Analysis Of The Poem Lanval By Marie De France

In Marie De France’s poem â€Å"Lanval†, the knight Lanval faces immense cultural pressure to get married and have a male heir, as it is the norm in King Arthur’s kingdom. It may appear that â€Å"Lanval† is supporting the concept of the institution of marriage, as the story had a heavy focus on marriage, and the court nearly punished Lanval for rejecting Guinevere. On the surface, the poem could easily mislead the reader to believe this is the case, but without further analysis, the reader may miss the courting that the mystery-lady has provided Lanval, which prove why the text critiques the establishment of marriage, as her courting is very much of the inverse of a typical heterosexual relationship in the culture. This misunderstanding can be†¦show more content†¦This is significant because her pursuit signifies initiative, which is a sign of confidence. However, she also does not unconditionally offer her love. The fact that she requires that L anval be â€Å"worthy and courtly† indicates a sense of self-worth. Finally, in her offer, she does not mention any concrete details of what she would do for Lanval, let alone drop anything of her life for his interests, which suggests that although she will love him, she will not let him rule her life (another indicator of her self- worth). This behavior is quite powerful, as the her confidence and self preservation prove that she is a dominant type of individual. On the other hand, Lanval promises the mysterious lady that he would let the lady take control of his life, and therefore he is weak in his own character. On page 74, Lanval states that â€Å"Fair lady, if it were to please you to grant me the joy of wanting to love me, you could ask for nothing that I would not do as best I could, be it foolish or wise. I shall do as you bid and abandon all others for you.† In other words, Lanval is offering to do anything to just have her to want to love him. When he state s that he would do anything she asks, â€Å"be it foolish or wise†, he essentially announces that he would do anything for the woman with reckless abandon. He, therefore, denies the ability to tell the lady â€Å"no†. His reckless abandon reveals that he does not value himself, which demonstratesShow MoreRelatedThe Noble Chivalric Code And The Middle Class1489 Words   |  6 Pageschange (Leffert).† Marie De France wrote â€Å"Lanval†, a lay, in 12th century A.D., which was during the Anglo-Norman period. â€Å"The lais combined realistic and fairy-tale elements, and their author was skillful in the analysis of love problems and often showed a keen interest in contemporary life (Legge).† Feudalism, the exchange of land for food and money, was extremely prevalent during the reign of Henry II. The way the French/English division of class operated heavily influenced De France as she wrote thisRead MoreStatement of Purpose23848 Words   |  96 Pages fascinates me and attracts me to the Environmental Studies Program. Two courses in my geography department increased my interest in the connection between the environment and economics: Conservation of Underdeveloped Countries and Environmental Impact Analysis. In the former, we studied the problems of natural resource management in developing countries. The balance is always tilted toward economic growth at the expense of environmental preservation. For example, because the Pantanal Wetland could become