The Lais of Marie de France

by

Marie de France

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The young man falls in love with the lord of the Pistrians’ daughter. Instead of eloping, they agree to obtain a strengthening potion from the young woman’s aunt. This will allow the young man to successfully carry the daughter up the mountain, fulfilling the lord of the Pistrians’ quest and winning her hand. The young man’s flaw, however, is that he “knows[] no moderation.” In his haste to carry her up the mountain, he disregards the potion, and though he reaches the top, he immediately dies of heart failure. The lord of the Pistrians’ daughter dies of heartbreak soon after, and she and the young man are buried together in a marble coffin atop the mountain.

The Young Man Quotes in The Lais of Marie de France

The The Lais of Marie de France quotes below are all either spoken by The Young Man or refer to The Young Man. 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
).
VI. Les Deus Amanz Quotes

The king led his daughter into the meadow towards the Seine, where a great crowd gathered. She wore nothing but her shift, and the young man took her in his arms. The little phial containing the potion (he well knew that she had no wish to let him down) was given to her to carry, but I fear it will be of little avail to him, because he knew no moderation.

Related Characters: Marie de France (speaker), The Lord of the Pistrians, The Lord of the Pistrians’ Daughter, The Young Man
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Young Man Quotes in The Lais of Marie de France

The The Lais of Marie de France quotes below are all either spoken by The Young Man or refer to The Young Man. 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
).
VI. Les Deus Amanz Quotes

The king led his daughter into the meadow towards the Seine, where a great crowd gathered. She wore nothing but her shift, and the young man took her in his arms. The little phial containing the potion (he well knew that she had no wish to let him down) was given to her to carry, but I fear it will be of little avail to him, because he knew no moderation.

Related Characters: Marie de France (speaker), The Lord of the Pistrians, The Lord of the Pistrians’ Daughter, The Young Man
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis: