Conclusion

Overall, Bisclavret is human in his ability to recognize social roles, participate in human customs, and exercise rational intent. This challenges the divide between humans and animals on the basis of form, a divide depicted in the illustration from the Rochester Bestiary. However, this is a fragile, contentious definition constructed by both myself, in my interpretation, and by the king and Bisclavret in the story. For example, in the drawings of monstrous races from the Arnstein Bible, these individuals are depicted amongst each other, participating in both monstrous and human-like activities, suggesting the divide between 'monstrous' and 'human' behaviours are not clear-cut. Additionally, just as Bisclavret’s humanity comes at the cost of his wife’s (who is rendered into an outcasted “wolf” herself), defining humanness necessitates the existence of non-humanness. The Map Psalter similarly shows non-normative bodies marginalized to the side of the world. The harms of this are shown in both Bisclavret and Beowulf – those who are deemed animalistic in character and/or form are outcasted and exiled. While Bisclavret shows that categories of human and non-human are flexible, they are still present and subsequently leveraged by the characters to maintain their power.