The Two-Sided Ywain

The Two-sided Ywain

During the passage of Ywain The Knight of the Lion, it became clear that Ywain could be closely compared to an everyday Christian going through the highs and lows of the Life of a “Believer”. It is very rare to have an admirable Christian hero of any sort. But during this time Knights were considered to be of honorable status. Hence, one must attempt to consider Ywain as an example of a Brave man. To better understand the relationship between Ywain and his two personalities per say, one being the humble and compassionate friend to a Lion in need. And the other, a more machismo and inconsiderate man indulged in his own accomplishments and plunder.

During the 1st half of this famous piece of literature we are faced with the alter ego of Ywain as he prepares himself to avenge his cousin’s defeat in battle. This is not uncommon in the entrant community. During his adventurous journey he encounters another Knight named Esclados, and after conquering his enemy he sets his sights on taking his Wife. After “falling” in love with Laudine, Ywaine goes off for another adventure. This act is direct correlation with the self-centeredness of his character. It is clear that Ywain is treating his love encounter with Laudine as a trophy of his defeat over Esclados. Best explained with the following exert of the passage: “He had misled and

deceived her. She had clearly experienced the treachery of that one who pretended to be a true lover, but he was a villain, an impostor, and thief. This robber has imposed on lady, who did not anticipate such evil, and she did not believe that he would steal away her heart.”(46) During this excerpt, one could see how Ywain is compared to a thief robbing the heart of a young innocent women. The following excerpt helps to reiterate and show the difference between those who live inconsistent and hypocritical lives with those who are loyal and live stern and honorable lives. “Those who love truly do not steal hearts, yet one may properly call those thieves who make a pretense of love but who know nothing about it. The true lover takes the heart of his beloved, to be sure, but he does not steal it away. Rather, he guards it lest thieves, in the semblance of honorable men, rob her of it. Such men are hypocritical and treacherous