The poem, commonly dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, centers on the Arthurian hero Parzival (Percival in English) and his long quest for the Holy Grail following his initial failure to achieve it.
A long section is devoted to Parzival's friend Gawan and his adventures defending himself from a false murder charge and winning the hand of the maiden Orgeluse.
[2] Regarded as one of the masterpieces of the Middle Ages, the romance was the most popular vernacular verse narrative in medieval Germany,[3] and continues to be read and translated into modern languages around the world.
His oldest son, Galoes, receives the kingdom but offers his brother Gahmuret the land of Anjou in fief.
Ever restless, however, he soon returns to fight for the Baruch (meaning the "blessed one", from the Hebrew; i.e., the caliph[7]) of Baghdad, where he is killed after the hardness of his helmet, the "adamant" is compromised by the enemy using billygoat's blood.
His mother is heartbroken at the news of his decision but allows him to depart, dressing him in fool's garments in the hopes that the knights will refuse to take him in.
The first part of the journey takes place completely in the world of King Arthur, where the colourful and strange appearance of Parzival awakens the interest of the court.
After becoming entangled in courtly intrigue between Duke Orilus and his wife Jeschute, he meets his cousin Sigune who reveals to him his true name.
He does not ask his host, Anfortas, about his mysterious wound, however, or about the magical objects paraded before him, remembering Gurnemanz's advice to not be too curious.
The next morning Parzival finds himself completely alone in a deserted castle, leading him to speculate that his experiences of the previous night were an illusion conjured by malevolent spirits to snare him.
Parzival returns to the world of Arthur and again meets Sigune, who tells him of how he should have asked the lord of the castle a question, but does not specify.
Parzival returns in Book VI as a perfect potential member of the Round Table to King Arthur.
Gawan wanders into and becomes trapped in the Land of Wonders: the bewitched realm of the evil magician Klingsor / Clinschor.
In vying for the hand of Orgeluse, who is also trapped in the Land of Wonders, Gawan defeats several of the world's greatest knights.
For example, in one passage he claims to be totally illiterate: whether the original poem was composed as part of an oral tradition or as a written work is a subject of debate among scholars.
[10] The place of women in medieval German literature was in general an exalted one, and Wolfram as an author reflects this by making womanhood an ideal for his characters.
Her appearance (at three times in the tale) is essential and occurs on each occasion at a significant stage in his progress, at a point when he is in urgent need of some kind of guidance.
In their second meeting, she scolds him for failing to understand the nature of his quest and goal, ultimately pushing him to the atonement needed to fully grasp his duty as Grail King.
Wolfram's story of Loherangrin was expanded into two full romances, Lohengrin and Lorengel, and later German writers often referenced Parzival in their works.
Ludwig II of Bavaria was inspired by the poem, and Singers' Hall in his castle Neuschwanstein is decorated with tapestries and paintings depicting the story.
There are three works that accurately represent adaptations of the original material in three epochs of German literature: Der Parcival (1831/1832) by Friedrich de la Motte Fouquè for Romanticism,[12] Das Spiel vomfragen / Die Reise zum Sonoren Land (1989) by Peter Handke for modernism,[13] and Der Rote Ritter (1993) by Adolf Muschg for postmodernism.
[14] Tankred Dorst adapted the material to a stage play titled Parzival, which premiered in 1987 at the Thalia Theatre, Hamburg.