The romance genre focuses on many themes, the most famous of which is love. The protagonist is almost always the only character who receives love or works to get it. The romance genre began around the 12th century in Europe. The most famous author of that genre and of that time was 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 developed and refined by other authors. This essay will address the themes of two of his works. The works analyzed are The Knight of the Chariot (Lancelot) and The Story of the Grail (Perceval). The first theme covered is love. Love would be the most common thing found in novels. The word romance directly translates to 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 to achieve Guinevere's compassion and love. The love that Lancelot had for the queen is an all-consuming love. He drove two horses to their deaths trying to reach Geneva. Another example of Lancelot's unfailing love was when he came into contact with the "elegantly dressed woman". The elegantly dressed woman offered Lancelot her hospitality if he would only spend the night in her bed. The woman decided to stage a fake rape scene to see how Lancelot would react. Lancelot proved himself to be honorable and also demonstrated his love for another woman (lines 1104-1479). The rape was intended 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. He did n...... half of the paper...... The themes found in the two readings unfolded almost seamlessly throughout the book. The discussed themes of love, honor, the important roles of women, and mercy were the most obvious and common themes in the readings. There is no doubt that Troyes was the father of novels. Troyes' poems and stories are the most famous and influential of all the stories of his time. The stories of Chrétien De Troyes were created hundreds and hundreds of years ago, but are still read and entertain audiences in today's society. Works cited by De Troyes, Chrétien, William W. Kibler, and Carleton W. Carroll. "The Story of the Grail (Perceval)." Arthurian romances. London, England: Penguin, 1991. 381-499. Print.De Troyes, Chrétien, William W. Kibler and Carleton W. Carroll. “Knight of the Chariot (Lancelot).” Arthurian novels. London, England: Penguin, 1991. 207-94. Press.