Erec And Iwein Analysis

The theme of love develops through several different levels in Arthurian Literature. Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wace equate love with sexual desire, and little else. The concept becomes less one-dimensional in Hartmann von Aue's romances. In Erec and Iwein, Hartmann's definition of love includes emotional attachment and a degree of commitment. He also discusses the importance of love in proper measure. Sex still plays an important part in Hartmann's discussion of love, but "love" in his works connotes far more than just physical desire. It can be an ennobling or a degenerating entity with the power to refine or to condemn.
Wolfram von Eschenbach's concept of love strays even further from sexual gratification and physical pleasure. In his epic poem, Parzival, Wolfram lauds the
Never again shall I fight for love

of a woman" (Wolfram, 407).

Parzival chooses "humility" instead of the vanity that characterizes so many knightly pursuits in search of honor and women's esteem. He decides not to fight for the love of women because he now believes that the only love worth fighting for is God's love. As we have seen, the way to procure God's love is to serve Him through repentance. Parzival repents for his ignorance and sin by championing the cause of the Grail above all else. This is a truer form of love than any he can offer to a woman because it serves a greater purpose than any earthly union.

It is no accident that this passage from page 407 comes at the end of the story. It is the culmination of Wolfram's message that the concept of love as it existed during the middle ages up until the telling of Parzival, as it still exists today for many, is incomplete and inadequate. While human love ought to and can concern itself with more than selfishness, vanity, and sexual gratification, the only true love is divine love. Wolfram concludes the story on this note to underscore this idea's