The Lais of Marie de France

by

Marie de France

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Guilliadun Character Analysis

Guilliadun is a princess, daughter of a king near Exeter in England. She falls passionately in love with Eliduc, a knight in her father’s service. Unaware that he’s already married to Guildelüec, she hopes Eliduc will become her husband and pines for him when he goes home to Brittany. Later, Eliduc returns to England and sneaks Guilliadun onto a ship back to Brittany, but they face fierce storms during the journey. Worse, Guilliadun hears for the first time that Eliduc is actually married. Crushed by the betrayal, she swoons and appears to be dead, so Eliduc remorsefully places her body in a forest chapel. Later, Guildelüec finds and revives Guilliadun from her sleep, and Guilliadun explains how Eliduc wrongly tricked her. But Guildelüec assures Guilliadun that Eliduc is still devoted to her, and that she’s even willing to give him up so he and Guilliadun can marry. After happy years of marriage to Eliduc, Guilliadun joins Guildelüec’s convent for the rest of her days.

Guilliadun Quotes in The Lais of Marie de France

The The Lais of Marie de France quotes below are all either spoken by Guilliadun or refer to Guilliadun. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Love and Suffering Theme Icon
).
XII. Eliduc Quotes

With gentle mien, honest expression and very noble demeanour, he spoke with much breeding and thanked the damsel, Guilliadun, who was very beautiful, for having sent for him to come and talk to her. She took him by the hand and they sat down on a bed and spoke of many things. […] Love dispatched its messenger who summoned her to love him. It made her go pale and sigh[.]

Related Characters: Marie de France, Eliduc, Guildelüec, Guilliadun
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:

“I have behaved badly! […] Here I have deeply loved a girl, Guilliadun, the king’s daughter, and she has loved me. If I must leave her thus, one of us will have to die, or perhaps even both. But nevertheless I must go, for my lord has summoned me in a letter and required me by my oath, and my wife as well. […] If I were to marry my beloved, the Christian religion would not accept it. Things are going badly in all respects.”

Related Characters: Eliduc (speaker), Guildelüec, Guilliadun
Page Number: 118
Explanation and Analysis:

Eliduc heard what he said and almost went demented with anger. “Son of a whore,” he said, “wicked and evil traitor, say no more!” […] But he held her in his arms and comforted her as best he could […] She fell face down, quite pale and wan, in a swoon in which she remained, for she did not come round or breathe. He who was taking her away with him truly believed that she was dead.

Related Characters: Eliduc (speaker), Guilliadun
Page Number: 122
Explanation and Analysis:

With its teeth the weasel picked a flower, bright red in colour, and then quickly returned, placing it in the mouth of its companion, whom the servant had killed, with the result that it quickly recovered. The lady noticed this and shouted to the servant: “Catch it! Throw your stick, good man, do not let it escape!”

Related Characters: Guildelüec (speaker), Marie de France, Eliduc, Guilliadun
Related Symbols: Animals
Page Number: 124
Explanation and Analysis:

He often kissed the maiden and she him tenderly, for together they were very happy. When the lady saw how the looked, she spoke to her husband and asked him for permission to leave and to separate from him, for she wanted to be a nun and serve God.

Related Characters: Marie de France, Eliduc, Guildelüec, Guilliadun
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:
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Guilliadun Quotes in The Lais of Marie de France

The The Lais of Marie de France quotes below are all either spoken by Guilliadun or refer to Guilliadun. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Love and Suffering Theme Icon
).
XII. Eliduc Quotes

With gentle mien, honest expression and very noble demeanour, he spoke with much breeding and thanked the damsel, Guilliadun, who was very beautiful, for having sent for him to come and talk to her. She took him by the hand and they sat down on a bed and spoke of many things. […] Love dispatched its messenger who summoned her to love him. It made her go pale and sigh[.]

Related Characters: Marie de France, Eliduc, Guildelüec, Guilliadun
Page Number: 114
Explanation and Analysis:

“I have behaved badly! […] Here I have deeply loved a girl, Guilliadun, the king’s daughter, and she has loved me. If I must leave her thus, one of us will have to die, or perhaps even both. But nevertheless I must go, for my lord has summoned me in a letter and required me by my oath, and my wife as well. […] If I were to marry my beloved, the Christian religion would not accept it. Things are going badly in all respects.”

Related Characters: Eliduc (speaker), Guildelüec, Guilliadun
Page Number: 118
Explanation and Analysis:

Eliduc heard what he said and almost went demented with anger. “Son of a whore,” he said, “wicked and evil traitor, say no more!” […] But he held her in his arms and comforted her as best he could […] She fell face down, quite pale and wan, in a swoon in which she remained, for she did not come round or breathe. He who was taking her away with him truly believed that she was dead.

Related Characters: Eliduc (speaker), Guilliadun
Page Number: 122
Explanation and Analysis:

With its teeth the weasel picked a flower, bright red in colour, and then quickly returned, placing it in the mouth of its companion, whom the servant had killed, with the result that it quickly recovered. The lady noticed this and shouted to the servant: “Catch it! Throw your stick, good man, do not let it escape!”

Related Characters: Guildelüec (speaker), Marie de France, Eliduc, Guilliadun
Related Symbols: Animals
Page Number: 124
Explanation and Analysis:

He often kissed the maiden and she him tenderly, for together they were very happy. When the lady saw how the looked, she spoke to her husband and asked him for permission to leave and to separate from him, for she wanted to be a nun and serve God.

Related Characters: Marie de France, Eliduc, Guildelüec, Guilliadun
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis: