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in: Marie de France, Poems, Fantasy, Medieval

Bisclavret

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Bisclavret is a lai written by Marie de France. It tells of a werewolf and his treacherous wife.

Characters[]

  • Bisclavret
  • Bisclavret's wife
  • The knight
  • The King

Plot[]

In the land of Brittany, the wife of a baron named Bisclavret notices that her husband goes missing for several days at a time. While talking with her husband, she discovers that her husband is a werewolf and that without his clothes, he will never return into his human form. Disturbed by this, she finds comfort in one of the King's knights and swipes his clothes. After her husband "vanishes" and the search for him stops, Bisclavret's ex-wife marries her lover.

For around a year, Bisclavret wanders through the woods before being found by the King while he is on a hunting trip. Though the King initially wants to kill Bisclavret, Bisclavret is able to convince the King to spare his life. After bringing Bisclavret back to his castle, the King and his servants are greatly amused by the sight of the "beastly" Bisclavret acting in a noble manner.

During a celebration held by the King, the new husband of Bisclavret's ex-wife visits the castle. Bisclavret sees the man and savagely attacks him. Though the King attacks Bisclavret with his staff, he does not punish him further as he has never attacked another person and his servants begin to believe that the knight wronged Bisclavret. The King then visits the former home of Bisclavret with his wolf companion alongside him. The two are visited by Bisclavret's ex-wife, whom is mauled by Bisclavret - having her nose torn off.

A "wise man" deduces that the King's beast is actually the missing Bisclavret. Bisclavret's ex-wife is tortured and reveals the plot. After Bisclavret puts on his clothing in the privacy of the King's bedchambers, he returns to human form. Shortly after this, his ex-wife and her lover are banished from the kingdom of Brittany - with the ex-wife bringing forth many noseless children into the world.

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