Guigemar
Encyclopedia
"Guigemar" is a Breton lai
, a type of narrative poem, written by Marie de France
during the 12th century. The poem belongs to the collection known as The Lais of Marie de France
. Like the other lais in the collection, Guigemar is written in the Anglo-Norman language
, a dialect of Old French
, in rhyming octosyllabic couplets.
"Guigemar" is one of the works in which the author explicitly gives her name as "Marie." In the prologue of this lai, she proclaims two goals for her work: to give rightful praise to people who have earned it, despite what envious rivals may have said; and to present the stories behind certain songs that were well-known at the time. It has been suggested that the prologue to "Guigemar" predates the overall prologue to the Lais in the Harley 978 manuscript, the only manuscript that records all twelve of Marie's known lais.
, is a courageous and wise knight, who despite his many qualities, has been unable to feel romantic love
. One day, on a hunting expedition, he mortally wounds a white doe, but he is injured as well. Before dying, the deer speaks to him, leaving a curse that his wound can only be healed by a woman who will suffer for love of him, and he will suffer as much for her.
Guigemar wanders through the forest until he finds a river and a lavishly decorated boat with no crew. He boards it and lies down in pain. When he gets back up, he realises that the boat has left port and that he is unable to control where it takes him.
The boat takes him to a land where the king has imprisoned his wife out of jealousy. The queen is permitted to see only two other people: a servant who has become her confidante, and an elderly priest. The only part of her prison that is not walled off is a garden, surrounded by the sea. The boat carrying Guigemar docks near the garden. The queen and her servant tend to the knight's wound and shelter him within their gilded cage. Guigemar and the queen fall in love almost immediately, but they are each uncertain if their feelings are mutual. The knight confides his feelings to the servant, who arranges a secret meeting with the queen. Once the queen is convinced of the sincerity of Guigemar's motives, they consummate their love. Their year and a half of bliss is ended when the king's chamberlain discovers them together. The king forces Guigemar to return to his own country. As signs of their fidelity to one another, the queen ties a knot in his shirt that only she can untie without tearing or cutting, and he gives her a belt tied with a knot that only he can untie (possible chastity belt
?).
Guigemar is hailed as a hero in his own country, but he can only think of his distant love. Meanwhile, the king imprisons the queen within a marble tower. After two years of captivity, she has become very depressed out of her longing for Guigemar. She manages to escape the tower and considers drowning herself in the nearby sea. She then spots the same mysterious ship that had carried Guigemar long ago, and she decides to board it. The ship brings her to Brittany, where she is taken captive by the Lord Mériaduc. He falls madly in love with her and tries to rape her, but the chastity belt prevents his attempt.
Later on, Lord Mériaduc holds a jousting tournament, which Guigemar attends. Knowing that Guigemar wears a shirt with a knot that only his true love can untie, and that the Queen wears a chastity belt that only her true love can untie, Lord Mériaduc summons the Queen to meet Guigemar, suspecting the two are connected. Guigemar does not recognize the queen, so as to test her identity, he allows her to try to unravel the knotted shirt that she had given him years ago. Although she succeeds, Guigemar still refuses to accept her identity until she reveals the chastity belt. She then tells him of her sorrowful journey. Mériaduc attempts to keep the queen under his control, but is thwarted and eventually killed by Guigemar.
, the goddess of love, throwing Ovid
's Remedia Amoris
into a fire. This work by the Roman
poet Ovid counsels readers how to avoid being swept away by love.
shows influence of this work, and indeed the scenes between the lovers appear to show deliberate imitiation.
"The Life of Luke Sapa" is loosely based on the story
Breton lai
A Breton lai, also known as a narrative lay or simply a lay, is a form of medieval French and English romance literature. Lais are short , rhymed tales of love and chivalry, often involving supernatural and fairy-world Celtic motifs...
, a type of narrative poem, written by Marie de France
Marie de France
Marie de France was a medieval poet who was probably born in France and lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an undisclosed court, but was almost certainly at least known about at the royal court of King Henry II of England...
during the 12th century. The poem belongs to the collection known as The Lais of Marie de France
The Lais of Marie de France
The Lais of Marie de France are a series of twelve short narrative Breton lais by the poet Marie de France. They are written in the Anglo-Norman and were probably composed in the late 12th century. The short, narrative poems generally focus on glorifying the concept of courtly love through the...
. Like the other lais in the collection, Guigemar is written in the Anglo-Norman language
Anglo-Norman language
Anglo-Norman is the name traditionally given to the kind of Old Norman used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles during the Anglo-Norman period....
, a dialect of Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
, in rhyming octosyllabic couplets.
