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Good Vs. Evil In Lanval And Sir Orfeo

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The battle between good and evil is a theme that has long been a part of literature. In the two lais Lanval and Sir Orfeo, there is a differing display of good versus evil. Since both of the stories fall into the same genre and have a common theme, it is easy to compare the ways that good and evil are presented in each story. By comparing these two stories, one can see how the characteristics that define “good” and “evil” can vary vastly from story to story. In addition, the comparison will show how, despite their differences, the two lais fit within the basic structure of the romance genre. In the lai Lanval, Marie de France seems to present the faeries as better than the humans. The faeries appear to be of higher class; they have more …show more content…

This is their use of gender as a significant role in the battle between good and evil. In Lanval, female characters take the lead roles in both the good and evil side of things. Queen Guinevere represents the bad, she is vengeful and merciless. After being rejected by Lanval, Guinevere goes to bed ill and says that she will never get up “unless the king gave her satisfaction for the offense against her” (309-310). While King Arthur is shown to be against Lanval, he is a more neutral character. He is acting according to the accusations made by his wife, wanting Lanval to be punished for his alleged crimes. In this sense Arthur is being manipulated by Guinevere, so that she can exact revenge. The faerie queen represents the good, she is generous and forgiving. At the end of the lai she comes to Lanval’s rescue and says “I have loved one of your vassals…I don’t want him to suffer for what he said; you should know that the queen was in the wrong” (615-620). This shows that despite Lanval breaking his promise to not tell anyone about their love, the faerie queen is willing to save Lanval from being punished and continues to love

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