In Iwein by Hartmann von Aue and Yvain by Chrétien de Troyes the protagonist, undergoes a transformation. Rather shallow and self-centered at the beginning of the romance, he learns to be a proper courtly lover and champion of women in danger. In our study, we are proposing that this transformation takes place thanks to the role that “surplus” plays in the story. By “surplus,” we understand an excess, something that is added to something else or that transgresses boundaries.