The Female Figure in Medieval Courtly Romance
The Active Female Role in Lai le Freine by Marie de France
At first sight, it may appear that the female protagonists in Lai le Freine display active, independent roles within the courtly romance. However, it is also true that medieval culture and law affected the actions of women somewhat, applying a great deal of constraint on women who might otherwise have acted differently.
This restriction applies to the females in Lai le Freine, but which is the stronger force – the passivity or the activity of the female protagonist? This, the first of two articles, attempts to examine how Marie de France instils her heroine with the facilities to be, at least superficially, active rather than submissive.
Introduction to this Medieval Romance Fiction
Lai le Freine is the story of a girl who has been brought up in a nunnery without knowing her real parentage. The reason for this was that her mother, although married to a nobleman, had born twins. The code of the time suggested that twins were conceived of different fathers. Therefore, Freine is cast aside, with items identifying her as her father’s daughter, in order for her mother to retain her own reputation.
Freine attracts the love of Gurun, son of a wealthy nobleman. Although Freine runs away with him to become his mistress, the love is cut short by the arranged marriage of Gurun to Le Codre, herself of noble parentage. Freine, accepting this cruelty, kindly makes a gift of her blanket, laying it across the wedding bed, where it is duly discovered and Freine is discovered to be the daughter of a nobleman. The discovery of her noble birth is enough to allow a marriage between Freine and Gurun to take place.
The Emancipated Medieval Woman
In the majority of courtly romances, the female character identifies with the romantic notion of the damsel in distress. Lai le Freine, however, defies this convention. Freine never becomes a distressed captive. Instead, she is the one who is allowed to have the adventure. Indeed, from the beginning, much of the description is relevant only to Freine – her rich home, her life in the convent which symbolises her restraint and from which she breaks free to become the mistress of the young lord Gurun.
The heroine is portrayed as in control of her early exploits. She seems to have a kind of sexual power over Gurun, as he is willing to assume the role of another identity in order to see Freine, whereas, as is the usual situation in medieval romance, Freine never disguises herself knowingly and retains the identity she has been given.
Defying Medieval Conventions
A particular code governed medieval women’s actions towards sex and marriage. It was assumed generally that a woman would have her husband chosen for her, but Freine defies this convention in her actions towards her young suitor, Gurun.
As she has been brought up with a strong Catholic education, it is most unexpected that she should run away to live with Gurun, but this is exactly what she does, rebelling against the restrictions imposed on her by the nunnery and society in general. Of course, by the end of the romance, Freine has achieved her aim – she has the man she has chosen.
But has Marie de France done enough in Lai le Freine to convince us that her female characters have an identity in their own right and that women can defy the medieval ties which bind them to the structure of society? Part Two of this article will endeavour to pose the alternative view of women in this romance - the way these characters are forced to live, confined by the chivalrous, romantic, yet restrictive rules of medieval society.
Medieval women - passive or active?
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