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The Perfect Knight Chrétien de Troyes’ Yvain is undoubtedly a most important source in studying the social elements at play during the twelfth century. Throughout the often idealistic plot of the story, de Troyes’ chivalric hero faces many conflicts which reflect the personal, social and political ideals of his time. From the beginning of the story when Yvain sets off for his journey to avenge his cousin’s defeat, until his reunion with Laudin, the hero goes through a drastic change. While Yvain had been great, but not a perfect knight when he left King Arthur’s court for the spring with the basin, at the end of the story, after his many adventures, he manages to emerge as a “paragon of virtue” ; resolving all of his conflicts. Some of the most prominent conflicts that shape Yvain’s story are the ones between love/hate, love/duty, madness/wisdom, honor/dishonor, good/evil and chivalry/impoliteness. While all of these conflicts are important in analyzing the social implications of the story, the two most prominent conflicts are the ones between love/hate and love/duty, which in turn lead to other, less significant ones. While it is true that Yvain faces a series of dangerous external conflicts to reach hap