Hannah Haynes
ENGL 2111/ MW 11:00
3/23/2015
“Finding Love in The Lais”
What is Love?
Love is a mysterious thing. I’m sure it’s been around since the beginning of time itself,
but we as humans have given love so many definitions that it can be hard to discern what love
truly is. We have even divided love into different categories, because it is believed to be such a
broad subject. The Greeks founded six different types of love: Agape, Storge, Philia, Eros,
Ludus, Pragma, and Philautia. Also as shown in the academic journal, “What is the Point of
Love?” the subject of love is being constantly debated. Carolyn Price, the author, expresses her
opinion that “love is based on emotional attitude,” instead of personal relationships. Obviously,
love has proved to be a complicated subject to grasp.
Taking a look through history, we also see a huge difference in the way that love has
been expressed. Even in recent decades our expression of love has dramatically changed. We
would rather shoot a quick “I love you” text than actually spend time with the ones we love. It
seems to me that love was better expressed back before everyone became too busy with work,
meetings, and appointments. Back during the Middle Ages, before the distractions of technology
were made available, there were knights who expressed their love through
chivalry, something otherwise known as courtly love.
Courtly love was expressed during the Middle Ages, usually by a knight
or some other nobleman, who was “in love with a married woman of equally
high birth or often, higher rank.” The knight “had to prove his devotion by heroic
deeds and by amorous writings presented anonymously to his beloved” (“Courtly Love”). The
fact that knights would stop everything they were doing just to prove their love to someone that
was already married shows how much love and happiness meant to them.
Courtly love, chivalry, and knighthood all go hand in hand. Chivalry is basically a code
of conduct that most knights in the Middle Ages lived by. Besides showing their romantic side,
knights were expected to show courage, honor, and respect to others, especially the weak. This
was just another way for knights to express love, and this expression of love can be seen best in
“The Lais of Marie de France”.
What is Love’s Effect on Humans?
The Lay of Guigemar
The Lay of Guigemar tells the story of Guigemar, the
knight “who loves no lady.” That is, until he is cursed by a
magical fallen doe with no hope for relief from his pain,
unless “he finds a woman who will suffer as never woman
has before and for whom he will suffer as well” (Barban).
Then he falls asleep on a magical boat and is carried away to
another kingdom, where there is a young queen locked in a
tower by her overprotective husband. They eventually fall in
love, and Guigemar is exiled to another island. Before they are separated they pledge their love
to each other by tying a knot in each other’s clothing, one that only their beloved can unfasten.
Eventually, they find their way back to each other, and Guigemar fights to win back his beloved
in the end.
This lay exemplifies true love because Guigemar risked everything to prove his love for
the young queen. He could have been easily killed by the overprotective husband, and he could
have just as easily given up on the queen and reverted back to his old ways. His love for the
queen was so strong that he was willing to make a pledge to stay faithful to her, and she did the
same for him. Their love for each other affected them both pretty powerfully. I have a feeling
that someone observing their relationship from the outside would use the expression “love is
blind” to justify the couple’s actions. It’s obvious that most strangers wouldn’t risk their lives or
wait so long to be with someone they just met, but love usually has that “risk it all” effect on us
humans.
The Lay of Sir Launfal
Sir Launfal is a knight of King Arthur’s infamous Round
Table, but on the day of Pentecost Arthur rewards all other
knights except for Launfal. After the banquet, Launfal wanders
down to a stream to sleep where two maidens summon him to
visit their mistress. Launfal finds the mistress to be the most
beautiful thing he has ever seen. She promises him her love and
all the riches he could ever dream of provided he keep her a
secret.
Later, the queen appeals to Sir Launfal for his love, but he
refuses her saying, “his love is richer than any other and that the
meanest of his love’s maidens excels the queen in goodness and
beauty” (Barban). This obviously upsets the queen, and she tells King Arthur about Launfal’s
degrading comment. After losing contact with his fair maiden, Launfal ia forced to court by
Arthur to prove his radical statement toward the queen. In an unexpected turn of events, the fair
maiden arrives at the court just in time to save Launfal and ride away with him to a place
unknown.
Sir Launfal’s story is very similar to the lay of Guigemar. Both knights fall in love and
risk a lot for their loved ones. Launfal was on the brink of execution when his fair maiden
showed up and saved the day. Even with the threat of execution looming over his head Launfal
never faltered on his statement about his beloved. He was willing to die for her sake. This
selfless act is yet another example of the profound effect that love can have on humans.
The Lay of Bisclavret
Bisclavret, yet another knight, is hiding a secret from his wife. He leaves home three
times a week, and she is growing suspicious. After much insistence, Bisclavret finally reveals
that he is a werewolf. He also tells his wife that “he hides his clothing in a hollow stone near a
chapel and that if he were to lose his clothing he would not be able to return to a man’s shape”
(Barban). She later uses this secret against him when
she asks another love-struck knight to steal
Bisclavret’s clothing.
After Bisclavret “disappears,” his wife
marries the love-struck knight. A year later,
Bisclavret (the werewolf) bonds with the king of the
land while hunting in the woods. The king claims
Bisclavret as a pet and carries him back to his kingdom. Bisclavret proves to be a tame and wellbehaved pet until his former wife and her new husband visit the king’s court. He reacts viciously
by attacking his rival’s throat and biting off his ex-wife’s nose. His punishment ensues, but
someone points out that Bisclavret has only attacked this particular man and woman. The king’s
curiosity piques, and he decides to question the knight and his wife. The wife eventually
confesses, and Bisclavret finally receives his clothing again, turning him back into a man.
The lay of Bisclavret does not exemplify romantic love like the lais of Guigemar and Sir
Launfal. Instead, it expresses true brotherly love. The king and Bisclavret shared a strong,
unbreakable bond. While in his werewolf form, Bisclavret became the king’s companion,
accompanying him on hunting trips and following him around. The king also showed his love
towards Bisclavret by discovering his secret and ultimately helping him change back into human
form. In the end, Bisclavret did not have a beautiful maiden to ride away with on horseback, but
he did achieve a loyal companion who loved him like a brother.
So exactly what is love? And how does it affect humans? As illustrated from “The Lais of
Marie de France,” love is selfless yet caring, strong and enduring. After studying the love shown
in these lais, I believe that Price’s opinion on love is somewhat flawed. Instead, I found myself
leaning towards the opinion of Niko Kolodny. He “emphasizes the connection between love and
personal relationships” (Price). Each of the knights in these stories obtain personal relationships
with the ones they love. The connection between love and personal relationships is seen most
clearly in the story of Bisclavret where the king and Bisclavret share a strong brotherly love. The
effect of love is also clearly seen because each relationship grows stronger as a result of what
was endured.
Love is often referred to as an emotion feeling, but it is so much more than that. It’s a
hard thing to describe, but it can be seen in the way that Guigemar fights to find his beloved and
the way that Sir Launfal refuses to disclaim his fair maiden’s beauty. It can even be seen by the
way the king embraces Bisclavret like a long-lost friend after changing back into the form of a
human. Each couple had to grow together in order to achieve such a selfless love, and love that is
selfless can endure anything.