59 pages • 1 hour read
Wolfram Von EschenbachParzival
Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Adult | Published in 1215A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Books 10-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Book 10 Summary
Gawan has been traveling for more than a year. Though he had arranged “duel by combat” (10.503.3) against Kingrimursel, the fight has been mutually called off. Now, both Gawan and King Vergulaht have dedicated their lives to finding the Grail.
Gawan visits a town called Logroys. As he approaches the town, he meets a strong woman cradling a wounded knight. With a quick, improvised “wound-blessing” (10.507.12), Gawan helps to treat the knight’s wounds. He discovers that the knight—Urjans, the prince of Punturtoys—was wounded while fighting against Lischoys Gwelljus, the Duke of Gowerzin.
Gawan resumes his journey to Logroys. On the way, he meets a beautiful woman named Orgeluse de Logroys. She does not take kindly to Gawan. She mocks him and is outwardly contemptuous toward him. Despite her attitude, Gawan pledges himself to her. She warns him that this will lead to great shame, especially as she dislikes cowards. She sends him to fetch her horse and, while he goes to the palfrey, he is warned by the townspeople that she has caused the death of “many a noble man” (10.514.4).
Malcreatiure, the brother of Cundrie, arrives in the town. Secundille, the Queen of India, originally sent Malcreatiure and Cundrie to Anfortas, along with many other valuable gifts. In turn, Anfortas gave Malcreatiure to Orgeluse. Malcreatiure takes his mistress’s side. He calls Gawan “a foolish man” (10.520.11), leading Gawan to attack him. Gawan hurts his hand during the attack. When the trio arrives back on the road beside Urjans, Gawan once again tends to the knight’s wounds. In the process, Urjans claims that his wounds were caused by Orgeluse. He warns Gawan not to associate with her.
Before he can protest, Gawan watches Urjans steal his horse. Orgeluse is greatly amused. She mocks the horseless Gawan. Urjans returns briefly to discuss a potential earlier duel with Gawan, as well as poor treatment he received in King Arthur’s court. When Urjans goes again, Gawan reflects on their previous encounter. He explains that Urjans raped a woman, so Gawan took him before Arthur’s court. Though the court sentenced Urjans to death, Gawan argued that the sentence should be commuted. Instead, he “ate out of the same trough as the hounds” (10.528-529.16-1).
Malcreatiure offers his sickly-seeming horse to Gawan, but the knight refuses. Orgeluse mocks him, though he is so deeply in love with her that he does not care. Orgeluse abandons Gawan by taking a ferry over a river and leaving the knight on the riverside.
Gawan meets Lischoys Gwelljus, the knight who wounded Urjans. Both men are “avid for battle” (10.537.9). Gawan wins the duel and spares Lischoys’s life. In the process, he discovers that Lischoys has been riding Gringuljete, Gawan’s horse that had just been stolen by Urjans. The horse’s saddle still bears the Grail’s mark. Lischoys, claiming that he wants to die, tries to challenge Gawan to another fight. He insists that he is also in love with Orgeluse. Gawan wins again and again spares the man’s life.
When he talks to the ferryman about crossing the river, the ferryman tries to claim Gringuljete as his rightful payment. Gawan corrects him, offering Malcreatiure’s sickly horse instead. The ferryman is “delighted” (10.546.7). He talks about the adventures to be had on the other side of the river as they cross over. He invites Gawan and Lischoys to visit his house, where his daughter Bene helps to ensure that they are made welcome. Gawan makes friends with Bene but is sure not to dishonor her.
Book 11 Summary
Waking up in the ferryman’s home, Gawan asks his host about a castle filled with “many ladies” (11.555.1). Both Bene and her father are reluctant to talk about the magical castle where the women reside. They warn Gawan that the castle is a miserable place, gripped by enchantment. Eventually, however, the ferryman hopes that Gawan will be able to free the women. The ferryman also mentions that one of his recent passengers was Parzival, who is still questing for the Grail. After Bene helps Gawan dress in his armor, he is given a shield and instructions on how to approach the magical castle.
As instructed, Gawan asks a trader on the road near the castle to mind his horse. The stall is laden with “exotic” items, all of which are promised to Gawan by the trader if Gawan is able to survive his ordeal in the castle. Gawan enters the castle on foot. Inside, he is attacked by a magical bed. Then, stones and arrows are thrown at him. As he tries to defend himself against the “missiles” (11.568.12), a “mighty lion” (11.571.6) enters the room. Gawan successfully defends himself but is badly hurt.
He slips into unconsciousness and wakes up to find himself surrounded by women, who are nursing his wounds. The women have been sent by Arnive, a wise elderly queen who gives Gawan a herbal mixture that allows him to sleep and recover. The same salve, she explains, is used to treat Anfortas’s wounds. Despite his condition, Gawan still feels his heart pang for Orgeluse.
Book 12 Summary
Gawan recuperates while thinking about Orgeluse. Gawan is not alone in having suffered “troubles” (12.584.1) for the sake of love. After dressing himself, he explores the magical castle. He speaks to Arnive. She is married to Uther Pendragon, the father of King Arthur, and a relation of Gawan, though he does not know her true identity. Gawan also meets his mother (Arnive’s daughter), Sangive, and her daughters (his sisters), Itonje and Cundrie (a different Cundrie to the sorceress whom he previously encountered). Gawan does not recognize his relatives.
He is shown a magical pillar that was stolen from Queen Secundille. Through the magic of the pillar, a person can see anything within “a radius of six miles into the surrounding country” (12.592.2-3). Gawan uses the pillar to glimpse Orgeluse. She is approaching the tower with the “Turkoyte”—the name given to Florant, Prince of Itolac.
Gawan is jealous of the new knight by Orgeluse’s side. Though he is still “sorely wounded” (12.595.13-14), he rushes out to meet the pair. He crosses the river on the ferry and fights the Turkoyte. After Gawan tells the Turkoyte to go to the magical castle, Orgeluse continues to treat Gawan with contempt. In exchange for her love, she demands that he fetch her a “garland” (12.603.16) made from a particular branch of a tree. This tree is guarded by King Gramoflanz and it is found in the forest owned by Clinschor. Gawan agrees.
As he travels to the forest, however, he nearly loses his horse in a tragic, deadly accident. Gawan manages to rescue the horse. Once he has located the tree in the forest, he takes a branch. Gramoflanz appears. He carries with him a falcon that was given to him by Itonje. Gramoflanz announces that he will not fight Gawan, as Gawan is alone. He does not know Gawan’s true identity but surmises that he has been sent by Orgeluse. Like Gawan, Gramoflanz was once in love with Orgeluse. After he killed Cidegast, Orgeluse’s husband, she spurned him. He tried to imprison Orgeluse in the hope that she would love him, but she never agreed to become his wife. Since then, Gramoflanz has fallen in love with Itonje. He has never actually met Itonje, but he wants Gawan to assist in his romantic pursuit. He asks Gawan to take an “elegant ring” (12.607.8) to Itonje, not knowing that she is actually Gawan’s sister.
To further complicate matters, Gramoflanz has sworn revenge against King Lot (Gawan and Itonje’s father) for killing King Irot (Gramoflanz’s father). The accusation rouses Gawan’s anger. He reveals his identity, defending his father. To settle the matter, the two men arrange for a joust in 16 days’ time. Gawan departs with the wreath and gives it to Orgeluse. He tells her to cease her mockery. Orgeluse explains that she has been testing Gawan. When he removes his armor at the magical castle, she promises, then she will give him her “favor” (12.615.2).
