A Betrayal, A Tragedy, or A Warning to Women? The Lais of The Werewolf, Bisclavret - A REVIEW

A review of The Lais of The Werewolf Bisclavret in The Lais of Marie de France by EC Garrett. Completed for a graduate level English Class on the History of Romance (ENG 5533). Spring 2025.

“‘Question the lady to see if she will tell you why the beast hates her. Make her tell you, if she knows! We have witnessed many marvels happening in Brittany.’ [219-60] The King accepted his advice. Holding the knight, he took the lady away and subjected her to torture. Pain and fear combined made her reveal everything about her husband: how she had betrayed him and taken his clothes, about his account of what happened, what became of him and where he went.” (de France, pg. 70-71)

CRITICAL INQUIRY:

The Lais of Bisclavret is a concerning and frightening story. Is it a romance, a tragedy, or is it a warning to the women of Marie de France’s time about obeying their Lord and Lord Husband?

DISCUSSION:

In the passage above, which occurs at the end of Lais IV, the King is advised to torture Bisclavret’s wife to find out what she knows. It could be argued that the wife deserved this; as it was she who both pushed Bisclavret to divulge the truth about his identity, and then who betrayed him, stealing his clothes and manipulating a Knight who loved her as her agent in this betrayal.

At first glance, the wife is the villain of this story, and the romance seems to be about Bisclavret and his undying love of his Lord. The wife betrays her husband, convincing a Knight who has been in love with her for a long time to steal her husband’s clothes, leaving him unable to change back into human form. However, when we take into consideration that the author of these Lais was a woman, it makes me think further about the truth and meaning of the wife’s betrayal.

Is this Lais a warning to women about what happens when they do not listen to their husband? A part of me ended this Lais feeling as if de France was potentially telling a warning story about how women of the time needed to heed both their Lord and their Lord husband. The wife ends up horribly disfigured after the beast attacks her and rips off her nose, and that disfiguration is also inherited by her children. Just after the attack and revelation, the wife is tortured through “pain and fear.” (de France, pg. 71-72). At first glance, we might want to demonize the wife. For she betrayed her husband. The question is, does this betrayal come from a place of legitimate fear? The wife has just learned that her husband is a werewolf. While we do not know necessarily how much the wife knows about werewolves prior to the tale of this Lais, we do know that she probably feared for her life; that much is clear. Whether or not the wife is the true villain of this story remains unclear. What is often the most obvious answer is not always the truth. A part of me leaves this Lais feeling like Marie was issuing a dire warning to ladies of the time; do not disobey or question your husband. Do not betray him, because if you do, regardless of the legitimacy of the line of questioning, you will get hurt in the process.

WORKS CITED:

de France, Marie. The Lais of Marie de France. Translated by Glyn S Burgess and Keith Busby, London, Penguin Books Ltd, 1999. Lais IV: Bisclavret, pp 68-72. Kindle Edition.

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This was the first Critical Analysis I wrote in the semester of Spring 2025, so the comments are open to all readers. On most posts, comments are only available for paid subscribers.

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