). With that, he takes leave in search of the rude knight. This scene shows a knight’s need for vengeance. He feels as if he has been humiliated and will die for the principle of it all. Erec follows the knight into a town where he meets a vavasor and his family, who invite him to lodge with them. Erec questions the vavasor as to why there are so many knights in town. The vavasor tells Erec all about the custom of the sparrowhawk. “If there is a knight bold enough to claim the honor and title of the most beautiful on behalf of his beloved, then he will bid her take the sparrowhawk from the perch in front of everyone as long as no one else dares interfere” (Chretien 8). The custom of the sparrowhawk is actually quite degrading to women. They are treated as mere objects in this contest, intended only to further the knight’s renown. It just so happens that the knight Erec is after gets the sparrowhawk every year, and this sets up their fight perfectly. He finds the vavasor’s daughter to be quite beautiful. “In creating her, Nature had expended all her effort” (Chretien 6). The next day, Erec fights the knight and wins the sparrowhawk for Enide. He is avenged and has regained his dignity. Erec takes Enide to King Arthur’s court where he marries her in splendid fashion. They are very happy together and “Erec loved Enide with such love that he cared no more for feats of arms, nor did he attend tournaments. He had no desire to joust” (Chretien 31). It is this intense love for his wife and loss of interest in fighting that causes all of Erec’s companions to despise his marriage to Enide. People begin to talk about Erec and this hurts Enide greatly. One night he hears her lamenting and when she finally tells him why, Erec gets insulted. His pride is hurt, and he therefore decides that he must prove his manhood to Enide as well as himself. They embark on a journey in...