Orgeluse delves into her own backstory. She was deeply in love with her husband, Cidegast, and she tried to exact revenge against Gramoflanz by recruiting Anfortas to kill him. However, Anfortas was wounded while trying to carry out the deed. The expensive gifts that Anfortas intended to give to Orgeluse were sent to Clinschor instead, as she suspected that he was involved in the injury to Anfortas. An arrangement was then made: Anyone who could successfully win the treasure from Clinschor would be entitled to Orgeluse’s love.
At the time, Orgeluse hoped that this might trick Gramoflanz into a fatal mistake. Many knights have tried to enter into Orgeluse’s service. Only one knight—a knight named Parzival—declined. Gawan requests that Orgeluse tell no one his true identity. They go back to the magical castle, crossing the river on the ferry. This is the first time that Orgeluse has truly seen Gawan’s face. She makes arrangements to pay the ransoms on Lischoys and the Turkoyte, freeing them from the service into which they were bound after being defeated by Gawan.
At the castle, the pair is warmly received. Gawan sends a secret message to King Arthur. He tells Arthur that a duel has been arranged between himself and Gramoflanz. He asks Arthur to assemble his men at the agreed-upon spot.
Book 13 Summary
Orgeluse agrees to keep Gawan’s true identity secret when they enter the magical castle. Queen Arnive is annoyed that the couple is so reluctant to tell her what has happened. Gawan formally frees Lischoys and the Turkoyte. Gawan meets with Arnive, Sangive, Cundrie, and Itonje. Though he is related to them, he seems not to know which one is Itonje. He does not tell her that he is her brother, but he reveals to her that Gramoflanz is in love with her. He gives her the ring that was given to him by Gramoflanz as a token of his affection for Itonje, speaking of Gramoflanz’s “unimpaired knightly loyalty” (13.631.11).
She reveals that she also loves Gramoflanz. According to her explanation, she would already have declared her love for him, but she feels that she is imprisoned in her current state, as she has been exiled from her homelands. Itonje is aware of the bitter feud between Orgeluse and Gramoflanz. The freeing of Lischoys and the Turkoyte also worries her, as they have sworn to fight Gramoflanz on Orgeluse’s behalf. Gawan continues to hide his true relationship to Itonje from her. That night, a feast is thrown at the magical castle. Gawan and Orgeluse spend the night together and her love helps to heal his wounds.
Elsewhere, Queen Guinevere receives the message sent by Gawan to her husband, King Arthur. She sends a message back, promising that she will bring her retinue of ladies to the joust that has been arranged between Gawan and Gramoflanz. She also reflects mournfully on the destructive nature of Parzival’s departure. Without Parzival and Gawan, the Table Round is not what it once was, and she has experienced “sorrow and grief” (13.646.2). Guinevere knows how to ensure that her husband will act in the correct manner. She tells the squire who bears Gawan’s message that he should burst into the court and breathlessly appeal to Arthur on Gawan’s behalf about “tidings of adventure” (13.648.8-9).
The squire follows the instructions, which angers Arthur. Though he is related to Gramoflanz, he is furious that Gramoflanz wishes to duel with Gawan, to whom he is also related. As Gawan hoped, Arthur decamps his court to the place where Gramoflanz and Gawan have agreed to duel. When the squire returns to Gawan with this news, Gawan is “happy at all times” (13.655.2).
Gawan wants to know more about Clinschor. He asks Arnive how Clinschor gained his magical powers. She tells Clinschor’s story, including the detail that he was castrated as punishment for sleeping with the wife of the King of Naples. He traveled to the Middle East and learned magic, then purchased his castle and lands from King Irot. After this, he was aggressive toward everyone. According to the arrangement set out by Clinschor, Gawan is now the rightful owner of these lands, as he defeated the traps of the magical castle. Gawan aims to free Arnive and the other women from the castle.
When Arthur’s men arrive on the plain near the castle, Gawan is reluctant to tell everybody their true identity. Through Bene, he sends a message to the army that they should not cross the river. During this time, Arthur is nursing a wound that he received in Logroys. When Gawan finally reveals the true identity of the army, he brings the women of the magical castle with him to meet Arthur.
