The tale of “Bisclavret” by Marie de France tells a story of
a werewolf but also a story of a husband, and king’s loyal friend who every
week turns into his wolf form leaving his beloved wife home to wonder; where
does he go when he leaves her? It’s a
story of a werewolf who gets trapped in lupine form by the treachery of his
wife. But for this post I’m concentrating on the wife who is compared to other
fairy tale characters we have read about, something different. Her character isn't
weak, naive nor vulnerable. After learning about her husband’s scary
transformation into a wolf, she seems first terrified and feeling like the only
way is to escape because “she didn’t want to ever share his bed.” (France 3)
But the conspiring, strong, and almost clever side of her takes over. She
realizes she can use her womanly power over another man, a knight, to get rid
of Bisclavret for good so that she can live a happy, prosperous life with the
knight.
So soon after, with the knowledge that while in werewolf form
Bisclavret needs to hide his clothing in a safe place so he can return to human
form, she forms a plan. She conspires with the knight who has loved her for a
long time to ban Bisclavret to his wolf form for the rest of his being. The
wife sends the knight to steal her husband's clothing. When her husband fails to
return to obvious reasons after the wife’s betrayal, she marries the knight.
The baron's people search for Bisclavret but finally give up, feeling that he
may have disappeared for good. This shows the true characteristics of the wife;
she is not sweet nor loyal, faithful to her husband. She uses men to her pleasing
just to create a comfortable life for herself. She doesn’t approve any deviations
from what she sees normal, human; how could she remain and be the wife of a
werewolf? This is total opposite of the sweet, trustworthy characters of Snow
White and Little Red Riding Hood.
I must point out how happy I was in the end of the story when
she got what she deserves! Accepted by the king even in his wolf form due to
the human like sense of Bisclavret, the king sees that there is some wrong
doing that must be corrected when the wolf attacks both the wife and the knight
when they come face to face finally. The good characteristics of Bisclavret as
the wolf create questions about the wife’s characteristics in a rightful way.
She breaks down, and confesses about the betrayal. She is exiled with the
knight, and as a punishment from Bisclavret’s part she has no nose, he bit it
off. And as a curse that followed her in life afterwards, it is said that many
of the wife's female children were born without noses, “and lived denosed. It’s
true! It’s so!” (France 9) How fitting was that? She judged her husband on the
qualities he cannot control, and didn’t feel that he was worthy of her. She
conspired to her own advantage, and in the end lost her beauty as a consequence
of her actions.
