Yonec

Question 1

What is the purpose of the lady following the hawk to his bedroom in the castle?

Answer 1

it suggests an emergence from the darkness into the light and also stresses the forbidden/ secret/ private factor in their love

Question 2

Scared love

Answer 2

The love between the two is a sacred one and it will eventually be quashed by a world of the man and the man’s desire

Question 3

Christianity in ‘Yonec’

Answer 3

There is a special emphasis place on love- the heroic actions of Yonec take place in the abbey suggesting that the power of God will triumph even in a time of sadness and darkness
There is also a transfer from dark to light for the woman and a saviour like feel to the hawk which speaks to Christians, encouraging the idea of hope.

Question 4

complication

Answer 4

the princess tells of how she is trapped and that the only way out of the position she is in, is death

Question 5

Recognition

Answer 5

change from ignorance to knowledge

The princess experiences of recognition

Question 6

who does the wife curse?

Answer 6

her family

Question 7

good vs bad

Answer 7

using references to christianity Marie de France creates and opposition between the lord and the Knight which goes beyond that of the traditional jealous old love man and the younger lover. She opposes forces of good and evil and the uses of a christian semantic field establishes this

Question 8

what justifies the actions of Yonec

Answer 8

what happens in the passage before his murder functions as a way of confirming the justness of his actions

Question 9

function of religion with regards to revenge

Answer 9

by concerning the hawk with religion Marie allows the revenge to be seen as an issue worthy of god concern

Question 10

l’importance de la femme

Answer 10

c’est la femme qui est centrale dans ce lais- elle propose un avenir elle suit le conseil de l’oiseau et elle elle est n’est pas une femme passive qui se trouve dans beaucoup des contes du genre.

Question 11

Suppressed beauty

Answer 11

the woman is described as sage and courtoise- yet she is kept in a state of sadness- immediately sets up the woman as the victim yet a woman with hidden prowess

Question 12

transgression and transformation

Answer 12

the movement into the other world suggests there is a need to leave the normal behind in order to find a worthy lover

Question 13

love

Answer 13

is seen as a curse. Just like in many of the lais the secrecy of love and in this case, a love that exists outside of the marriage, is condemned as it is exposed.

Question 14

women defined by

Answer 14

their appearance and their emotions- by tasking the woman with a problem/dilemna, she has to use more than just her image and emotions, she enters into the realm of the man and uses reason and judgement.

Question 15

Yonec written

Answer 15

Je+neco which meant ‘je tue’ which is eventually exactly what his purpose is in the story

Question 16

L’image de l’amour

Answer 16

in all the lais is something that is seen as rather unfortunate

Question 17

incompatibility of the two realities

Answer 17

whilst the knight is in bird form he is injured

Question 18

otherworld importance in Yonec

Answer 18

once the otherworld has been used to announce the denouement- the knight arrives and causes a marked change in the lady, which ultimately causes the baron to act violently and- it is rendered less significant and the two worlds blend seamlessly, without further repercussions. In Lanval the otherworld is not simply reduced to outlining the destiny of the lovers- but in fact providing an alternative destiny. That is to say the Otherworld in Yonec is shown to be equally as hostile and therefore doesn’t mimic the avalon in Lanval. In this respect there is a progression in the importance of the otherworld.

Question 19

vengeance

Answer 19

marie uses this narrative as a way of justifying the existence of a love in the face of a reality which had tried to reject it- ie the Baron.

Question 20

love in MDF work

Answer 20

could also brutalise as well as be something harmonious

Question 21

How does the lady think of the Baron keeping her in the donjon

Answer 21

elle le déteste and claims that it is a sottise that someone should be so fearful of betrayal

Question 22

When the Hawk/ man lies with her in bed how is he?

Answer 22

He doesn’t want to cuddle her or touch her- boundary between the two worlds

Question 23

dark to light movement

Answer 23

when she passes through the coline- where she presumes he has gone- she finds a world where all the buildings are superbe

Question 24

who has led them to the abby?

Answer 24

c’est Dieu qui a nous conduit ici- she calls to her son- in shouting this she confirms that it is God who condones this revenge and righteousness

Question 25

Marie Speaking within the voice of the trapped lady?

Answer 25

J’ai souvent entendu des aventure merveilleuses qui rendaient joie aux malheureuses

Question 26

Calls to god

Answer 26

dieu puissant exauce mon désir!

Question 27

c’est un prodige que…

Answer 27

qu’elle ne se tue pas- quand elle saute depuis la fenêtre