The Woful Knight (late 12th or early 13th century)

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Title

The Woful Knight (late 12th or early 13th century)

Subject

Gladly would I call to remembrance a lay whereof I have heard men speak; I will tell you its name and its story, and show you the city whence it sprang. Some call it The Woful Knight, but many there are who name it The Four Sorrows.

At Nantes in Bretaigne dwelt a lady who was rich in beauty and wisdom and all seemliness. And in that land was no knight of prowess who, and if he did but see her, straightway loved her not and besought her. She could in no wise love them all, yet none did she wish to renounce. And better it is to love and woo all the ladies of the land than to rob one fool of his motley, for he will speedily fall to fighting over it, whereas a lady doth pleasure to all in fair friendliness. And though it be not her will to hearken to them, yet ought she not to give them ill words, but rather hold them dear and honour them, and render them service and thanks. Now the lady of whom I would tell you was so besought in love by reason of her beauty and worth that many a one had a hand therein.

In Bretaigne, in those days, lived four barons; their names I cannot tell you, but though they were young of age, yet were they comely, brave, and valiant knights, generous, courteous, and free-handed; of gentle birth were they in that land, and held in high honour. These four loved the lady, and strove in well doing for her sake; and each did his uttermost to win her and her love. Each sought her by himself, and set thereto all his intent; and there was not one but thought to succeed above all the rest. 

Description

The Woful Knight, written by Marie de France (fl. 1160-1215), gives a wonderful example of courtly love and its implications.  In medieval romance, knights are portrayed as trying to win the heart of a beautiful and noble lady. In romance, knights could win jousting tournaments, write poetry, and publicly declare their love for the lady.  In The Woful Knight, multiple knights try to win the heart of the same lady, who graciously accepts all of their love and honor. This literary trope is reflected in A Knight’s Tale (2001) as well, especially between William and Count Adhemar, who compete in their quest to win the hand of Lady Jocelyn, who is considered beautiful, witty, and loved by many a knight. While Adhemar never succeeds in winning her heart, William does so by performing many of the duties required of knights in traditional romances about courtly love. In one scene, Lady Jocelyn gives a handkerchief as a token to William before one of the jousting tournaments where he faces Count Adhemar.  Giving tokens was also a common practice in the age of courtly love, as evidenced in The Woful Knight which states “she made fair semblance to each, and gave them tokens.”  In another scene in the movie, William writes a poem and sends it to Jocelyn to show his love.  While this is not exactly referenced in The Woful Knight, we do see the wounded knight describing his love for the noble woman, and the pains he has undertaken to win her love, but to no avail. In The Woful Knight, we see that the woman is described as wise as well—which is how Jocelyn is portrayed in the film.

Creator

Marie de France (fl. 1160-1215)

Source

Butler, Isabel, trans., Tales from the Old French (New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1910). 

Publisher

Houghton Mifflin Company; reprint. In Parentheses Publications (1999)

Date

late 12th or early 13th century

Contributor

Kristen Sulewski

Rights

Public Domain

Language

Old French

Type

Primary Source Text

Citation

Marie de France (fl. 1160-1215), “The Woful Knight (late 12th or early 13th century),” Medieval Hollywood, accessed September 7, 2024, https://medievalhollywood.ace.fordham.edu/items/show/54.

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