So I thought that these lais were pretty interesting, and I
didn’t mind reading them at all.
With Equitan, I was actually surprised at how similar the plot was to
some of our modern romances about couples who cheat. It started out with two
people who lusted after each other and realized all of the reasons why having
an affair would be wrong, but then said, “fuck it” and did it anyway. They were
caught, of course, and had to suffer the consequences, but death is just a bit
harsher than our normal punishments now a days. Also, I feel compelled to ask:
wouldn’t Equitan’s death have major
repercussions? I mean, yeah, he was a crap king and his seneschal did most of his work, but he was still the king and, since
he didn’t have a wife or heir, his death would have created massive problems
and probably thrown the area he ruled into turmoil. And the seneschal would have been put to death
for treason, so no real happy ending for him either.
Le
Fresne on the other hand, was a sweet story and I was actually happy to
find out that not all of their stories involved torture, death, and other
things like that. However, I have to admit that I was disappointed that the
mother didn’t have to face any sort of punishment for getting rid of one of her
daughters and never telling her husband about it. Also, she would rather kill
someone and go directly against her religion rather than have to deal with her
reputation taking a nosedive? What a vain woman. But then she goes ahead and
gives the child (that she was about to kill) this ridiculously expensive robe
and ring and sends her off to the monastery. I’m sorry, do you care about this
child or not? Your attitude just did a complete 180. But hey, I guess her
confessing and repenting at the end was enough to make up for this so…happy
ending for everyone!
Now Bisclavret was an odd story. One thing that I thought was weird was
how he couldn’t turn back into a human if he didn’t have his clothes. I mean,
who came up with that? That is such a random rule (although I guess only
changing during a full moon is a kind of random rule too). And his wife was absolutely
horrible. She begged and manipulated her husband into telling her all of his
secrets after promising that she would still love him, and then she turned
around and betrayed him immediately. Also, why did she keep his clothes around
after she took them? If she really wanted him to stay as a werewolf, then why
didn’t she just burn the clothes or something? I did, however, like her
punishment (and the nose less children idea was hilarious).
And did the king and Bisclavret
get together? Because they were kissing at the end but Maríe de France didn’t really
mention anything else about it.
Overall,
these were some intriguing stories, even if I couldn’t stop my brain from
pointing out all of the little discrepancies. I realize that I just have to
accept the random ideas in the lais,
but it still bugs me.
I'm commenting on yours because one of my group members doesn't have the book yet. So here we go...
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how in each story, there's an element that's missing for us. I think our culture has brain washed us so bad into wanting a justifying ending, that we're just not satisfied with anything else. WE WANT JUSTICE! But we don't always get it. Believe me, I felt the same way you did. But maybe the endings aren't what we're supposed to look at. Or the justice. Perhaps there's a universal truth behind every story that is meant to distract us from how unsatisfied we are. I'm still working on that mindset, but I'm getting there.
I certainly agree that the plot of *Equitan* seems pretty familiar--we've seen it in dozens of romantic comedies (although the double-murder at the end would spice things up in many modern plots). It seems more like a morality story than a romance. Marie throws in a couple of important life lessons and uses the story to reinforce them, more like a fairy tale for adults.
ReplyDeleteI was (and am) confused by the mother's behavior in *Le Fresne* as well. I think her not having to face any consequences reflects the Mary-Eve dynamic expressed in the one courtly love study guide. She doesn't have to be punished because she *repents,* whereas Equitan does not.
That's a good point you raise about Bisclavret's wife and the clothes. Perhaps its symbolic of her power over a portion of his humanity. After all, Marie's highly Christian audience would know that humanity and clothing have been associated literally since the second chapter of the Bible.
Equitan did remind me of a lot of modern day chick flicks. I guess that is in part due to the "steamy" aspect of it. I liked the readings this week as well. They were all similar yet so different. While I was reading them. I agree, Le Fresne gave me a strange mix of emotions. I thought the story was sweet, yet I felt so empty from the holes in the story. She does not get more than a "honey it's okay, you did this so long ago" scolding from her husband? Enraging!
ReplyDeleteI looked over the fact that Bisclavret's wife kept his clothes. I do not think it was intentional. Perhaps Marie wrote a plot hole :0????