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Iwein

Iwein, also known as Einwan, is a Middle High German romance by Hartmann von Aue, composed around 1200. It is an adaptation of Chrétien de Troyes’s Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, and represents a major example of Hartmann’s blend of Arthurian chivalry with Christian moral and psychological concerns. The poem situates itself within the tradition of quest literature and the broader Hartmann–Chretien reception in medieval German narratives.

Plot overview: The knight Ywein, a member of the Round Table and son of Urien, undergoes a

Themes and style: Iwein examines the tension between personal desire and obligation, the ethics of knighthood,

Manuscripts and influence: Written in Middle High German, Iwein is preserved in several medieval manuscripts and

series
of
adventures
driven
by
love,
loyalty,
and
honor.
After
rescuing
and
forming
an
association
with
a
loyal
lion,
he
travels
to
the
pagan
and
Christian
moral
landscapes
of
his
world.
He
becomes
involved
with
Laudine,
the
mistress
of
a
realm
to
which
he
is
pledged
through
marriage
and
fealty,
and
his
conduct
is
tested
by
love,
fealty,
and
the
demands
of
public
service.
A
sequence
of
trials—romantic,
martial,
and
penitential—forces
him
to
confront
pride
and
error,
and
ultimately
to
seek
reconciliation
and
renewal.
The
narrative
emphasizes
repentance,
steadfastness,
and
the
eventual
restoration
of
rank
and
favor,
aided
by
the
lion’s
aid
and
by
moral
reflection.
and
the
transformative
potential
of
penitence.
Hartmann’s
treatment
combines
courtly
romance
with
didactic
elements,
and
the
work
is
notable
for
its
psychological
introspection
and
its
more
explicit
Christian
inflection
compared
with
some
of
Chrétien’s
sources.
has
been
the
subject
of
extensive
modern
scholarship
and
edition
history.
It
remained
influential
in
German
medieval
literature
and
contributed
to
the
development
of
subsequent
Arthurian
romance
in
the
German
tradition.