Social Isolation in a Crisis in Hartmann Von Aue's Iwein

ABSTRACT

This article investigates the social isolation of the protagonist in a crisis using the example of Iwein by Hartmann von Aue. It is an Arthurian novel written around 1203 which depicts the adventures of the knight Iwein of the Round Table. The novel embodies various medieval topics such as the struggle for honour, loyalty, knight's duties and virtues, challenges, mythical and fantastic beasts, etc. Among these subjects, there is also the so-called crisis of a hero, which is represented by social isolation and mental illness, i. e. by the knight's insane behaviour. Thus, the depiction of Iwein's isolation will be interpreted, analysed and critically evaluated in relation to his illness and recovery in the context of the crisis. In addition, the function and the representation of this isolation in regard to the knighthood and court society of the time will also be examined. Therefore, this article attempts to answer the following questions How is Iwein's social isolation depicted during his crisis and what role does this isolation play during the crisis in terms of his illness and recovery? What is the difference between isolation, loneliness and marginalisation in this novel? The crisis will be examined in the context of literature and literary studies and at the same time with reference to the social isolation. Using the example of this Arthurian novel, the crisis of the protagonist before and during the period of isolation will be analysed and interpreted with regard to overcoming challenges (physical and psychological), loneliness, despair and even madness. The previous research of this Arthurian romance focused mainly on topics such as the question of Iwein's guilt or madness. Especially, it is Iwein's phase of madness during his isolation that most of these works investigate, either in the context of illnesses as shown by Christine Saygin (35-60) or, for example, in relation to the adventures and the function of madness in Chretien's and Hartmann's version of this story as shown by Wolfgang Mohr (71). Saygin (59), for example, assumes that Iwein's insanity was created by the author to characterize Iwein's illness and is considered to be an "alternative to suicide". Saygin (59) also explains that madness "... perhaps also offers the knight the possibility of ultimately redeeming himself [...]".6In this paper, however, it is assumed that Iwein's isolation plays a crucial role in Iwein's illness and recovery and that his madness can only be interpreted as a symptom of this isolation. In this way, his insane episode is observed in relation to his isolation and not separately. The beginning of Iwein's state of madness matches approximately the beginning of his isolation -after his wife Laudine realized that he had not kept his end of their agreement, therefore their honour was violated. So Laudine makes the decision to part with Iwein forever, in order to avoid any more shame. At this point in the plot, Iwein's isolation phase begins, as described in the following verses ,,nach einem dinge jamert in, / daz er w ae re etewa / daz man noch wip enweste wa / und niemer gehorte mare / war er komen ware." (Hartmann, V. 3216-3220)The phenomenon of isolation is often associated with the feeling of loneliness. Walter Haug (1), who deals with the subject of loneliness of the epic hero in works such as Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach, "Gregorius" by Hartmann von Aue or Tristan by Gottfried von Stra ss burg, offers his own definition of loneliness. According to Haug (1), it would be better to avoid the term loneliness and instead use another term meaning "belonging to a society"7. Besides loneliness, one must also offer here a definition of the term isolation. Albrecht Classen (14) defines isolation using the example of Heinrich, Hartmann von Aue's Arthurian novel of the same name, as the withdrawal from society because of [Heinrich's] preparation for the coming death. In this paper, the absence of "being included in a society" 8 as defined by Haug (1) is considered as social isolation, and the aforementioned loneliness as yet another symptom of social isolation. Classen (14) also explains that Heinrich's (mental and physical) state does not change during his isolation, because it is closely linked to his illness and since the latter seems to be incurable, the isolation does not help him to overcome the crisis.The obvious difference between Heinrich and Iwein lies in the fact that Heinrich suffers from a physical and disgusting illness, while Iwein suffers from a mental disorder. Moreover, Iwein's illness reveals itself only during his isolation, which is not the case with Heinrich. For both protagonists, however, the isolation symbolises an exit from a shameful situation, i. e. they choose isolation because they were experiencing a crisis and can no longer bear the shame of the lost honour.Iwein's isolation from the society also symbolises his return to