Line #82 Literature/Parzival


1	[[quoteright:273:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/517j6gj9ntl.jpg]]
2
3	-> ''This was a thing which was called the Grail, Earth's perfection's transcendence.''
4	-->-- '''Book V'''
5
6	''Parzival'' is a narrative romance in Middle High German by Wolfram von Eschenbach.
7
8	It details the exploits of Parzival (Percival), knight of the Round Table, in his search for [[Myth/KingArthurAndTheHolyGrail the Holy Grail]]. Divided into sixteen 'books' written in long verses of rhyming couplets, the first two portray the (bigamous) exploits of Parzival's father, then the next three show Parzival's career as a young and inexperienced knight, culminating in his stay at the mysterious castle of the Grail, with its tormented king. On failing to ask the question which would end the king's suffering, Parzival finds himself cast out in shame, and spends the remainder of the poem attempting to find the castle again in order to ask the right question.
9
10	The latter half of the poem is interspersed with episodes following Gawan (Gawain) in his efforts to disprove an accusation of murder, and then get married, with the last books uniting the two plots.
11
12	The story is considerably embellished by the idiosyncratic style of Wolfram himself, prone to digressions, comments on his society (and his love life), as well as sarcastic attacks on his readers and other authors.
13
14	Dating from the first decades of the thirteenth century, it took its inspiration from the unfinished twelfth-century French romance ''Literature/PercevalTheStoryOfTheGrail'' by Creator/ChretienDeTroyes, which was the first work about a quest for the Grail. Both works drew on the idealised presentation of Myth/KingArthur in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Literature/HistoryOfTheKingsOfBritain'', and it is Geoffrey's vision of courtly life that forms the background for Wolfram's ''Parzival'', although Wolfram probably only knew it via Chrétien.
15
16	''Parzival'' was the equivalent of a best-seller in its age: no other 13th-century literary work was copied or quoted as often. Although some of the more educated authors of the time, e. g. Gottfried von Straßburg, the writer of the Middle High German ''Literature/TristanAndIseult'', looked down on the "wild tale" (''wilde maere''), it was one of the main reasons why in the middle ages it was said of Wolfram: "''layen mund nye pas gesprach''" (the mouth of no lay person ever spoke better).
17
18	''Parzival'' proved very influential in the presentation of the Grail Legend, as well as being the touchstone for the German understanding of Myth/ArthurianLegend. Music/RichardWagner's last opera, ''Parsifal'', was based on this, while his earlier opera ''Theatre/{{Lohengrin}}'' was written around a "sequel" to the poem (Lohengrin is Parzival's son).
19	----
20	!! ''Parzival'' provides examples of:
21	%%
22	%% Zero context examples have been commented out. Please provide context before uncommenting.
23	%%
24	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: For Parzival this is [[spoiler: his elder brother Feirefiz]].
25	* AnachronismStew: Mediaeval writers generally had a very loose sense of historical accuracy, and Wolfram was no different, including both the worship of Roman gods and the courtly standards of his own time in a story set roughly halfway between both time periods. The illuminations to the various manuscripts continue this, with the characters depicted in contemporary dress.
26	* AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Herzeleide arranged a tourney, where the winner would be rewarded with her hand. On the eve of the tourney, the participants had a warm-up battle, where Gahmuret - who wasn't even going to participate in the actual tourney - dominated so completely that Herzeleide decided to skip the tourney and just marry Gahmuret. He objected, because he was already married and wouldn't have wanted to stay with Herzeleide anyway, but she got judges to rule that he had to.
27	%%** Parzival in turn rescues Kondwiramur from this fate.
28	* AntiClimax: Gawan's both much hyped duels end up being settled without a fight. In one case, it turns out that the reason for the challenge - Gawan allegedly having killed king Kingrisin - wasn't even true.
29	%%* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Places and distances in ''Parzival'' are entirely arbitrary.
30	* AuthorAppeal: The ubiquity of extragant costumes and big fancy castles is easy to understand when you take note of the parts where Wolfram laments his own poverty. It becomes especially clear in the chapter on Gahmuret and Herzeleide's wedding, where it's mentioned that even poor minnesingers were given precious gifts.
31	* BelligerentSexualTension: Obie and Meljanz. So belligerent, it caused a war.
32	* BookDumb: From the ''author'', who claims not to know "a letter of the alphabet".
33	%%* CannotSpitItOut: Parzival's first attempt to ask the question of the Grail King. %% Which question?
34	* CanonWelding: With ''Parzival'', Wolfram linked the story of Percival with that of the Swan Knight (by identifying the latter as Parzival's son) and with the legend of Prester John, who according to Wolfram is descended from Parzival's brother Feirefiz.
35	%%* CharacterDevelopment: What made Parzival stand out in contrast to many other heroes of medieval literature and made him fascinating to many modern readers and writers. In expanding Creator/ChretienDeTroyes' much shorter story, Wolfram created a lot of meat for psychological interpretations. %% How does Parzival develop?
