The Power of Feminine Anger in Marie de France's "Yonec" and "Guigemar"

Abstract

Feminine anger is a frequent and intriguing element in Mairie de France’s Lais. While some of this anger is of a stereotypical nature, such as that of the rebuffed queen in “Lanval” ( “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”), in other cases it is the more justifiable anger of the malmariée, as presented by Marie from a unique, that is, feminine, perspective. As the unhappy lady in “Yonec” rants passionately about her husband: