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.
Symbols & Motifs
The Grail
Much of Parzival revolves around the quest for the Grail. Though the Holy Grail has a prominent place in modern culture and literature, the Grail of Parzival is markedly different. In Parzival, the Grail is not a cup. The Grail is a magical stone that was entrusted to humanity by an order of angels who refused to take sides during Lucifer’s rebellion against God. The origins of the Grail imbue the stone with a symbolic form of transcendence: The Grail comes from a world beyond the scope of human comprehension.
This symbolic power is demonstrated in the way the Grail traps Anfortas. As part of a lineage of Grail Lords, Anfortas has failed to act in a moral manner. Despite the warnings, he fought in the name of women and, as a result, he was punished. Anfortas is mortally wounded and spends his life in immense pain, waiting for a knight to ask him a specific question to relieve him of his duties. His life becomes as transcendent as the Grail, demonstrating how the stone has the power to defeat death and punish transgression simultaneously.
This symbolic association between the spiritual world of the Grail and the religious world of man is emphasized during the Grail ceremony. When Parzival first visits Anfortas’s castle, he witnesses the elaborate ceremony firsthand. A procession of women carries the Grail into the hall, whereupon it is able to provide all the guests with whatever they desire to eat. This procession is a symbolic demonstration of the power of ritual and gesture within the church. The procession of the Grail becomes a metaphorical endorsement of Christian religious services, demonstrating how humans can dedicate themselves to spiritual worlds they might not otherwise comprehend.
Beyond the walls of the castle, the Grail also provides the protagonists of the story with a sense of Christian purpose. The Grail is a commendable object for which both Parzival and Gawan strive at various points in their stories. As they search for honor and fame, they dedicate their quests to finding the Grail. The Grail thus also symbolizes the chivalric desire to attain fortune and become a figure of legend while embodying the Christian moral code the Grail represents.
The Table Round
The Table Round (otherwise known as the Round Table) is the name given to the group of knights who serve under King Arthur. Arthur’s Table Round becomes the symbolic embodiment of the chivalric code in Parzival, to the point where the Table Round represents the perfect expression of chivalry in all its forms.
As well as being aspirational, the Table Round also becomes a symbolic way of demonstrating dishonor. As Cundrie illustrates when she accuses Parzival of dishonor, anyone who is not worthy of the Table Round is ashamed. To transgress against the Table Round is to transgress against the code of chivalry itself. If a person dishonors the Table Round, they have dishonored the very meaning of being a knight.
This balanced threat of honor and dishonor is a symbolic extension of Parzival’s relationship with religion. Through religious ceremonies like mass and confession, characters are able to move closer toward the grace of God. Through sinning, they move further away from the grace of God. The cycle of sin and atonement creates a perpetual sense of characters moving back and forth in relation to God’s grace, just as their adherence to the chivalric code and their practice of knightly deeds moves them closer to, or further from, the Table Round itself. In this way, the Table Round also becomes a symbol of the broader Christian morality in the text.
Weaponry and Armor
In a story about knights, duels, and battles, weaponry and armor become an important motif. The relationship between a character and his weaponry and armor helps to define his characterization and his own status within courtly society.
When Parzival first dreams of becoming a knight, his mother gives him a “fool’s” clothes to wear beneath his armor. Parzival’s nascent understanding of the life of a knight is represented in his clothing: He may have the outward, armored appearance of a knight, but he still has much to learn about how the courtly world truly operates. Parzival’s growing appreciation of the chivalric code and his skill as a knight are also demonstrated through the upgrades he receives in terms of armor and weaponry: He wins a set of armor from the Red Knight, signifying his integration into the courtly world. Later, he is given a bejeweled sword by Anfortas, which further adds to Parzival’s legend. Through the gathering of elaborate weapons and famous sets of armor, Parzival is able to chart his journey as a knight.
Armor and weaponry also demonstrate the formation of alliances and friendships. On several occasions, visiting knights are given (or give) expensive weapons and armor to new acquaintances as a means of consecrating a relationship. Anfortas gives Parzival a sword, while Feirefiz brings his expensive armor to Arthur’s court as a way to broker a new relationship between his non-Christian world and Arthur’s Christian realm. The universal prevalence of armor and weapons means that they function as a universal currency. This universal understanding adds to the symbolic importance of exchanging such items as a way to strengthen new friendships.
