Marie de france
Since nearly the beginning of time, adultery has been thought of as morally 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 "Lais" written by Marie de France, we are given insight into the inner workings of five adulterous affairs, six pre-marital sexual encounters, 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. In fact, she seems to separate her lays into two categories. The first category consists of extenuating circumstances in which the reader is made (allowed) to feel empathy and compassion for the couple such as in "Yonec" and "Lanval." The second category however seems to combine the ideas of sympathy and disdain. In this category belong only the lais of "Bisclaveret" and "Equitan." Although the lais focus entirely on sex outside of marriage, the affairs that take place in these poems were often rewarded with various prizes that included children, wealth, healing, and loving marriages.In the first lai, "Yonec" tells the seeming tragic tale of a beautiful young woman wh
In this story, the wronged man gains revenge. At the close of this poem, we feel that justice has been served and we are left feeling both happy and satisfied. Any sympathy we might have felt for this couple is immediately removed once ill will is plotted towards the husband. The king demands that she bring him his clothes and he is transformed into a man again. Is better than you are, Lady Queen" (106-108), is proven and shortly after this, his lover appears. His mother dies when revealing the truth to Yonec, her son, and in turn, Yonec cuts off his stepfather's head with his true father's sword. When Lanval hears this, "Love pricks him, strikes in him the spark" (49). They are not married and therefore should not be together in such an intimate way, but that thought does not seem to cross our minds until much later. This lai is unlike the other lais in that we feel sympathy not for the woman who is having the affair, but for the husband. In this poem, a young knight who serves in King Author's court, is frequently overlooked and not rewarded for his service. The lai continues when we learn that the Lanval must never tell of his lady or she will leave him. Perhaps it is the idea that such powerful and pure love exists that allows us to put aside our moral and values if only for a minute to accept the affairs that occur in these poems.
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Acceptance Essays
