When Yvain leaves on his journey the text says that he “left his lady so reluctantly that his heart stayed behind” (328) and miraculously remained an alive body without a heart. This feat was only possible while his lady, who had been keeping his heart safe, loved him and kept his heart well. When the messenger says that Laudine no longer loves Yvain his reaction is one of shock; however, that shock could also be interpreted as death (he has no way to retrieve his heart and, therefore, can no longer move or speak; the messenger removes the ring from his finger as a grave-robber would the ring of a corpse). After the messenger leaves, Yvain sneaks off to let his maddening grief consume him. In that scene, we see that the previous ‘death’ was no so much a full death but a death of his reason and humanity. With his heart destroyed, he does not give up breath but instead gives into the animal in him. He had wanted to distance himself as far away as possible from the thing that hurt and ‘killed’ him, the thing that he hates most, himself. Insanity brings him that peace. However, we see that insanity doesn’t destroy all the good in him. When the hermit leaves out bread and water, Yvain doesn’t just take it and leave or continue taking it for nothing in return – instead he brings the man game to show his gratitude. Yvain can’t have been all that bad a guy if even in madness he retains some of his virtue. In fact, this is proof that he’s not as evil as the messenger had said and not as deserving of hatred as he believes he is.
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