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Mate Lays: Poem Analysis

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One of the difficulties in discussing Breton Lays is trying to define what marks a poem out as a Breton Lay in the first place. It is generally agreed that the lays are short, rhymed, romances and can trace their origin back to the lays of French poet Marie de France in the late 12th Century, which focused on stories of courtly love set in Brittany. Their popularity led to them crossing the English Channel and the 13th Century saw many of Marie’s lays translated into Middle English and also a number of distinct English versions were created. However, because the Breton Lays were thought to be rooted in an oral tradition and so few written copies remain, it can be difficult to assign a rigid framework to fit around the genre.
The Auchinleck …show more content…

The basic pattern of the poem matches up with a roadmap seen in other Breton Lays: ““…a journey of descent followed by ascent and a corresponding resolution of the hero or heroine 's identity, purpose, and place in the world” (Laskaya 5). The happy ending granted to Orfeo and Heurodis at the end is one of the major departures from the myth of Orpheus. In the traditional stories of Orpheus, he is a tragic figure, who loses his wife, wins her back and then loses her all over again when he cannot bear to leave Hades without looking back at her. The changes in the myth made by Sir Orfeo “reflect the demands of romance as a genre” (Friedman 147). The audience expectations of the time would have reflected the prevailing popularity of stories of romance and chivalry. The happy ending then reflects the contemporary context of the time as much as …show more content…

Despite this, it contains many of the elements which are essential to the genre. Like all Breton Lays, first and foremost, The Franklin’s Tale is a love story, between the chivalric knight Arveragus and his beloved Dorigen. The basic plot involves Arveragus going away to battle in England and Dorigen being pursued by a new suitor, Aurelius. Dorigen gives him the impossible task to clear the coast of Britanny of rocks, at which point she will renege on her marriage and become his lover. With the help of a magician, Aurelius manages to complete the task. On his return, Arveragus decides that Dorigen must stay true to her word. Moved by this, Aurelius relinquishes Dorigen from her vow and the magician subsequently relinquishes Aurelius from his

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