Gauvain, Gawein, Walewein

The figure of Gauvain underwent an historical change. As a courtly character in the classical romances, he reacted in the interests of Arthurian society to its deficiencies. In the later novels, a process of emancipation in the role of the protagonist sets in. The personal motivation stood in conflict with the function of the figure as established in the tradition of the genre, and this led to problems of causality in the texts. However, the figure remained remarkably stable in a consistent narrative model. In this model, Chretien de Troyes had set Gauvain up as an antagonist to that of the protagonist and the figure of Keus. This model describes the deployment of the various figures, and could be verified in all of Chretien's novels as a basic structure of Gauvain's actions, but showed itself to be a particular motivation for his actions in the romances with Gauvain's quest.