Lanval And The Wife Of Bath Literary Analysis

Fame is something that almost every human that has walked this earth has desired at some point in their life. While the thought of fame and all that comes with it is very desirable, if someone had the choice between private happiness and public fame which would they choose? In the stories of Lanval and the Wife of Bath, both of these men are forced to make this life altering decision. Fame, in the times of these tales, can be summed up by having a beautiful wife, wealth or marrying into a wealthy family, and being a noble knight to the King you honor. The men in these two stories make very similar decisions regarding their choices of public fame or private happiness, but the situations in which they are forced to make this decision differ immensely. In Marie de France’s “Lais”, the story of Lanval is …show more content…
Public fame in both of these stories is displayed as something very desirable, rewarding, and valuable. While the thought of fame and all that comes with it is all of those things, if someone had the choice between private happiness and public fame which would they choose? In the stories of Lanval and the Wife of Bath, both of these men come to the conclusion of private happiness over public fame. The men in these two stories make very similar decisions regarding their choices of public fame or private happiness, but the situations in which they are forced to make this decision differ immensely. While both of the men make this decision with their heart, only Lanval makes it for the right reason: love. The knight in the Wife of Bath’s tale does grow to love his maiden, but only after she becomes beautiful because he let her have the power to make the decision. All in all, both of these men made wise choices when it comes to private happiness over public fame, even though their decisions might not necessarily be popular. But, after all, fame and money can’t buy you