his innate nature. He gives in to primordial urges that forces him to seek safety and comfort in isolation. As a matter of fact, these are somewhat animalistic and wild needs that force him to act uncontrollably, as seen in the scene where he rips off his clothes and exposes himself. In a symbolic manner, he thus gets rid of the shackles of the court and the Round Table, as well as the negative feelings and the shame, and only then does his phase of madness truly begin. It can also be noted that up to this point in the plot, Iwein's thoughts and those of the other characters have been described and commented by the narrator on several occasions. However, in Iwein's state of insanity his thoughts are completely suppressed. The reader (or the listener) no longer gets glimpses into the hero's thoughts as they are restricted by strong, primal urges such as hunger or thirst. In fact, it could be said that, the knight acts as if he was stunned and his thoughts and mind were frozen in a coma-like state ,,als in der hunger bestuont, / so teter sam die toren tuont / in ist niht mere witze kunt / niuwan diu a umbe den munt. "(Hartmann, V. 3266-3270)Since the medieval perception of diseases, epidemics and mental disorders was strongly influenced by people's superstitions and beliefs, it is not surprising that Iwein's illness and healing cannot be traced gradually. He suddenly became insane, that is, sick and in the same way will he later suddenly be cured, by magic and without further explanation.Hence, his illness represents nothing more than a crisis, or a heroic crisis to be exact, that Iwein has to overcome. According to Vollmann (237), "the classic Arthurian hero is a crisis-prone and that is his strength."9 Moreover it can be observed that Hartmann von Aue introduces the hero's crisis into the story in an already familiar manner which corresponds to the so-called double path structure, because the crisis represents the turning point of the plot according to this structural model. Similar to his work Poor Heinrich, the knight falls into a crisis that is triggered by various factors that vary from illness (Heinrich), violation of honour (Iwein) to committing a serious sin (Gregorius). Aside from how the hero's crisis is triggered, it offers the protagonist his salvation by empowering him, so that he is able to overcome in future more difficult challenges. However, the reason for the occurrence of a heroic crisis is common to all these knights - when a large discrepancy between the knight's moral values or philosophies of life and the expectations and norms of the society emerges, a crisis occurs. Since this discrepancy requires a change in order to be reconciled, the knight can no longer remain in the society whose norms and traditions he does not conform to anymore, and this will often result in knight's isolation. In this case, Iwein isolates himself from the court and the Round Table, which he can no longer be a part of. In developing the heroic crisis, Hartmann uses a role model that is considered as the starting point of all ideas about a knight in a knightly society - at the court of King Arthur, it is Arthur himself who serves as a role model for all knights.If the members of a knightly society do not conform to the knightly role model, they may also be marginalized. This is the case with Iwein, whose previously mentioned new, untamed and wild way of life is perceived as insane by the court society. Consequently, he becomes gradually marginalized from this society. However, his isolation need not be considered marginalization if one assumes that Iwein has deliberately distanced himself from society. Auffahrt (340) defines marginality as "a sociological model for people who live on the margins of society, that is, who are excluded from the privileges of those who determine society (this is not necessarily the majority of a society). Accordingly, they have a different view of the living world and develop their own values."10 The difference between marginalization and marginality here lies in the fact that marginalization refers to the process and marginality refers to the result of that process. Crewe (121) adds on the topic of marginality in literature that this phenomenon necessarily juxtaposes notions of "center" and "margin" in the context of Jacques Derrida's deconstructionist theories. In relation to the Arthurian novel, it can be stated that the Arthurian court, together with King Arthur along with his knights, represents the center of courtly society and, according to Wolfzettel (4), even the center of the world (Wolfzettel 4). Furthermore, the marginality in the Arthurian novel can be defined as a concept of representing characters who are either in Arthur's court (at the center of society) or outside the court (at the margins of society). Regarding the aforementioned definition of Auffahrt (340) Iwein can be seen as an individual onthe margins of society who is considered different from the center of his society or from the