The Role Of Violence In Marie De France's Lais

Violence plays a major part in Marie de France’s lais. Violence is used regularly in the lais by cuckholded, jealous husbands and controlling fathers to assert their dominance and power so that they are able to control their wives and daughters and prove their authority. Moreover, it is used as a punishment, a way of getting revenge and seeking ‘justice’ for adulterous behaviour and also often employed by potential suitors as a way of proving their strength and worth. We can see that the role of violence has a great importance in the Marie de France’s lais and often comes in-between love, sex and relationships. In this essay I will explore the ways in which Marie de France presents violence, it’s victims and the impact it has on the characters,

their relationships and lives.

Firstly, in many of the lais violence is used as method of asserting dominance and power in order to control, prove authority and ‘ownership’. Many controlling fathers and husbands who are afraid that they will be cuckholded by their wives have a cruel, mean and jealous nature which leads them to committing violent acts so that they are able to remain powerful and in control of their daughters and wives. As (Whalen 2011: 138) explains ‘Men can use their authority to get what they want from women and then discard them’.
For example, Marie de France presents violent, savage and cruel behaviour in Yonec as the husband has his beautiful wife locked away in a tower guarded by his old, widowed sister as he is afraid to lose her to another man. She is alone and isolated from the world alienated and afraid of her husband. Later in the lai she is afraid that if she goes back to her husband after he has discovered the truth about her secret lover he will kill her (Micha 1994) ’S’a lui revios, il me ocira’ showing a great lack of female empowerment and how the wife is a victim of his violent and cruel nature. Furthermore, the line ‘De la pité, de la dolur, Que cil suffrirent pur amur.’ (Micha 1994) shows the pain and suffering that the wife and hawk / man have gone through for love as a result of the violent and mean behaviour of her husband.
Another lai which shows violence being used to assert dominance and power is Les Deus Amanz.

The father, after losing his wife, has his beautiful daughter locked away in a tower which she cannot leave to supposedly to ‘protect her’ when really it is to assert his dominance and prove his ownership and control of his daughter.

Similarly, in Guigemar, the old kings has his beautiful wife imprisoned. Later in the lai she is given a kind of chastity belt by Guigemar her secret lover. Despite the fact that this is not a violent or cruel act it still has the same theme of a man proving authority and ownership over a woman.

However, in Equitan we see the opposite as it is the woman who uses violence as a method of control and a way of taking charge of her situation as she plots to kill her husband by running a bath of boiling water to scald her husband to death ‘Sun bain si chaut e si buillant’ (Micha 1994) showing not only a mean, nasty nature but also female empowerment as she is the one to take initiative and devise a plan in order to get what she wants. Although, in this case she uses violence in a more subtle way as she knows that she is not physically stronger than her husband so must come up with a different

plan.

Furthermore,we can see that in many of the lais violence is used as a punishment for adultery, deception, betrayal and lies. ‘Love is often under threat from distance, violence, jealously and infidelity, hence deception and trickery have a major role in Marie’s plot. The lovers risk discovery.’ (Spencer-Hall 2014) Betrayed, humiliated and angry cuckholded men seek ‘justice’ through violent and cruel behaviour. As (Guthrie 1976: 23) states ‘The lais characters who do not control their desires are condemned’ and are ‘cruelly punished for their lack of self control and for adultery which is unwarranted’
For example, in Bisclaveret the wife promises to be loyal and keep her husband’s secret but instead she betrays him and marries her lover. Angered by this her husband brutally attacks her and her lover and bites off her nose. (Micha 1994)

‘Quant Bisclavret la veit venir,
Nul hum nel poeit retenir;
Vers li curut cum enragiez.
Oiez cum il est bien vengiez!
Le neis li esracha del vis.’

This violent, savage attack serves as her punishment for her deception and lies.
Moreover, in Yonec we learn that the husband sets a trap of sharp razors to kill the hawk/man who is he suspects his wife’s secret lover and therefore the reason for her new found happiness. This trap leaves a trail of blood showing the damage, pain and suffering that violence can cause.
A final example of violence being used as a punishment is in L’aüstic. The wife is a ‘victim of her husband’s violence’ (McClintock 2008: 2). Her husband; worried and suspicious about his wife’s regular disappearance from their bed, demands to know why. His wife is smart and makes up an excuse saying it is the nightingale’s song that she likes to get up for and listen to when in fact the real reason is her neighbour, the knight that she likes to get up for. To get his revenge her husband traps the bird ‘J’ai le l’aüstic englué’ (Micha 1994) and snaps it’s neck in front of her, then he proceeds to throw the dead bird at her body. (Micha 1994)

‘Le col li rumpt a ses deus meins –
De ceo fist il que trop vileins –
Sur la dame le cors geta,
Se que sun chains ensanglanta’

This leaves blood stains on her dress. He says he kills the bird so that she can sleep better at night but really it is so that she has no reason to leave their martial bed. As (McClintock 2008: 11) suggests the nightingale is not only her excuse but it symbolises her and the knight’s secret shared love together and that the violent, brutal killing of the bird is really what the angry, jealous husband would like to do to his wife and her lover the knight. Furthermore, the blood ‘stain on her dress stands for the stain on his honour that is not rectified’ (McClintock 2008: 12) We can see the husband’s suspicion, jealousy and aggression leads him to seek his violent revenge as a way of dealing with his anger and humiliation at being cuckholded.

Finally, we see violence used by potential suitors to prove their strength and worth to the woman they are trying to impress.

In Chaitivel, there is a violent and brutal tournament between four suitors as they compete against each other for the love and affection of a beautiful woman. However, the tournament ends with three out of four of the suitors being accidentally killed and only one survives but he is left severely injured. ‘La grant peine k'il en suffreient
De l'amur qu'il vers vus aveient’ (Micha 1994).So we learn that as a result of the violent fight the remaining suitor is terribly wounded and the woman has lost three men that she loved. Therefore, the violent battle ends in tragedy for all of the characters showing the great damage and destruction that violence can

cause.

In conclusion, through examining Marie de France’s lais we can see that the role of violence has a great importance as it used not only by controlling fathers and suspicious husbands to assert and prove dominance, authority, ownership and power but it is also used to punish and seek revenge as a way of getting ‘justice’ for adulterous behaviour, deception and lies and finally we can see violence is used as a way of proving strength and worth. Marie de France also presents the damaging, emotional and physical effects this violent behaviour can have on the characters, their lives and their relationships showing its great impact.