Response Paper 04 Lais Of Marie De F

Submitted By Jeff-Shelton
Words: 320
Pages: 2

Jeffrey Shelton
C LIT 300
10/18/02

Reading Response #4 – The Lais of Marie de France

In reading the Lais “Yonec” I was amazed once again at the nature in which love was manifested within the story. It is stated within the text “he loved her greatly on account of her beauty.” It seems more and more prevalent as I read more and more of Marie’s Lais that physical beauty and lust within a relationship can be seen as grounds for what is commonly called love. The basis of my quandary with the story encompasses the fact that physical beauty which is equated with love. It seems ironic that Yonec takes the bodily form of a hawk when love seems to be based around physical perfection and external beauty. What proved troublesome to me within the Lais was the sense of desperation which fueled the lady’s love for the knight. It seemed pitiful that someone would love a person who takes on a bestial presence solely because they feel sorrow on behalf of her current husband.
In my personal opinion within “Yonec” love is merely a term thrown around which does not hold much emotional merit. I have taken into account that these Lais are composed mostly around a fantasy premise but they nevertheless hold undertones of morals that should be implied towards its readers. A phrase that goes along with the pattern in which love is portrayed lies within “I have loved you for a long time and desired you greatly in my heart.” This line relays Yonec’s love is based on psychological ideology