The opening scene in King Arthur's court is one of cheerfulness and enjoyment, at least, to Arthur. All of Arthur's court had gathered at Cardigan and "one was never seen, for there were many good knights, brave and combative and fierce, and rich ladies and maidens, noble and beautiful daughters of kings" (pg. 37). Arthur summoning his court for such an announcement would only hope to aid in the provoking of remerging of such an old tradition. The announcement is derived from egotism, as Arthur rejects the deterrence advised from Gawain, which only aids Arthur's pride and happiness. "This I know well, but I will not give up my plan for all that, for the word of a king must not be contravened. Tomorrow morning with great pleasure we shall go to hunt the white stag in the forest of adventures: this will be a most wondrous hunt" (pg. 38). The court, as a whole, could possibly implode from such a contest, as every member of the court, like the king, is highly narcissistic, believing each maiden to be the fairest. If anything, the result of the contest could possibly lead to the thought that men are possessive and fairly un-chivalrous, essentially destroying any previous notion of the values thought to be held by such men.
4. What do you make of the second contest in the text (the sparrow-hawk)? What is at stake here? What are the implications of this concerning gender, power, masculinity, etc.?
The second contest in the text is as much about the dominance of the male gender within society at the time as was the first contest. The first contest is based upon the prize of a female's kiss, whereas the second contest requires a maiden of sheer beauty to obtain such a prize, held in such high esteem by the town. A stake in the second contest is, not only the sparrow-hawk, but the future of Erec's maiden, whether she continue to live in poverty or be granted riches which she could not previously have, despite being offered the riches by nearly anyone that she knew prior to meeting Erec. The contests display a feeling of controlled environment to the point at which it seems as if women are treated more like rag dolls, rather than human beings who are swept of their feet by men, or so the term 'chivalry,' implies. Women have no say in anything, except when they have a wish, which can often be rejected or accepted by the men whom they oblige. In fact, only the Queen Guinevere seems to possess any form of power equal to or lower than that of Arthur’s court at Cardigan.
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