Literary Monster
(1)
Among the knights, close to the King.
Every man thinks it a precious thing,
For it's so gentle, well-bred, polite,
It never would do what isn't right.
Wherever the King might go
It didn't want to be separated, so
It went along with him constantly.
That it loved him was easy to see.
(2)
She told him her lord's whole affair:
How she'd betrayed him, she said,
And taken away the clothes that he shed,
The adventure he'd told, so she'd know,
What he became and where he'd go.
Since she'd stolen all his linen,
In his lands he'd not been seen;
But she believed--her mind was set--
The beast was indeed Bisclavret.
Bisclavret, at first glance, is the beast of the lai. He is a man who turns into a werewolf three days a week and can only regain his human form if he wears his human clothes at the end of the night. At first glance, readers can assume that Bisclavret is most likely a monster because werewolves are often depicted in horror stories and play the role of the antagonist. It is even said earlier in the lais that the king’s huntsmen and hounds had chased him to kill him, as they had assumed he was a foul beast due to his demeanour. However, as we see in lines 176-184, Bisclavret, in his werewolf form, is a kind creature whose personality has given him the privilege of living amongst the king and his knights in the castle. “Among the knights, close to the King. Every man thinks it a precious thing, For it's so gentle, well-bred, polite, It never would do what isn't right.” This gives us this conflicting perspective on Bisclavret; he was once feared but was then accepted. The rhyming couplets of the lais also give readers an organized structure and flow. I would argue that this symbolizes Bisclavret’s gentleness and goodness despite his dire circumstances. Although the main character is a werewolf, Bisclavret’s story is not meant to be a monster’s tale; his story deals with morality and the human soul. Lines 266-274 are when Bisclavret’s former wife admits to her betrayal. Some might say that she is the true monster of the lai, but can we say this even when she acted out of fear and not malice? “But she believed--her mind was set--The beast was indeed Bisclavret.” She proclaims that Bisclavret is a beast, but this is motivated by her panic and distress about something she doesn’t understand – Bisclavret’s unnatural and inhuman nature.
According to Willem de Blécourt, the true horror of “werewolfery” lies in the fact that they are often said to commit acts of cannibalism, and he uses Bisclavret as an example (Blécourt, p.82). He mentions that although Marie de France had written Bisclavret to be a “sympathetic hero,” she still reminded her audience that werewolves are beasts at the beginning of her lai (Blécourt, p.82). She mentions in the earlier lines of the lai that these creatures devour men, wreak evil, and do no good. However, when Bisclavret confesses his werewolf transformations to his wife, he doesn’t specify if he had done what Marie de France says those of his kind do, leaving it up to the reader’s interpretation. Based on Bisclavret’s good nature, we can assume he had not harmed innocent humans. “For it's so gentle, well-bred, polite, It never would do what isn't right.”
There is an interesting similarity between The Lais of Marie de France’s Bisclavret and Beowulf’s Grendel, as they were both cursed. Bisclavret was cursed to turn into a werewolf three days a week, while Grendel was cursed as a descendant of Cain and, therefore, forced to live in darkness due to Cain’s crimes. However, although they share this likeness, they respond to their misfortune in wildly different ways. Bisclavret hid his “monstrous side” from the world and remained morally good even as a werewolf. He did not show much disdain for his state other than embarrassment; he simply found a way to live with his curse. On the other hand, Grendel continuously attacked Heorot for twelve straight years, murdering all that came across him. This makes it apparent that Bisclavret is not a typical “monster.” This contrast between Bisclavret and Grendel emphasizes Bisclavret’s goodness despite his monstrous state.