Overcoming Obstacles of Social Conventions in the Medieval Story, Eliduc

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Recommended: Gender roles in the middle ages

Eliduc is a typical medieval story of courtly love. The Lai contains the common characteristics of other Marie de France’s Lais; as a worthy and valiant knight is confused about his love life. The knight is caught between the duty he owes his wife and the new love he feels for a foreign princess. Oddly enough, the two female characters, his wife and his secret lover have similar names; Guildeleuc and Guilliadun. This is significant because these two women meet and rather than becoming enemies as would be expected, they work as a team and live together. Over time the title of the Lai has changed to Guildeleuc and Guilliadun because it is based on the two women. Common to other medieval stories, Eliduc is moving and purifying, as it involves two innocent female characters who are caught up in a love triangle with a man who never meant to stray from his wife or emotionally hurt either of the women. Although Eliduc is similar to other Lais in many ways, it ends differently than others that have been discussed in class. The majority of Marie de France’s work ends in tragedy in terms of love, Eliduc does not, it ends with positive love. While the love between Eliduc and Guilliadun should not work out because of the secrets and adultery, the couple manages to break the social conventions of medieval society and are able to live happily together for quite some time. The three main characters in Eliduc manage to overcome obstacles of social conventions through their absolute freedom and unrestricted desires.

In terms of gender ideals of medieval society, the main characters in the story are very conventional. To begin with the story meshed nicely with the social conventions that Gayle Rubin explains in Traffic of Women. Accor...

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...ning that if one does not love one’s partner one could not change it because one is married to him or her. It is this Lai that greatly changes how individuals act towards the expectations of the society because Eliduc’s original wife decides that she wants him to be happy with the young princess rather than unhappy in a marriage with her. This major revelation comes about when Guildeluec watches the weasels, and takes on the animal role to save the princess. Eliduc is a tale of personal sacrifice to ensure others around you are happy, this is the first time we see this in a medieval Lai.

Works Cited

Hanning, Robert and Joan Ferrante. The Lais of Marie de France. Eliduc. Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1978.

Rivkin, Julie and Michael Ryan. Literary Theory: An Anthology. Gayle Rubin, The Traffic of Women. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford, 1998.

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