Run Lola Run

There are many things than can be examined in the movie, Run Lola Run but the main thing that spoke to me in the movie was when she would run by certain people and then the movie would show you snapshots of what the rest of their lives we’re like. This really stood out to me because the whole outcome of the person’s life would change by the littlest action and it shows how like every time Lola did something a little different the whole outcome of the story would change. It shows how if you changed one little detain in the story, it could lead to a drastic change in the events that take place. For example when she falls down the stairs and goes to the bank she winds up robbing the bank instead of just asking her father for the money for it then leaving afterwards. The one little detail of her falling down the stairs instead of running down them changed the whole outcome of the story. The dirtier look that the woman gave to Lola lead to a completely different life for the woman pushing the carriage. The littlest details have the biggest changes on the outcome of the story. This is the main thing that surprised me when I was watching the movie, I kind of compare it to something like going back to the past. Something as little as stepping on a mosquito could lead to 3,000 years later there being no mosquitoes because you altered all of time by killing just the one. This is the main thing that grabbed me about the movie Run Lola Run, the fact that the littlest detail changes the entire outcome of the story. 

Yvain 3

The third part of Yvain has some very interesting things. Yvain saves a lion form a serpent and then he befriends a lion and the lion helps him win all his fights. The lion becomes a symbol to his lady that he is a virtuous knight and helps win his lady back. In the end Yvain saves Lunete and wins back Laudine’s love and they live happily ever after. If you analyze the growth of Yvain throughout the story you can see that he truly changes from a immature boy into a virtuous man. IN the beginning of the book Yvain sneaks off in the middle of the knight to help regain his cousins honor, like a teenager would sneak out of his house. HE makes a promise to his lady and instead of keeping his word to her he fights in tournaments and does not make it back to her in the time that she asked. After realizing that he cannot get his lady back Yvain goes mad, running around the forest without clothes because he doesn’t know how to cope with this because he is so immature. He finally gets straightened out and during this is when he makes his transition into a man. He then saves a lion, which is a symbol of his virtue and that he is now a true knight who understands responsibility. He then wins back his lady’s love by saving her trusted servant, he finds his way back into her heart and promises to stay with her like a real husband would. The story while being an Arthurian romance also seems to be a story about how a carless teenage knight transforms into a trustworthy, responsible man.

Yvain 2

Gwain’s speech is pretty much him stating that he believes that a man’s reputation is more important than having a wife, that a man’s honor should be put before all else. Yvain and Laudine make the agreement that Yvain must be back in a years time and if he is not back in that time period, he will have lost his lady’s love. This isn’t a bad agreement because now that Yvain is able to retain his honor and still have a woman assuming he returns in a year’s time. This agreement is very risky because Yvain doesn’t know what he is going to encounter along his journey, it is very possible that he will not make it back in a year.

The build up that that leads to Yvain’s shame is Yvain winning a lot of tournaments and receiving much glory for his victories. Yvain’s problem is that it has already been a year and he has not returned to his lady. The text states “King Arthur was seated in their midst when Yvain suddenly began to reflect; since the moment he had taken leave of his lady he had not been so distraught as now, for he knew for a fact that he had broken his word to her and stayed beyond the period set.” (Chrétien, 329). This text continues to tell that Yvain is forced to hold back his tears for he has made a big mistake and now he shall never receive his lady’s love again. Yvain’s shame had come because of his foolishness to keep continuing in the tournaments instead of returning to his lady.

Yvain 1

The lack of prologue in this story can tell us many things about this romance, I believe that the lack of a formal prologue suggests that this story is going to be a bit different from all the others that he wrote because there is not prologue. The lack of the prologue makes the reader have to think more to interpret the symbols in the book because they are not stated in the prologue.

I believe that Calogreant’s story is pretty bizarre. The whole idea of the thunderstorm and all the birds singing on the trees after seem a little bit crazy and I interpret these as symbols each having a deeper more meaningful impacts, rather than being just little parts of the story.

Yvain is seems to be a very brave and courageous knight to help redeem his cousin from his dishonor. Lunete is described by the author as a very charming, polite and clever woman. Lunete is also very merciful because she helps protect Yvain from the villagers to avenge their lord and she helps him win her lady.

Erec and Enide 3

The closing part of the story of Erec and Enide focuses mainly on a new contest, Joy of the Court and it tells the story of Erec becoming king after his fathers death. In the Joy of the Court Erec faces off with a bold knight who is trapped in a garden by a promise to his lover, the knight may not leave the garden until he is defeated by a worthy knight through combat. Erec then defeats the knight and frees him from the garden to be with his lover forever. This is yet again another contest the Erec succeeds in winning and he is bestowed with great honors, this contest also involves love because the knight is in the garden because of a promise to his lover. He cannot be freed until he is defeated by a worthy knight for if he is defeated by a knight that is considered unworthy he would have dishonored his lady and lost her love,  Many people from far away come to celebrate his winning of the contest for they have waited for a victor for many years. Then in the conclusion of the story Erec is given the news that his father has died, and he is to be crowned king. Erec is crowned king a a huge party is throw in his honor and Erec and Enide live the rest of their days is peace together.

Erec and Enide 1

2.         The opening scene describes King Arthur’s court as the best court in the entire world, filled with countless brave knights and beautiful women, a court like King Arthur’s court had never been in existence before. In the text Chrétien states “So rich a one was ever seen” and continues to describe how chivalrous the knights are and how breath taking the women are. The contest implies that the society values and obeys the command of King Arthur and that although others are allowed to speak against him freely that his word is still the law.

4.      The second contest is a contest of masculinity, and at steak is the power and glory in the town and the prize of the sparrow-hawk. The implications are that it is a contest of masculinity and that the best knight through combat will be crowned victor of the contest and receive the glory and respect of everyone in the town.