Essay on Lais of Marie de France - 1046 Words

Knights of Old and Harry Potter October 7, 2012 Love and Marie de France According to American mythologist, Joseph Campbell, â€Å"The greatest love was during the Medieval Ages, when noble hearts produced a romantic love that transcended lust† (Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers [2001]). The Lais of Marie de France are primarily concerned with this idea of love--specifically, courtly love--between a man and a woman. Courtly love, a union modeled after the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege lord, became a popular convention in the 12th century (â€Å"Backgrounds to Romance: ‘Courtly Love’†). Instead of proving loyalty to a lord, the man would have to prove his love to a woman. Marie de France, however,†¦show more content†¦Guigemar endures severe anguish to please his beloved, and his undying love inspires him to prove himself to her. This lay provides a good example of what Marie de France considers wrong and right in love. We see another selfish love in the story of Bisclavret, a man with a werewolf alter ego who is betrayed by his adulterous wife. Ironically, although her husband is physically a beast, the real beast, as portrayed by Marie de France, is the wife, who not only betrays him, but also marries another man. She is selfishly concerned with her physical desires, something Marie de France considers ignoble and far worse than the jealousy displayed in the story of Guigemar. The selfish love in this story is inspired by sexual desire, a desire that Marie de France sees as a threat to selfless love. Selfish love is again shown in the lay of â€Å"Les Deux Amanz,† in which a young man has to carry his beloved to the top of a mountain without falling in order to prove his worthiness to her father. This seems to be an act of love, but, in fact, when the woman begs her lover to take a potion that will help him reach the top, he reveals another, vainer, motivation: â€Å"These people would shout at us and deafen me their noise†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Burgess and Busby 84). In other words, his desire to reach the mountaintop is motivated at least in part by a need to prove himself to others, and lessShow MoreRelatedThe Lais Of Marie De France865 Words   |  4 PagesThe extent to which the Lais of Marie de France can be categorized as fairy tales is dependent on the definition of â€Å"fairy tale.† Using various scholars’ definitions of â€Å"fairy tale† and conceptions of the fairy tale genre, criteria for â€Å"fairy tales† arises. Then, close-readings of three lais, â€Å"Guigemar†, â€Å"Lanval† and â€Å"Yonec†, are used as a mechanism for meeting or failing the criteria. This methodology is then evaluated and problematized. The criterion for fairy tales includes origin, form, contentRead MoreLais of Marie de France1940 Words   |  8 PagesThroughout the Lais of Marie de France there are several themes presented as central to the various stories. Some of these themes are present in all of the lais. One such example is that of courtly love and its implications. Courtly love being one of the more prominent themes in all of medieval literature, it is fittingly manifested in all of the lais as well. Another theme present in two of the lais is isolation. The theme of isolation plays a large role in the stories of Guigemar and LanvalRead More Lais Of Marie De France Essay examples1939 Words   |  8 Pages Throughout the Lais of Marie de France there are several themes presented as central to the various stories. Some of these themes are present in all of the lais. One such example is that of courtly love and it’s implications. Courtly love being one of the more prominent themes in all of medieval literature, it is fittingly manifested in all of the lais as well. Another theme present in two of the lais is isolation. The theme of isolation plays a large role in the stories of Guigemar and LanvalRead MoreThe Lais of Marie de France and Quickly-Budding Love Essay670 Words   |  3 Pagesexample of a wild love story portrays the love tales told in the book The Lais of Marie de France, where many lovers are quickly overtaken with the love and passion from a secret lover. The Lais of Marie de France is a book that inquires one to question the reasoning of exaggerated love stories from the middle ages with their immediate love situations, disastrous consequences, and happiness of lov e. In The Lais of Marie de France, the lovers are quickly stricken with a sense of love whether it is byRead MoreLovers From The Lais Of Marie De France As A Children s Book1533 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Chevrefoil† Adapted Imagine a story of lovers from The Lais of Marie de France as a children’s book. It would show the events true love can overcome, and inevitably end in a happy ending. The stories would have to be adapted in such a way to where all the details were appropriate for a child. It must be wrote to where the story would not be over their head, so they could fully understand the story. My adaption of â€Å"Chevrefoil† from The Lais of Marie de France into a children’s book would essentially fall intoRead MoreThe Lais Of Marie De France And The Wolf Hunt988 Words   |  4 Pagesbeliefs tend to lead to the inaccurate portrayal of the past. The two books, The Lais of Marie de France, by Marie de France and The Wolf Hunt by Gillian Bradshaw are prime examples of how our modern beliefs cause this distortion. The modern version of the novel, which is The Wolf Hunt, portrays the story differently than the Medieval novel, The Lais of Marie de France. The Wolf Hunt has modern themes in it, while the Lais has genuinely medieval themes. These stories are quite similar because they bothRead MoreEmpowering Women through Courtly Love Essay1153 Words   |  5 Pagesdeeds, and become obedient to her in hopes of winning her affection. In The Lais of Marie de France, specifically Chevrefoil and Yonec, the author does not follow all of the rules of courtly love, yet she does illustrate to the reader the relationship between the man and his woman. She describes the beauty, intelligence, and wisdom of her female characters, giving them power over the men who love them. While Marie de France often confines women to the oppressive realities of the Middle Ages, she allowsRead More We have Decided Essay2066 Words   |  9 Pagesmorally wrong. Marriage, on the other hand, has been thought of as a sacred institution shared by most of the people and religions of the world. In the â€Å"Lais† written by Marie de France, we are given insight into the inner workings of five adulterous affairs, six pre-marital sexual encounte rs, and one instance of impure thoughts. Although Marie de France does not seem to condone adultery, she writes in a manner that allows the reader to feel possible sympathy with it, depending upon the situation. InRead MoreAnimal Symbology in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Lais785 Words   |  4 PagesIn Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Lais of Marie de France, the authors use animals as metaphors for human actions, and as characters. By analyzing the use of these animals, we are able to explore the meaning the authors were trying to communicate through specific scenes. The Book of Beasts, a translation by T.H. White (1984 ed.), provides a medieval standpoint when analyzing the use of animals in the Lais and in Gawain. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, there is specific use of threeRead MoreEssay on Lanval and Yonec1687 Words   |  7 Pagesa certain motif of the story, or symbolize the author’s or society’s mindset. The representation of the body becomes significant for the story. In the representation of their body in the works of Marie de France’s lais â€Å"Lanval† and â€Å"Yonec,† the body is represented in opposing views. In â€Å"Lanval,† France clearly emphasizes the pure beauty of the body and the power the ideal beauty holds, which Lanval’s Fairy Queen portrays. In France’s â€Å"Yonec,† she diverts the reader’s attention from the image of the