The romance genre revolves around many themes, the most famous being love. The protagonist is almost always the only character who receives love or works to get it. The novel genre appeared around the 12th century in Europe. The most famous author of this genre and of this era is none other than Chrétien De Troyes. Troyes is the author of seven poems, four of which were completed by him alone. The other three were worked on and completed by other authors. In this essay, the themes of two of his works will be discussed. The works analyzed are The Knight in the Cart (Lancelot) and The History of the Grail (Perceval). The first theme addressed is love. Love would be the most common thing in romances. The word romance directly translates and means the word love. In both stories, love is a driving factor behind the protagonists. The story of Lancelot is based on Lancelot's love and desire for Queen Guinevere. Lancelot did everything possible to achieve Guinevere's compassion and love. The love that Lancelot had for the queen is a devouring love. He pushed two horses to their death in an attempt to reach Guinevere. Another example of Lancelot's unwavering love was when he came into contact with the "elegantly dressed woman." The elegantly dressed woman offered Lancelot her hospitality if only he would spend the night in her bed. The woman decided to stage a fake rape scene to see how Lancelot would react. Lancelot has shown himself to be honorable and has also proven his love for another woman (lines 1104-1479). The purpose of the rape was to show Lancelot's weaknesses. Instead, it simply reinforced the dignity and honor he had. Lancelot did not take advantage of the elegantly dressed woman. It did n...... middle of paper...... The themes found in both readings flowed almost seamlessly throughout the book. The discussed themes of love, honor, the important roles of women, and mercy were the most prominent and common themes of the readings. There is no doubt that Troyes was the father of novels. Troyes' poems and short stories are the most famous and influential stories of his time. Chrétien De Troyes' stories were created hundreds and hundreds of years ago, but are still read and still entertain audiences in today's society. Works Cited De Troyes, Chrétien, William W. Kibler and Carleton W. Carroll. “The story of the Grail (Percival).” Arthurian novels. London, England: Penguin, 1991. 381-499. Print.De Troyes, Chrétien, William W. Kibler and Carleton W. Carroll. “Knight of the Cart (Lancelot).” Arthurian novels. London, England: Penguin, 1991. 207-94. Print.