"Guigemar" is one of the works in which the author explicitly gives her name as "Marie." In the prologue of this lai, she proclaims two goals for her work: to give rightful praise to people who have earned it, despite what envious rivals may have said; and to present the stories behind certain songs that were well-known at the time. It has been suggested that the prologue to "Guigemar" predates the overall prologue to the Lais in the Harley 978 manuscript, the only manuscript that records all twelve of Marie's known lais.
Plot summary
Guigemar, son of a loyal vassal to the King of BrittanyBrittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, is a courageous and wise knight, who despite his many qualities, has been unable to feel romantic love
Romantic love
Romance is the pleasurable feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.In the context of romantic love relationships, romance usually implies an expression of one's love, or one's deep emotional desires to connect with another person....
. One day, on a hunting expedition, he mortally wounds a white doe, but he is injured as well. Before dying, the deer speaks to him, leaving a curse that his wound can only be healed by a woman who will suffer for love of him, and he will suffer as much for her.
Guigemar wanders through the forest until he finds a river and a lavishly decorated boat with no crew. He boards it and lies down in pain. When he gets back up, he realises that the boat has left port and that he is unable to control where it takes him.
The boat takes him to a land where the king has imprisoned his wife out of jealousy. The queen is permitted to see only two other people: a servant who has become her confidante, and an elderly priest. The only part of her prison that is not walled off is a garden, surrounded by the sea. The boat carrying Guigemar docks near the garden. The queen and her servant tend to the knight's wound and shelter him within their gilded cage. Guigemar and the queen fall in love almost immediately, but they are each uncertain if their feelings are mutual. The knight confides his feelings to the servant, who arranges a secret meeting with the queen. Once the queen is convinced of the sincerity of Guigemar's motives, they consummate their love. Their year and a half of bliss is ended when the king's chamberlain discovers them together. The king forces Guigemar to return to his own country. As signs of their fidelity to one another, the queen ties a knot in his shirt that only she can untie without tearing or cutting, and he gives her a belt tied with a knot that only he can untie (possible chastity belt
Chastity belt
A chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse. They may be used to protect the wearer from rape or temptation. Some devices have been designed with additional features to prevent masturbation...
?).
Guigemar is hailed as a hero in his own country, but he can only think of his distant love. Meanwhile, the king imprisons the queen within a marble tower. After two years of captivity, she has become very depressed out of her longing for Guigemar. She manages to escape the tower and considers drowning herself in the nearby sea. She then spots the same mysterious ship that had carried Guigemar long ago, and she decides to board it. The ship brings her to Brittany, where she is taken captive by the Lord Mériaduc. He falls madly in love with her and tries to rape her, but the chastity belt prevents his attempt.
Later on, Lord Mériaduc holds a jousting tournament, which Guigemar attends. Knowing that Guigemar wears a shirt with a knot that only his true love can untie, and that the Queen wears a chastity belt that only her true love can untie, Lord Mériaduc summons the Queen to meet Guigemar, suspecting the two are connected. Guigemar does not recognize the queen, so as to test her identity, he allows her to try to unravel the knotted shirt that she had given him years ago. Although she succeeds, Guigemar still refuses to accept her identity until she reveals the chastity belt. She then tells him of her sorrowful journey. Mériaduc attempts to keep the queen under his control, but is thwarted and eventually killed by Guigemar.
Allusions
The mural that decorates the queen's room shows VenusVenus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
, the goddess of love, throwing Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
's Remedia Amoris
Remedia Amoris
Remedia Amoris is a 814 line poem in Latin by the Roman poet Ovid.In this poem, Ovid offers advices and strategies to avoid being hurt by love feelings, or to fall out of love, with a stoic overtone...
into a fire. This work by the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
poet Ovid counsels readers how to avoid being swept away by love.
Influence
The chivalric romance GeneridesGenerides
Generides or Generydes is an English verse romance, originating in the English Midlands and dated to the end of the 14th century. It survives in two different lengthy forms...
shows influence of this work, and indeed the scenes between the lovers appear to show deliberate imitiation.
"The Life of Luke Sapa" is loosely based on the story
See also
- Anglo-Norman literatureAnglo-Norman literatureAnglo-Norman literature is literature composed in the Anglo-Norman language developed during the period 1066–1204 when the Duchy of Normandy and England were united in the Anglo-Norman realm.-Introduction:...
- Courtly loveCourtly loveCourtly love was a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Generally, courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility. It was also generally not practiced between husband and wife....
- Medieval literatureMedieval literatureMedieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages . The literature of this time was composed of religious writings as well as secular works...
- Medieval French literatureMedieval French literatureMedieval French literature is, for the purpose of this article, literature written in Oïl languages during the period from the eleventh century to the end of the fifteenth century....