The reception they receive is warm, as Gawan reintroduces many members of his family to Arthur, including Orgeluse. She sends a message to her own army, telling them to unite with Arthur’s men. Arthur tries to bring a halt to the fight between Gawan and Gramoflanz by sending a message to Gramoflanz. Nevertheless, Gawan prepares to fight. He takes a moment to be alone and rides toward a river, where he meets Parzival, whom he does not recognize.
Books 10-13 Analysis
The fight between Gawan and Gramoflanz dominates the latter stages of the narrative. With Parzival’s quest fading temporarily into the narrative background, a rising sense of urgency overwhelms Gawan’s story as the bleak reality of his situation becomes apparent.
In a sense, however, the situations of Gawan and Parzival are not dissimilar. The arrangement of the duel functions like the prophecy of the Grail. Just as Parzival has been prophesized to take over from Anfortas as the Lord of the Grail, the arrangement of the duel creates a sense of inevitability about Gawan’s future. In the same way that Parzival’s first encounter with Anfortas occurred earlier in the text, Gawan has already faced the prospect of an imminent duel. Like Parzival, he has learned from his failure to fight Kingrimursel.
Both Parzival’s first encounter with the Grail and Gawan’s canceled duel with Kingrimursel teach the knights lessons that better prepare them for future encounters. Parzival now knows what he must do when he finally finds Anfortas and Gawan makes preparations long before the set date for the duel arrives. Parzival’s return to the Grail and Gawan’s fight against Gramoflanz are the narrative climaxes of their respective stories, the conclusion of events that were set in motion earlier in the story. In this sense, both function as prophecies, bringing about the completion of the dual protagonists’ narrative arcs.
The fight between Gawan and Gramoflanz also demonstrates the fraught danger of the chivalric code, reinforcing The Importance of Chivalry and Honor. The reason why Gramoflanz wishes to fight Gawan is not due to anything Gawan actually did. Rather, Gramoflanz is still distressed by something which took place many years before. Gawan’s father King Lot killed Gramoflanz’s father King Irot. The sins of the father have been passed down to the sons, with Gawan made to pay for a mistake made many years before in which he played no role. The chivalric code dictates that neither Gramoflanz nor Gawan can back down. To abandon the fight would be a mark against either man’s honor. Even though neither man truly hates the other, the code of chivalry has trapped them in this situation. The importance placed on honor and the need for that honor to be satisfied means that one of the two men will die an unnecessary death.
The introduction of the ferryman and—in particular—Bene adds a different dynamic to the social interactions in Parzival. During the course of the story, the majority of actions occur between members of the ruling social class. These wealthy elites are kings, queens, knights, and other members of the nobility, people whose lives are privileged enough that they can dedicate their time to the pursuit of honor and the adherence to the chivalric code. The ferryman is a working man, though he is wealthy enough. He provides a service in exchange for money and, unlike the other characters, is shown to be engaged in a form of labor that is more than just knightly deeds or ruling over a country.
Despite their comparatively diminished status, Bene emerges as an important figure in the story. She is invited to court, whereupon Arthur shows his appreciation to her. The relatively quick rise of Bene in terms of status demonstrates a hint of social mobility in an otherwise rigidly-organized societal status quo. For the first time, Bene’s existence hints that the elite is not an entirely closed-off circle.
The figure of Orgeluse also adds important elements to the story, helping to illustrate The Idealization and Limitations of Femininity within courtly society. Unlike many of the other female figures that surround the knights, Orgeluse pushes back against many of the courtly expectations about what is proper behavior for a noble lady. She is defiant and even rude toward Gawan; she asserts her power over him by making difficult demands and setting the boundaries of their encounters. When she does finally acquiesce to loving him, it is only after he has fulfilled the conditions she has set. In a world where women are often passive and subservient to the whims of men, Orgeluse defies societal expectations with her brash personality and outspoken ways.
