Erec & Enide pg. 37-60

2. How would you describe the opening scene in King Arthur’s court? What evidence in the text brings you to your ideas? We have the idea of a contest and the outcome it will bring. What might the possible ramifications of this contest imply (about gender, the court, society, etc.)? 


     The opening scene describes an opulent gathering of lords, knights, ladies, and maidens. It seems to be a merry time until King Arthur announces that he wants to organize the hunt of one White Stag, an apparently ceremonious hunt that ends with the man who kills it earning a kiss from the most beautiful maiden. Upon this announcement the court enters into a bit of a tizzy, for of course each knight and lord believes their respective lady to be the most beautiful, and even this prospective challenge unsettles their respective egos. Wise Lord Gawain, sensing the discord the hunt may bring, attempts to dissuade the king of his choice but is stubbornly rebuffed by the king, who claims his born right that "the word of a king must not be contravened". The hunt is set for the next morning and the action in this particular scene ends. There are a number of problematic issues raised in this scene that should be discussed.
      Firstly, the contest itself turns the women of the court into trophies to be had by a more or less random champion. It's not as if the women in the court had agreed contractually (almost laughable in this context) to any contest, it seems their free will is non-existent in this narrative. The gender situation is summed up nicely by Lord Gawain, "the one who pleases him is the most beautiful and the most noble." As if the beauty and nobility of a woman is dependent on how she is able to please her spouse. 
     Secondly, the foolishness of contending "by deeds of arms" such a subjective and transient thing as beauty paints man, and furthermore the most noble of men, a knight, as a base and most naive character. 
     Lastly, the paradigm of kingly right and authoritative right, though much more defensible in this archaic context, is something that certainly leaves a lot to be desired.