Introduction
The Lees of Marie de France is a series of twelve short narratives about the Breton barks of the poet Marie de France. They were probably created in the late 12th century. The short, narrative poems emphasize the glorification of the notion of courtly love by the adventures of their protagonists (Sell, 2021). Although the original text was composed in French, it was later translated into Anglo-Saxon by monks. Some additions and changes may have been made in the translation process. Little is known of Marie’s life; “there is evidence that she was interested in ancient folk tales of various genres and ancient legends of miracles, using their plots for her works” (Sell, 2021). Lee, which tells of the werewolf Bisclavret with the vivid flavor of a traditional Breton tale, may have been one of these stories. Through the storyline of the lycanthrope Bisclavret and his unfaithful wife, this narrative conveys the essence of excluding external things from societies. The main character in the narrative is a noble baron from Brittany named Bisclauret, who would hide in the woods every week for three days, with no one knowing where he was going. The Baron’s wife was overcome by curiosity about these disappearances. “She began to beg her husband to tell her where he was going and what he was doing” (Burgess, 2018). Bisclavret admitted that he was a werewolf and went hunting in the woods in the guise of a wolf, leaving his clothes on the edge of the forest. Without these clothes, he could not regain his human form. Bisclavret’s wife was unfaithful to him and had a secret lover – a local knight. Having grasped the mystery, they followed the Baron into the forest. When Bisclavret threw off his clothes and took the form of a wolf, they picked up the scattered pieces of his clothing and returned with them to the castle. The unfaithful wife announced to everyone that the Baron must have been killed; after that, she and her lover were married and took possession of Bisclavret’s lands.
Main body
From the first part of the story, one can learn how the people of that world fended off an unnatural, non-human being. There are several meanings to the act of the wife and her lover, one of which is to deny and exclude the hostile act, namely adultery. “The wife would not have to justify her infidelity and incur society’s censure by getting rid of her husband” (Sell, 2021). Moreover, it would be much easier for society to accept the Baron’s death than accept this family’s adultery. This is the exclusion of specific negative emotions that are not convenient to society. One could say that the wife’s main motive was to get rid of negative and unacceptable emotions by getting rid of her husband. An additional motivation for the wife’s act can undoubtedly be considered excluding those “middle” things from society – animals, plants, monsters, and fairy tale characters. Her husband was just one of those, and the first thing that came to her mind after his secret was revealed was the need to get rid of him. Such exclusion could be considered “natural suspicion and people’s aversion to things they do not understand” (Sell, 2021). In this context, one can also draw a parallel with today’s actual society. People do similar things – they shut themselves off from things that confuse them.
Returning to the story, sometime later, the king and his retinue were hunting in the woods, and the hounds managed to chase a wolf. Recognizing the monarch by sight, Bisclavret, the wolf, “ran up to grab hold of his stirrup and kiss his feet – to the amazement of all present” (Burgess, 2018). The king called off his hounds and took the wolf with him to the palace as a pet. The wolf proved to be so gentle in temper and kind that it became everyone’s pet. However, when the knight who had married his wife showed up at court, Bisclavret attacked him. A wise nobleman declared that such an action was quite out of character for the beast and that the knight had somehow provoked him. Soon after, the king paid a visit to Bisclavret’s wife, who greeted him warmly, but the wolf, who had been with the king, “attacked the woman and bit off her nose” (Burgess, 2018). This aroused new suspicions, and the king ordered the knight and his wife to be interrogated. The woman immediately confessed to everything and showed Bisclavret’s clothes. Then Bisclavret assumed his human form again. The monarch restored him to his lands and banished the traitorous knight and unfaithful wife.
In the second part of the story, one can already observe a different attitude regarding external culture – acceptance. Bisclavret was allowed to get good treatment at court and was respected. At the same time, Bisclavret was listened to, as in the case of the knight and his wife, despite his distinct appearance. However, the exclusion of certain negative emotions was not overshadowed. There is another telling moment in this part of the piece: the expulsion of the knight and his wife. “Both of them were banished for being unfaithful to the Baron” (Sell, 2021). This can also be seen in the context of dealing with certain negative phenomena, such as betrayal. Society is still fending them off, but now this action is given a positive color. By expelling the knight and his wife, it is as if society restores justice and shows that such people have no place in it. Similarly, society’s struggle with the destructive influence of negative actions is revealed in work. This occurs “radically, as in most fairy tales – banishment or execution” (Sell, 2021). The fact is that the fairytale narrative most often contains a direct meaning without a hidden subtext, and such works cannot afford to demonstrate the step-by-step battle of society against unsanctioned phenomena. In this work, the limits of what is permissible for the world being described are strict- unusual creatures can only be accepted if they are benevolent, and the violation of moral foundations is punished radically.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this story, which may seem very linear at first glance, tells the viewer about the methods of excluding unacceptable objects from society. In addition, it also sheds light on the “radical methods of dealing with unacceptable phenomena” (Sell, 2021) that are also practiced in contemporary communities. It is clear from this work that if one does not give something unusual a chance but mistreats it right away, he can make a mistake by considering it to be evil. “Rather than being the villain of the lay—an epithet reserved for Bisclavret’s wife—the lycanthrope is a positive figure, one that is rewarded for his nobility and humanity in both of his forms” (Sell, 2021). The work teaches modern society not to practice the methods of this tale and not to act too radically for selfish ends. Indeed, the deception will come to light sooner or later, and a public court will decide what boundaries what is acceptable to set and how to punish them for breaking them.
References
Burgess, G. (2018). Marie de France, Bisclavret. In A. Mittman & M. Hensel (Ed.), Primary sources on monsters: Demonstrare (pp. 89-92). Amsterdam University Press. Web.
Sell, C. B. (2021). The duality of a monster: The human-wolf dynamic of the sympathetic werewolf in Marie de France’s Bisclavret. International review of literary studies, 2(1), 1-10. Web.