Chaitivel - Marie de France

"Chaitivel" is also known as "Four Mournings." This lai was very different from the other lais we have read by Marie de France. In this lai, the lady has multiple men that she can choose from and whom she is in love with. Whereas in the rest of the lais we have read, the man is usually the person who is incharge of "choosing" his lover. This beautiful and loving lady could not choose between four men, so she had them fight for her.

"She loved all four, all four please her until, in the time after Easter, in fron to fher city of Nantes there was proclaimed a tounament."

To me, I think this is pretty awful to have your potential lovers fight, and eventually die, just to see which one should truly be yours. An unfortunate but predictable thing happens. Three of the knights die and one has a huge wound and is bleeding from his thigh.

"I don't know which I should feel worst for, but I can't hide or pretend any more. Three are dead; one wounded I see; nothing on earth can comfort me."

After the horrifc death of the three men, she has funerals for them. She continues to visit the fourth knight who was severely wounded in the fight.

I like that Marie de France made the woman seem very powerful and in charge in this lai. She changed up the roles in this lai and it made it seem like women in this time actually had a say in their behavior for once. I think Marie de France did this on purpose and made a point to make sure that people understood that women could be in charge and promiscuous, just like the men during this time.