Perceval, the Story of the Grail

Perceval is the eponymous protagonist of Perceval, or the Story of the Grail. Scholars debate whether Perceval’s character is one of Chrétien de Troyes’s original contributions to Arthurian legend or if he might be based on the legendary Welsh character Peredur, whose stories share some features in common with Perceval’s.

In Chrétien’s poem, Perceval is a Welshman, born to a noble family and raised by his widowed mother, who tries to protect him from danger by shielding him from all knowledge of the world of knights. His sheltered upbringing makes him ignorant about many aspects of the wider world, which plays into both the comic and tragic elements of his adventures. He is often portrayed as a bumbling fool, but a winsome and carefree one, whose many follies seldom dent his cheerful self-possession. His rustic manners and ignorance of the social mores of courtly life frequently lead to his dismissal as hapless and foolhardy: “just a young Welsh fool, a clown, / an oaf” (791-92).

Having met several knights in the woods, Perceval leaves his mother behind and sets out to King Arthur’s court. Along the course of his adventures, he proves himself to be an adept fighter, easily besting every opponent he comes across.