my heart will not turn from you nor will you find it elsewhere.I can think of nothing else; I give myself wholly to you.I love you more than myself." These words are sweet, and surely would impress any woman, but Yvain soon negates the emotional blessings he has bestowed with words by abandoning her. When the time comes for Yvain to depart his newly adopted domestic home, his words make it seem impossible for him to do so in an emotionally complete sense. He has "left his heart behind.she who remained at home held and joined herself so closely to that heart that he did not have the strength to draw it away." This entire first section of the story would have the reader believe that the love of a knight for his lady leaves him powerless to control his own heart, and that she is the dominating force in his life. Contrasted to the the actions that follow this departure, however, the flowery words describing love in this section soon seem empty and misleading. The wedding is over, his Love is truly his, and Sir Gawain convinces Yvain that to remain the great knight who has earned her Love through accomplishments and valour, he must leave his bride in pursuit of glory. Yvain feels justified in leaving her in pursuit of the honor he feels she deserves, but if such exploits are performed in the name of Love, how is he so soon able to forget her? Not only does he forget to return home, but he competes outstandingly, winning tournement after tournement, and his memory's neglect of her has no effect on this.
His ability to forget her so completely after such an overwhelmingly powerful story of Love is the first crack in the portrayal of Love in our story. . The impossibly huge words he used to describe his feeling for her stand in stark contrast to his complete negligence. No dangers or enemies kept Yvain away from her, and yet he exceeds the time she gave him by weeks and weeks. When he realizes his error, Yvain is "bereft of reason.
