Erec and Enide

One night, Enide lays awake in bed while Erec sleeps, thinking about the gossip she has heard. Enide becomes overwhelmed by emotion; she blames herself for Erec having “relinquished chivalry”—or stopped behaving as a knight typically would. Enide begins to speak to herself, declaring “woe is me” (73), the first time Enide has spoken in the poem. As Enide speaks, she causes Erec to awake from his slumber, and he asks Enide what is making her distressed. Enide at first denies having said anything, but Erec presses, telling her that she “will be sorry by and by” to lie to him (74). Enide relents and tells Erec of how he is being mocked by his court for failing to live up to his reputation as a knight and also tells him that “people say I am the cause” (75). Erec tells Enide that she was right to distress over such gossip and that he feels his “critics too were justified” (76). Erec tells Enide that she should dress herself and prepare a horse for riding. Enide follows Erec’s commands, but as she gets dressed, she continues to lament her situation: “How dared I speak, through want of tact, so senselessly?” (76).

Meanwhile, Erec orders his squires to dress him in armor and prepare his horse for riding. While the squires follow Erec’s order, helping him to put on extremely powerful armor, they all “wonder what was Erec’s plan” (78). However, Erec does not tell them why he is preparing for adventuring, nor do they ask. Once Erec is ready, he has a messenger fetch Enide, who he feels has “taken too long to prepare” (78). Though Enide also feels confused about what Erec’s plans are, she joins Erec and makes herself “seem as happy as she could” (79). King Lac and other of the court’s knights plead with Erec that he should take a party with him in case someone should attack him. Eric refuses. Though the King is confused by Erec’s decision, he relents and bids Erec farewell. Erec tells the King and his knights that he hopes they will care for Enide in the event that something should happen to him on their journey. As Erec and Enide ride off, Erec tells Enide to ride ahead of him at high speed and not to say “a single word to me, unless / I’ve spoken first” (81), causing Enide to feel that Erec hates her.

As Erec and Enide ride, a group of three knights see them. One of the knights “greatly coveted the palfrey on which Enide rode” (82), and he resolves to rob Erec and Enide. The knight tells his fellow knights that they should easily be able to defeat Erec. However, the knights do not ambush him all at once, as one is considered “treacherous” if one attacks an individual when he is so outnumbered. Enide sees the approaching robbers and, though uncertain whether she should disobey Erec, decides to speak directly to him and warn him, as he seems not to have noticed the robbers. Erec tells Enide that she has disrespected him and that while he will forgive her for disobeying him this once, that she will “never be excused” if she breaks his orders again (84). Erec then turns to fight the robber knight. Erec easily defeats the robber by stabbing him in his chest with his lance, so that “Erec’s lance tip reached his heart” (84). The second robber then attacks Erec, but Erec quickly defeats him as well. The third robber, fearful, attempts to flee Erec on horse, but Erec catches up to him and knocks him off his horse. Erec then takes the robbers horses and continues on his journey with Enide, who promises Erec that she will never speak out of turn again.

A group of five knights see Enide and Erec riding and plot to rob the two of their horses and goods. As the group of robbers watch the two, they “verbally […] split and shared” Erec’s horses amongst themselves, “as if they were already won” (86). However, while most of the knights are content to just have the horses, one of the knights announces that he plans to challenge Erec directly and take his armor from him. The other knights agree to let the robber directly attack Erec. Though Erec sees the approaching robber, “he gave no signs / he noticed him or his designs” (87). However, Enide spies the robbers and becomes anxious that they will defeat Erec. While Enide wants to follow Erec’s order of not speaking out of turn, she also is concerned for his well-being. Enide decides to address Erec and warns him of the approaching knights. Erec tells her that her “helpfulness was incorrect” and that her disrespect for him “makes me find you hateful” (88). However, Erec agrees to forgive Enide again and proceeds to fight back the attacking knights. After defeating them, Erec takes their five horses and adds them to the group of three he took from the previous robbers, giving all eight to Enide to lead.

That night, Erec and Enide stop to rest under a tree. Erec offers to keep guard while Enide sleeps, but Enide refuses, telling Erec that he is more in need of rest and that she will stay up. As Enide keeps guard, she laments how foolish she had been to speak out of turn to Erec: “I have not suffered half the share / of misery that I deserve” (91). The next day, a group of servants for a count known as Count Galoain see Erec and Enide. One of the servants, a squire, offers Erec food, thinking that they have been traveling a long time. Erec is gracious for the hospitality and tells the squire to take whichever one of the horses he thinks is the best “charger.” He also tells the squire to “prepare luxurious lodgings” for him and Enide (93).

After Erec and Enide are brought to their host, the squire goes and tells Count Galoain of Erec, remarking that Erec “is handsomer than you” (95). The count is eager to see such a knight and quickly goes to meet Erec, who he quickly realizes “was exceedingly well bred” (96). As Erec and the count speak, the count becomes distracted by Enide and “the loveliness that she possessed” (96). The count asks Erec if he can privately speak with Enide, who agrees. The count then tells Enide that he feels she is mistreated by Erec and wants her to be his mistress. Enide at first rejects him, and the count remarks that he will “take your lord and have him slain / at once, before your very eyes” (98). Fearful for Erec’s life, Enide quickly tells the count that she was merely testing his passion for her and that she longs to be with him but that he should wait to attack Erec until the next day.

The next morning, Enide wakes Erec and warns him of the count’s intentions to kill him and take her. Erec believes that Enide’s actions show that she “was true to him foremost” (102). Erec and Enide quickly flee their lodgings, with Erec gifting the rest of the horses he won to his host. As they flee, Erec tells Enide once again not to warn him of any possible danger. Meanwhile, the count arrives at Erec’s former lodgings with a hundred knights and realizes that Enide fooled him when he sees the two have fled. The count and his knights pursue Erec, and Enide screams out to warn Erec. Erec vows to make Enide “pay dearly for your part” and then leaves her to face the attackers (104). The count wears no armor because he is confident that he can defeat Erec. Initially, the count is able to attack Erec with his lance, charging it straight at Erec’s chest. However, Erec is wearing strong chainmail that deflects the lance and saves his life. Afterward, Erec charges the count with his own lance, knocking him off his horse. As Erec flees, the count orders that his knights stop their attack, recognizing that he “was villainous” in pursuing Enide.