Ethical Choice and Tragical Chaos in the Lais by Marie de France

Abstract

The twelve Lais written by Marie de France are meaningful when trying to grasp the perception and the reality of the concept of love in the Middle Ages, in other words, the characteristics of courtly love, of the meaning of medieval marriage in feudal societies, etc. Furthermore, the works of Marie de France cannot be neglected in the view of ethical literary criticism if we wish to tackle the problems of indifference and disregard for taboos, of ethical conflict and social balance, and of confusion and restoration of order, all themes that are expressed in numerous medieval literary works. When considering this, Equitan, which deals with the issue of a threesome love involving a king, his seneschal, and the seneschal's wife, is a good example to reassess how, within the frame of love, ethical choices and confusion can create conflicts, and how the tragedy of an individual who has lost all rational judgments and ethical consciousness is amplified into chaos and disorder within the social order, as well as to question what is the real nature of love.