of his fellow knights. This is a major conflict in the story, as he tries to prove his undying love to her. Gawain faces a similar conflict when he must choose between the wife of his friend, or dishonoring his host.

From the Paper:

"Troyes says this about heroes in the story. There is a great difference between a coward and a hero; for the coward seated beside the fire talks loudly about himself, holding all the rest as fools, and thinking that no one knows his real character. A hero would be distressed at hearing his prowess related by some one else.
Many critics call Yvain the perfect knight, because he does not evolve during the story with the lion, but is a model knight from the beginning of the story. He embodies all the knightly traits: compassion, strength, honor, courage, military knowledge, and true of heart (Sanderson). He is certainly a hero, and a model knight, but he still faces his own inner conflicts and trials during the story."

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