If the first part of the romance belongs to Erec, the second part most certainly belongs to Enide. How do we see her character emerging here? In what context do we finally get her name?
I find it funny that we don’t find out Enide’s name until basically hers and Erec’s wedding day. That means that until that time (and there was a stretch of time between their meeting and their wedding day), Enide wasn’t seen as having an identity. Her own father hadn’t thought it was worth noting that his daughter had a name (probably because she was a daughter and not a son). That goes along with the sentiment of the time: women were meant to ‘shut up and look pretty;’ they were considered trophies or objects that required no name just some degree of value. As for Enide’s character, we don’t really see it emerging directly. Instead, we see her character develop through the effect she has on Erec. Erec is absolutely smitten with her. And she is pleased because he’s quite the catch. However, he abandons his responsibility as a knight, his love of tournaments, and his machismo and chivalry just to be with her. Enide shows her prideful nature. Because of the above, Erec’s renown plummets and we see how distressed that drop makes her. Enide had been Erec’s trophy but the relationship seems two-sided. It seems Enide also views her lover as a trophy – and as he’s described as the epitome of manliness, it makes sense. When that trophy of hers begins to depreciate in value, her pride/vanity flare and she’s filled with absolute misery.
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