King Arthur in Chretien de Troyes
King Arthur appeared with French poet, Chrétien de Troyes, that had the greatest influence to the development of the character of Arthur and his legend. Chrétien wrote five Arthurian romances. Erec and Enide and Cligès are tales of courtly love with Arthur's court as their backdrop, demonstrating the shift away from the heroic world of the Welsh and Galfridian Arthur, while Yvain, the Knight of the Lion features Yvain and Gawain in a supernatural adventure, with Arthur very much softer. These were written between 1170 and 1190. However, the most significant for the development of the Arthurian legend are Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, which introduces Lancelot and his adulterous relationship with Arthur's queen. Chrétien was thus "instrumental both in the elaboration of the Arthurian legend and in the making of the ideal form for the diffusion of that legend", and much of what came after him in terms of the portrayal of Arthur based on what was said. Perceval, was particularly popular. It was four separate continuations of the poem appeared over 50 years, with the notion of the Grail and the story being added on by other writers such as Robert de Boron, a fact that helped accelerate the decline of Arthur's romance. Similarly, Lancelot and his portratyl of Arthur with Guinevere became one of the classic themes of the Arthurian legend, although the Lancelot and later texts was a combination of Chrétien's character
Bold: Who What Where When and Why
Bold: Who What Where When and Why