36	* AChildShallLeadThem: Obie's child sister Obilot convinces Gawan to aid Obie against her rejected suitor King Meljanz. After Gawan captures Meljanz, he leaves him in Obilot's care so she can reconcile him with her sister.
37	* ClearMyName: Gawan's motivation; he wants to disprove an accusation of murder.
38	* ConvertingForLove: Discussed in Belakane's case, later done by her son Feirefiz. This is the only reason that anyone is seen converting.
39	* CoolHorse: Gringuljete, the Grail Knights' horse, is able to run all day.
40	%%* CourtlyLove: The point of most of the plot.
41	* DamselInDistress: Taken up to Eleven with Gawan, who has to liberate several hundreds of ladies imprisoned by the wizard Klingsor in his castle.
42	* {{Deuteragonist}}: Gawan, who is the subject of most of the middle third of the poem.
43	* DirectLineToTheAuthor: Wolfram by and large follows the narrative Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished ''Perceval li Gallois'', but to justify where he deviates from it he [[RefugeInAudacity claims that Chrétien got important details wrong]]. How does he know? Because he got the true account. This was written down by the wise Moorish astrologer Flegetanis, the son of an Arabian father and a Jewish mother, who read it from the stars. Flegetanis' work was translated from Arabic into Latin in Toledo and made its way to France, where it was translated into Provencal by the writer Kyot or Guiot. This led not a few scholars to set off in search of Wolfram's alleged source, the book of Guiot, so far without success.
44	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Most scholars agree that the idealized community of Grail Knights and Maidens is modeled on and may be seen as recruitment propaganda for UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar.
45	* DrivingQuestion: In this case, the question is "What is the question?" [[spoiler: "What ails you?" (the question that will heal the Grail King)]]
46	* DuelToTheDeath: Many encounters Parzival or Gawan have with another knight end in this.
47	* EveryoneIsRelated: Everyone in Parzival's story turns out to be a relative of his.
48	* {{Exposition}}: Parzival's meeting with the hermit, which takes up most of a book.
49	* [[FavorsForTheSexy Favors For The Adorable]]: Obilot is able to wrap Gawan around her little finger, where her (presumably less cute) father failed to move him. Gawan remarks that when she and her friend Clauditte are grown up, they are going to destroy entire forests (because of all the knights breaking lances for their sake).
50	* Fiction500: In a story full of absurd wealth, Feirefiz still manages to impress everyone by sprinkling around extravagant gifts.
51	%%* FigureItOut: What Parzival must do with the question to the Grail King. %% Why?
52	%%* TheGoodKing: Myth/KingArthur, as usual.
53	* GratuitousFrench: Wolfram liked to use French vocabulary, even if he apparently only knew it by ear (e. g. Parzival comes from the house of ''Anschouwe'', i. e. [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet Anjou]]). He is sometimes called the medieval German poet who brought more French words into the German language than any other.
54	* HealingHands: Gawan is not just a great fighter, he is also a skilled healer.
55	* TheHermit: Trevrizent, the retired knight.
56	* HeroicBSOD: On being separated from his wife for years in his search for the Grail, the sight of three drops of blood which form a resemblance to her causes Parzival to become immobile. But not so badly that he can't defeat any knight that tries to take advantage of him, before going right back to rigid silence.
57	* HeroOfAnotherStory: Wolfram linked the already existing but originally completely unrelated stories of Percival and the Swan Knight by identifying the latter as Parzival's son Loherangrin.
58	* HolyGrail: A TropeCodifier.
59	* ImprovisedWeapon: Gawan is attacked by a bunch of armed knights when he was a guest and had given away his weapon. He grabs an oversized chessboard and starts whacking his attackers with it, and his host Antikonie does her best to uphold SacredHospitality and protect her guest by throwing chess pieces at the attackers.
60	* InconsistentSpelling: All the main heroes of the Matter of Britain. Parzival, Gawan, Artus, Lanzelot...
61	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Parzival believes himself to be this, but over time he comes to realise his sins, and then repent them.
62	%%* KnightErrant: Most of the male characters.
63	%%* KnightInShiningArmour: Lots.
64	* TheLadysFavour: Obilot wants to give one to Gawan... which causes her a minor crisis as she does not own anything except dolls. Her mom quickly sews her a new dress with a detachable sleeve, so she can give that to her chosen knight.
65	* LongLostRelative: Parzival's Moorish half-brother Feirefiz.
66	* MalignedMixedMarriage: Parzival's white, Christian father Gahmuret and his black, pagan first wife Belacane, mother of Feirefis. Christian clerics encourage Gahmuret to marry Herzeloyde (a white Christian) without bothering about an annulment or divorce.
67	* MeaningfulName: Quite a few, even if it is not always easy to see as they usually take the form of Old French names phonetically spelled by a speaker of Middle High German. For instance, the Grail Castle is called ''Munsalvaesche'', which would correspond to Modern French ''Mont Sauvage'' (wild mountain).
