Compare And Contrast Equitan And Bisclavret

Bad Women Following “good women”, the second category of women Marie introduces is “Bad Women.” These women are seen in Marie’s Lais, “Equitan” and “Bisclavret.” These women are initially seen as courtly women but soon turn deceitful, unrestrained and fickle with their love. Unlike the prior women introduced, these married women are vilified for their adulterous deceit. Through her inclusion of “evil women” Marie challenges gender roles, critique of chivalric values, and expresses the importance of moderation. Challenging Gender Roles “Equitan” and “Bisclavret,” breaks the gender stereotypes though the use of gender reversals to present women as characters who are also capable of strength. Marie’s writing allows for women to be seen as more powerful than the image of feebleness construed in other courtly myths of her time. Both Lais contain the notion of gender reversals as the women attempt to assert dominance over their male counterpart. In “Bisclavret,” the woman adopts a courtly lover demeanor and attempts to control her lover by getting him to reveal his secret. She states, “I have such a fear of …show more content…
At the start of the lay, Marie introduces the woman “to bring about great misfortune to the land”(56). Since she causes the early death of Equitan, the king, the woman does bring about misfortune. However, her power is only made possible through Equitan’s subversion of his cherished chivalric values. For instance, Marie describes Equitan as a “most courtly man” who “enjoyed a fine reputation…was greatly loved in his land… [and] adored pleasure and amorous dalliance” (56). In this line it is evident Equitan believes himself and is seen as a chivalrous man. Still, inconsistencies in his courtliness arise as he begins to engage in an adulterous affair. He violates the code of loyalty as he deceives his loyal seneschal and sleeps with his