Bisclavaret's The Lay Of The Werewolf

In “The Lay of the Werewolf”, Bisclavaret was able to see the true identity of humans when he took on his disguised identity. An archetype of a disguised identity is present through Bisclavaret, and also his wife, which sheds light onto her betrayal to him. Archetypes are details, plot patterns, character types, or themes that appear in the literature of many cultures (Doc E). Bisclavaret represents the typical disguised identity because his normal form is a human but when the time comes he transforms into his second identity of a werewolf. During the Middle Ages, having the ability to transform could only occur in demon- possessed people. One of the insights into human nature is conveyed by the disguised identity through the wife’s betrayal from fear, the King’s compassion, and Bisclavaret’s anger. All of the wife’s thoughts became overcome by her feeling of fear after she found out that her husband took the werewolf form. She was unable to think logically because she was afraid for her life, even though he had been a werewolf during their entire marriage. Document D relates to this idea because to the wife, Bisclavaret wore a mask of

The King understood that there was more to the beast than just a scary creature because he says, “ Here is a beast who has the sense of a man” (de France 599). Bisclavaret’s realization about the truth behind some humans, which is not always evil, is seen in this moment, “ When the King had brought him safety to his own castle, he rejoiced greatly, for the beast was fair and strong, no mightier than any man seen” (de France 599). With Bisclavaret being a werewolf at the time, it allowed him to gain this insight into human nature of compassion. This instance represents Document A, because the goodness done by the King, was intentional and it could have been easier for him to react differently, in a more evil