Perceval Vs Gauvain Analysis

However, this view must be discredited when considering the central issue; that Gauvain’s adventures mirror, contrast and shed new light on Perceval’s and comparing their quests and actions is fruitful when understanding their characters. Most fundamentally, the natures of their quests differ. Perceval is almost a wanderer, stumbling into the Fisher King whilst purely aiming to return to his mother, suddenly saddled with a quest much bigger than himself. Gauvain in contrast defends the honour of the ‘maiden with little sleeves’ and partakes in a traditional test of purity: conventional quests. However, Frappier is inherently more critical of Gauvain’s quest than Perceval’s, saying he is ‘more a tourist than quester of worldly prowess’ and even possesses a ‘varnish that hides a basic frivolity, a preoccupation with earthly glories and an incurable weakness for casual amours’ . Whilst an extreme interpretation, I would argue that Gauvain is fairly unchanged from his quest and remains a somewhat static and under …show more content…
Conflicts between innocence and experience prove extremely central to the understanding of the relationship between the plots. Fundamentally, Gawain can be seen as a physical manifestation of what all Perceval aspires to and may be becoming but cannot yet achieve. However, this makes his adventures less emotive, inspiring and even less dimensional. Thus whilst Gauvain serves as a flaw to Perceval’s imperfect personal chivalry, it can also be suggested Perceval serves as flaw to Gauvain’s false grandeur and limited development as a potentially fundamental character in Arthurian