68	* TheMentor: First Gurnemanz, who teaches Parzival the knightly ethos and courtly manners (and unfortunately tells him it is rude to ask unnecessary questions), then Trevrizent, who instructs Parzival in the deeper Christian ethics.
69	* MyBelovedSmother: Herzeloyde raises Parzival alone in a forest and does everything she can so that the fate of his father (Gahmuret was killed in battle) does not befall him, even dressing him up in a fool's costume as he sets out into the world.
70	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In one conversation, Parzival discovers that he has killed a relative, was responsible for the death of his mother (by leaving to become a knight), and had been unworthy to find the Grail.
71	* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: Employed a couple of times, perhaps most notably when Gahmuret sails away from Zazamank and just so happens to meet Fridebrant's ship in the middle of sea. This may sound like a huge coincidence, Wolfram admits, but it's what the Story tells, and [[DirectLineToTheAuthor he was told]] it was [[BlatantLies true]].
72	* NotWhatItLooksLike: Parzival, spurred by what his mother told him a knight should do, innocently takes tokens of her favour from Jeschute. When her husband Orilus arrives once Parzival has gone, he believes that she has been unfaithful to him. This is definitely not PlayedForLaughs.
73	* OneSteveLimit: Not broken, but definitely stretched. Which one was Meljanz and which was Meljakanz, again? Kingrisin and Kingrimursel?
74	%%* OneTrueLove: Parzival and Condwiramurs.
75	* PassingTheTorch: Parzival [[spoiler:becomes the new Grail King]].
76	* PlotTumor: Some look on much of the Gawan-centric chapters as this, but the Gawan plot actually serves an important purpose: The protagonist and deuteragonist epitomize two different models of chivalry, Gawan as the perfect knight in the traditional Arthurian mold, while Parzival aspires to and ultimately reaches the higher ideal of a Christian Knight of the Grail.
77	* PoorCommunicationKills: Gahmuret admits that if Belakane had converted to Christianity, he could probably have resisted his wanderlust and stayed with her. Unfortunately, it didn't occur to him to just ask - she would have been all right with that.
78	* PrecociousCrush: Obilot develops one on Gawan, who tells her that she would need to be at least five years older before he'd accept any sweet loving from her.
79	* {{Prequel}}: Wolfram's final, unfinished poem -- which scholars entitled ''Titurel'' after the first name mentioned in it -- elaborates on the story of Parzival's cousin Sigune and her lover Schionatulander. In ''Parzival'' Sigune is first seen grieving over Schionatulander after he was killed in a joust.
80	%%* PurityPersonified: Most of the women in the story, particularly the [[VirginPower Grail Maidens]].
81	* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Most antagonists in the book have the chance to do a HeelFaceTurn, or get a happy ending, or at least be treated with some sympathy from the narrator, but those who have raped someone are irredeemable and deserve only death - as mentioned by a squire discussing a knight in king Meljanz's army, and shown in more detail when Gawan saves Urian's life and it comes back to bite him in the ass.
82	* RedIsHeroic: Parzival, early on, is known as the Red Knight, on account of his armour. Subverted in that the armour originally belonged to Ither, a relative of his, whom he unwittingly killed in a way that was not exactly considered worthy of a knight. So the red armour turns into a mark of shame.
83	%%* SkilledButNaive: Parzival, particularly in the first half of the poem.
84	%%* SlapSlapKiss: Gawan and Orgeluse's relationship.
85	* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: Gahmuret's two sons are this to his two widows. Wolfram in particular describes Belacane kissing the white parts of baby Feirefiz's piebald skin because they reminded her of his father.
86	* ThrowTheDogABone: Sir Kay tends to be a bit of a JerkAss and ButtMonkey in Arthurian Romance, but when he portrays Kay getting into a fight with Parzival (and losing, of course), Wolfram notes that in his distrust of strangers coming to Arthur's court and his rudeness to them he actually fulfilled a valuable function. If only, Wolfram says, his own benefactor landgrave Hermann of Thuringia had a Kay at his court [[TakeThat it would not be so overrun with spongers]]!
87	* TropeCodifier: Both for the Grail Legend and, particularly in the German-speaking world, Myth/ArthurianLegend.
88	* UngratefulBastard: Urian. Gawan saves his life twice. His thanks? Stealing Gawan's horse.
89	* VisibleToBelievers: When Parzival and his pagan half-brother Feirefiz enter the Grail Castle, it turns out Feirefiz cannot see the Holy Grail because he is not a Christian. As soon as Feirefiz has renounced Jupiter and let himself be baptized, he can see the Grail.
90	* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: Gender-flipped and used with unusual precision. The world's most beautiful men are Parzival, Gawan, and Parzival's father's cousin Kailet, in this order. Which means that Kailet was the fairest of them all before Parzival and Gawan were born. Just so you know.
91	* WorthyOpponent: Kingrimursel treats Gawan this way. He wanted to fight a fair duel against Gawan, and when Gawan is instead attacked while he's unarmed, Kingrimursel sides with him to repel the attackers.

Context Literature / Parzival