Medieval Love In Bisclavret By Marie De France

Marie de France’s lais translate a multitude of different medieval ideologies/topics into text. One of the most prominent being the ideal of medieval love. In Marie de France’s lay “Bisclavret”, Marie explains to her readers, through a variety of symbols and messages, that medieval love is set in the truth beneath appearances- virtues like loyalty and modesty- whereas love based on appearances, as manifested by Bisclavret’s wife, is in fact a form of vanity.

Bisclavret turning into a werewolf is not the only form of bestiality in this lay, in fact it is far from it. Bisclavret and his wife, who is unnamed (possibly to make her seem more animalistic), share a love in the beginning of the story. However, the love is neither true nor just. Bisclavret

might believe that it is true, but his wife shows her true colors when she decides she no longer wants to “lie with him” after discovering what he turns into. She is so worried about his animalistic side that she herself feels like she has to resort to similar tactics in order to free herself. What I mean by saying “similar tactics” is that she uses her bestiality/animalistic side, which in this case is her sexuality, to attract her other suitor knight, offering him “her body and her love” in order for him to do her dirty work and grab Bisclavret’s cloths. Evidence of such betrayal is as follows “There was a knight of that region who had loved her for a long time, who begged for her love, and dedicated himself to serving her. She’d never loved him at all, nor pledged her love to him, but now she sent a messenger for him, and told him her intention. -----(break, lines 111-114) ---- “I offer you my love and my body; make me your mistress!” (Marie de France, 104-116). The previous statement supports the fact that the wife never loved the suitor knight, however, in order to get her way, she allures him with the enticement of her body. This is one of many forms of untrue love, the love of tangible fantasies.
The move of stealing Bisclavret’s cloths, in itself, is very interesting. The fact that Bisclavret’s weakness/saving grace is clothing. This example can really help symbolize the false love in this lay. It represents the vanity of not only the wife and her lover in this tale, but perhaps the vanity Marie de France sees in the nobles of this time. People that are often times more concerned with their appearances and being perceived as “courtly”, then the real struggles happening in their land. Something that was very common during Marie de France’s era was arranged marriages, another form of superficial love. The only type of love valued in such marriages was the wealth and power the opposing family possessed, there was no loyalty or virtue associated between the bride and groom. Marie de France would have been well accustomed to these life styles since she was very likely of noble birth, due to her high education and lingual abilities. However, Bisclavret’s love for his wife is a true, and loyal love, proven by his devotion to tell her anything, even if he knows it will cause him harm. After the lady asks Bisclavret to reveal where he disappears to, he exclaims, “My dear, have mercy on me, for God’s sake! Harm will come to me if I tell you about this, because I’d lose your and even my very self” (Marie de France, 53-56). He is unselfish and true, two major characteristics of true and loyal love in medieval literature. Bisclavret tells his wife where he goes and what his weakness is, even though he knows it will cost him everything. He is willing, however, because he is a man that values virtue and loyalty above pain. This is directly opposite of his wife’s love, a love that is only focused on his topical appearance. Even though Bisclavret’s wife was in love with him, and Bisclavret never harmed her in anyway, prior to her learning out where he went for a few days per week. She abandons and betrays him in the most brutal fashion in order to protect her courtly appearance, not wanting to risk her image by being married to a werewolf, even though his love is true.
The wife and her new husband are two selfish people that are irresponsible and unfaithful.

They are driven by their own sexual and bestial desires, except for the instances in which they are in control and using them for personal gain. “she kept asking him, coaxed and flattered him so much, that he finally told her what happened to him ---- he hid nothing from her” (Marie de France, 59-62). Often times in medieval texts the reader must read in between the lines, for example, in this case the wife’s flattering was likely implied to mean that she was using her body to seduce/convince Bisclavret. This point is reinforced later in the passage when Marie de France writes, “He tore the nose off her face. What worse thing could he have done to her?” (235-236). Bisclavrets revenge is so detrimental to his wife because he takes the trait most precious to her, the bestial ability to tempt men with her body. He gives her a taste of her own medicine by eternally forcing her to face her vanity. The wife and her suitor are not the only characters who have an animalistic side, however, and Bisclavret is literally trapped in the form of an animal for years. The way he handles himself, however, is in stark contrast when compared to his counterparts. (does this sentence sound weird?). Bisclavret is deeply ashamed of his animalistic side and has the decency to try and hide this side of himself, even from the people he loves most dearly. This is vastly different then the actions of his counterparts. Who, immediately caved to their sexual desires. Bisclavret is, in fact, so ashamed of his curse that when given the chance to turn back into a human, after years of torment, he waits for privacy as to not be unseemly in front of his loving king. “My lord, you’re not doing it right. This beast wouldn’t, under any circumstances, in order to get rid of his animal form, put on his clothes in front of you; you don’t understand what this means: he’s just too ashamed to do it here” (Marie de

France, 283-288). The previous quote reinforces the fact that Bisclavret is a virtuous man who would not risk losing the love of his king by shaming himself in his presence.
Not all true medieval love has to exist between a man and a woman. One such type, that goes widely unacknowledged, is the love that ripens between men. Not specifically intimately or sexually, but emotionally instead. The love between men is based in loyalty and trust, not the vain concept of image. The strongest relationships are based in true love, the love between knights, otherwise known chivalry, is an example. The men develop a sense of trust and fealty to each other, a bond of brotherhood that surpasses any concept of image or beauty society might enforce. When the king realizes that Bisclavret is truly the knight he has mourned, and not a monster, he is overwhelmed with emotion, “The king ran to embrace him. He hugged and kissed him again and again. As soon as he had the chance, the king gave him back all his lands; he gave him more than I can tell” (Marie de France, 300-304). The king is so happy to have his bond with Bisclavret returned to him he showers him in love, a love that none can truly understand except for the party involved. Marie de France hints at this by including the lines “gave him more than I can tell”. Although the love between men is as true as any, it does not come without faults and is tainted in this lay by Bisclavrets animalistic need for revenge. In Emma Campbell’s article, Political Animals: Human/Animal Life in Bisclavret and Yonec, she writes, “The combined actions of both king and werewolf thus reduce the lady to a life considered less than human while not being entirely human.” The king and Bisclavret share a true love, yet are still overcome by their own animalistic desire to achieve their revenge by torturing and defacing the wife. Trapping her in a state of limbo between beast and human for the rest of her and her kin’s life, proving that even true love cannot always be perfect.
In medieval text, true love is portrayed in many different ways. However, in Marie de France’s lay, Bisclavret, true love is represented by the truth beneath appearances. It is depicted by values such as loyalty and modesty. Whereas untrue love, such as the love Bisclavret’s wife shows him, is based on the vanities of appearance and selfishness.