Gender and Jealousy in Gereint uab Erbin and Le Roman de Silence

The medieval Welsh prose version of the story of Gereint (Erec) and Enid differs from its cognates in French and German by attributing the motive of jealousy to Gereint as the reason why he decides to test his wife’s devotion. This theme of jealousy draws attention to an uneasiness in the text about Enid’s noble status and the concept of gender. The story of Gereint and Enid, in common with the French Roman de Silence, finds itself demonstrating that both gender and class are constructed through a social performance that must be continually enacted.