...beauty with her odd dress: she wears all of her clothes--shoes included--inside out. As the narrator states in concluding the passage that describes her garments, "Issi estoient bestornees Totes les coses qu'ele avoit" (4996-97) [Everything that she had was turned the wrong way]. (1) Moreover, she faces the rear of the horse that she rides, adopting a posture that mirrors her unusual garb. Gauvain quickly discovers that the damsel's unique fashion statement is of more than sartorial import. The young woman informs Arthur's nephew that she will continue to attire herself in this manner until the death of her beloved Raguidel is avenged. Her outfit is thus closely related to her love, which is, in fact, love gone awry from the moment that her ami is killed.

In presenting this woman so unlike the typical courtly lady, the tale's composer, Raoul, (2) confronts the audience with a visible indication that the courtly world of his romance is far from traditional. Indeed, it is as "inside out" as the damsel's clothes, particularly in the realm of love. Inconstancy, misery, and despair mark relationships, and no longer does the desire to be worthy of one's beloved inspire generosity or noble acts. Nonetheless, love plays an integral role in the tale: the pain invariably associated with it spurs characters into action. The episodes of La Vengeance Raguidel revolve not around affection itself, but rather around the wish to punish those responsible for unhappy relationships. In fact, one might argue that it could just as easily be entitled La Vengeance Gauvain, Maduc, Yder, or la Pucele del Gaut Destroit, for each of these characters expends considerable time and energy attempting to avenge the wrongs done to him or her. (3) Love may be fleeting, but the thirst for revenge to which it leads proves to be of far greater duration.

To understand how revenge supplants affection as a driving force, one must first examine the ways in which Raoul dismantles romance commonplaces concerning heroes and heroines. Throughout the tale, he refuses the tradition of pairing two characters to form an ideal couple, as an overview of the plot makes clear. Having gone to bed after waiting in vain for an adventure to present itself, Arthur sees a mysterious ship arrive. On board, the king discovers a knight's body along with a letter requesting vengeance for the deceased. Gauvain promptly sets off on the quest, ending his first day's journey at the castle of Maduc le Noir, which he enters despite the forbidding sight of numerous heads on pikes. After defeating Maduc in single combat, Gauvain continues his voyage and soon finds lodging with the woman Maduc is wooing, the Pucele del Gaut Destroit. The woman--smitten with Arthur's nephew without having met him--intends to keep Gauvain by her side eternally, but the knight's escape foils her plans. Following a second short stay with Maduc, Gauvain returns to Arthur's court, along the way rescuing a maiden with whom he falls in love, Ydain. Prior to leaving court, Gauvain defends his new amie against Keu's criticisms and sets a date for future battle with Druidain, another knight seeking Ydain's affections. He keeps his promise to Druidain, but not before seeing a less appealing side of Ydain in an episode that leads to the demise of their brief relationship. Shortly thereafter, Gauvain encounters the dead knight's amie, who recounts the tale of Raguidel's death at the hands of Guengasouin. Gauvain finally avenges Raguidel, a feat that earns him the right to marry Guengasouin's daughter, Trevilonete. Arthur's nephew, however, finally agrees to allow the maiden to wed the knight she loves, Yder. He then returns to Arthur's court triumphant, accompanied by Yder, Trevilonete, and Raguidel's amie.

With this cast of characters, Raoul ensures that relationships cannot proceed in typical fashion, for the couple at romance's heart disappears. Here, pairs are replaced by trios: Maduc, the Pucele del Gaut Destroit, and Gauvain; Druidain, Ydain, and Gauvain; and Yder, Trevilonete, and Gauvain. (4) Relationships invariably fall apart as Gauvain sows havoc by winning women in spirit (the Pucele), body (Trevilonete), or both (Ydain). Moreover, no form of love can withstand all trials. One may win a lady's heart only to lose it (Maduc, loved by the Pucele until she sees Gauvain), encounter obstacles to marriage even when love is reciprocated (Yder), or woo a woman without ever earning her affection (Druidain). The sole characters forming a traditional couple--the brave, handsome, and renowned Raguidel (5040) and his faithful amie--find their union ended by the knight's death.

At the same time that he transforms pairs into love triangles, Raoul calls into question conventional assumptions about the qualities of the perfect mate. In the case of female characters, he challenges the link between physical beauty and a noble character, which no longer necessarily coincide. The deceptive potential of one's appearance takes its most obvious form in Gauvain's relationship with Ydain. Initially, all signs point to lasting bliss for the pair, as the circumstances of their meeting--pleasant weather and female gratitude--create the ideal setting for love. On a sunny, clear day filled with the sound of birds singing, Gauvain rescues Ydain from a knight who is physically abusing her; according to Ydain, the man has waged war against her for five years and killed her father (3426-29). Ydain's attractiveness makes her an appropriate mate for Gauvain, and the narrator's comment about the pleasurable night that follows their meeting suggests other types of physical compatibility, as well (3690-93). Yet soon thereafter, Gauvain discovers that Ydain is not the faithful amie he believes her to be in a well-known scene to which I will return shortly. Her character flaws clash with her beauty, and despite her loveliness, she is a far cry from the traditional courtly lady. Instead of leading Gauvain to aspire to heroic exploits, she succeeds only in engendering spite and vitriol in the knight. The link between visible attractiveness and a courtly personality, characteristics that conventionally ground love, is tenuous at best.

The unflattering depiction of Ydain is one reason for which critics have frequently--and justly--characterized the romance as misogynistic. (5) I would like to suggest, however, that Raoul equally debunks the myth of the ideal knight. No longer is a single man capable of both loving a lady faithfully and carrying out heroic exploits singlehandedly. To the contrary, amorous success and prowess remain distinct. The narrator hints at the division between the two from the outset, for the missive that Arthur discovers on the mysterious body on the ship insists upon the need for two men to join forces:

Et cil qui ostera la lance N'en porroit prendre la vengance Qu'il n'ait .i. autre honme avuec lui, Et par l'aide de chelui Ki les anials li ostera La mort de cestui [Raguidel] vengera; Car sans l'aide au chevalier Qui les anials pora sacier, N'en porroit pas prendre vengance Qui le tros avra de la lance. (195-204)

[He who removes the lance will not be able to take revenge without another man with him. With the help of the one who removes the rings, he will avenge Raguidel's death. Without the aid of the knight who can pull off the rings, he who has the piece of the lance will not be able to exact vengeance.]

Gauvain--who has the lance--and Yder--who removes the rings--must thus work together to defeat Guengasouain, Raguidel's killer, in order to bring the tale to a close. The very conditions of vengeance dictate that a sole knight cannot earn all of the glory, thus preventing the romance from ending on the anticipated note of balance between love and prowess.

The romance ensures that the unusual separation of affection from chivalric ability does not escape the audience's attention by detailing the reaction of Guengasouain's barons at the battle's conclusion. Although Yder contributes to the triumph by killing the bear defending Guengasouain, Gauvain alone meets and defeats his opponent in the final battle. (6) The barons recognize Gauvain's right to Trevilonete as the ultimate victor and offer him the maiden in no uncertain terms:

C'est...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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