Perceval Mental Journey Essay

1282 Words3 Pages

English 3000
Professor Nicole Rice
10/12/2015
Perceval, the Story of Mental Journey The story of King Arthur and the round table knights is still popularly spread nowadays since it was created on medieval times. Chivalry, courtly love, and spiritual pursuits are common elements often referred to this series of stories. Knights take chivalry as guidance for their behaviors. Moreover, different stories have different themes. Referring to the famous courtly love stories, Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristan and Iseult are the most striking examples. Love makes them lost their mind and rational, walk down to the dark future. Pursuits and quests are the ultimate tests for every knight needs to take and overcome to become better and deserved to be called a knight. In the story of Perceval, self-development (or accurately called mental pursuit) is the center theme. Both love and Christian charity emerge inside the development of Perceval. The transformation of knighthood from erotic love (amor) into Christian charity (caritas) deeply changes Perceval’s path life and behaviors as a knight. …show more content…

Because Chretien’s narrative of Perceval’s epic remained unfinished, we don’t know how whether Perceval ultimately reaches his destiny of succeeding and been in other path, it seems to be the tension that author offered to audiences. By learning and applying all words in his life, and there is no doubt that Perceval becomes pure and holy. In this way, Perceval is not only to be a qualified knight, but also or more significantly to be a Christian knight who follow both the code for knighthood and Christian belief. In other words, Perceval’s behavior should cat under the name of god and the code of knighthood. Once going through this way, the dream of being a qualified knight is not far away from

Open Document