Abstract
The article demonstrates that Iwein proceeds by polarization of all females encountered into daughter figures and their opposite. The mother figures (Guinevere, Laudine, Dame de Narison) all appear as obstacles to maturation. The daughter figures elicit Iwein's positive responses and lead him to display his full potential. Specifically, it is Lunete, the young servant, who comes to occupy the major place in his affections. This finding contradicts the traditional view that Iwein's prime purpose is to win back his estranged wife by some variant of chivalric service.
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