Arthurian court by "his view of the living world".The reason for the marginalization lies above all in the question of how useful a person is for the society, or in this case for the court society and for the Round Table. Using Heinrich as an example, it can be seen that the protagonist himself recognized beforehand that he could no longer be of use to his society and for this reason he opts for isolation. With regard to Iwein, a situation is shown where the protagonist cannot bear that his society sees him as an unworthy member. Therefore, he isolates himself from others before they can exclude him from the society and marginalise him. This can be seen in the example of the forest man, who was mentioned at the very beginning of the story and whom first Kalogrenant and then later Iwein encounter, while searching for the magic fountain. From the perspective of the knights of the Round Table, the forest man is perceived as a mad and a strange beast, also marginalized by the chivalric society. Similarly, it is now Iwein who evokes such reactions from others when they meet him. In other words, he has shifted from the role of the knight of the Round Table to the role of a lunatic resembling the forest man. What he once perceived as wild and inhuman about the forest man will not only known but also inherent to him. In the same way, Iwein is now seen as a madman from the perspective of the knights of the Round Table and the court society, for whom he has lost the qualities that used to make him human. Even though his humanity is not determined by this society, it is judged by it, which is why he no longer conforms to the idea of humanity at the court of King Arthur.Hence, what was considered to be the madness of Iwein is actually the madness of the Arthurian court and the Round Table. The madness of an entire society that forces a knight to reinvent his very essence, so that he could once again conform to the norms and role models of this society. Regarding that society, Sacker (5-6) argues that King Arthur is portrayed as a passive and weak figure and the Knights of the Round Table as useless members of this society. Furthermore, Sacker (8) explains that the depiction of the knightly duel and the winning of the ere through the murder of the opponent are actually symptoms of a society in crisis that lives by a flawed code that no one questions. Thus, the events and the transformation of Iwein that occur during his crisis can be seen as an ironical depiction of Hartmann's critique of a flawed medieval society and the knightly codex.Even though, Iwein successfully overcame his crisis, it can be observed that, in what was probably Hartmann von Aue's last Arthurian novel, a novelty in overcoming the heroic crisis was introduced. This is precisely Iwein's isolation and its role in overcoming the crisis. When it comes to healing his sickness, the isolation is a novelty in the structuring of the heroic crisis in medieval literature. The heroes mentioned earlier always sought an exit from difficult or unbearable situations in isolation and this is also the case with Iwein, but unlike them, Iwein uses the isolation as a shield against societal expectations and judgments, which allows him to rediscover his true purpose and inner nature in the isolation amidst the chaos and the balance of nature.The Round Table and King Arthur recognize the knight Iwein as a loyal, honourable, and courageous knight, but only after he had overcome all the challenges that were set before him after his isolation. In this respect, the novel also portrays a socio-critical dimension, which primarily refers to social double standards and the loss of identity of the individual within a society. Because of this, the court's attitude to Iwein during his isolation can rather be described as a hindrance on his path to recovery, while the isolation, on the other hand, has the value of a remedy for Iwein. In the end, the crisis that Iwein experienced up to this point in the plot disappears and the aforementioned discrepancy between his expectations and those of the court society is reconciled. In fact, the function of the isolation was to provide Iwein with a safe area in which he could heal without being hindered by outside factors or influences. His numbness during this isolation served as a shield against feelings of loneliness, despair, or shame. Since there are no expectations, mistakes, shame or misdeeds in the wilderness, his isolation helps him reconnect with his inner nature and find balance in his life. Thus, the power of isolation does not lie in the loneliness, but in the reflection of the solitude, which allows the individuum to rebalance themselves, far from the disruptions of everyday life. After all, even today, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, things are out of balance. However, this pandemic has brought to light that even now, perhaps more than ever, one has the possibility to reconnect with oneself and with one's nature due to the isolation.