Analysis Of Bisclavret By Marie De France

Marie de France wrote “Bisclavret” in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The name Bisclavret means werewolf. When a person thinks of the word werewolf, the thought of fairy tales and horror stories may come to mind. “Bisclavret” is neither one of those types of literature. Marie de France utilizes a werewolf in her poem to symbolize a beastly or aggressive side of humans. “Bisclavret” is interesting as it has numerous layers and messages within the narrative. One message the poem demonstrates is the struggles one may have with an outer or inner beast and their ability to control it. The poem is about the life of Bisclavret and the struggle he has with his outer beast, the werewolf. Marie de France writes in the beginning of her …show more content…
She becomes the uncivilized one and is the actual beast in the poem. Marie de France describes her as “one of lovely appearance” (22). Her outward appearance makes her seem to be civilized. Nevertheless, she demonstrates her inner beast by betraying her husband. She believes Bisclavret’s disappearance is related to him being unfaithful to her, but when he tells her the truth about how he transforms, she immediately contemplates ways to get rid of him. She despises his appearance and considers it an embarrassment to her. She learns that his clothes are the trigger to his transformation and begs him to tell her where he hides his clothes. She says, “Tell me, then, for God’s sake, where your clothes are” (de France, 71). This is where Bisclavret shows much love and loyalty to his wife, yet she still betrays him. Her love is conditional and based on selfishness instead of loyalty to her husband. She only thinks of herself and shows no concern for her husband. Once she discovers his secret, she takes advantage of her appearance and body to offer herself to another knight with the condition he will steal Bisclavret’s clothes, dooming him to be a werewolf forever. After some time passes, the king discovers the truth concerning her actions and punishes her and the knight, whom she has married, with banishment. She has already lost her nose during an altercation with Bisclavret and later she has daughters born without noses. She is obsessed with physical appearances; therefore, living without a nose and viewing her children serves as a reminder of her wrongdoing. Even though she is not the one who physically changes into a beast, she is the one that acts as such with no remorse or respect for