Essay Questions

Who was Le Bel Inconnu?

The name is used here to refer to a young man who discovers his desire to be knighted. The real name of the man remains unknown but his lineage is revealed in the poem. The young man is the son of Sir Gawain and a fay named Blanchemal. The fay, or fairy, falls in love with Sir Gawain but decides to raise the boy which resulted from their relationship on her own. Sir Gawain is an important Arthurian character, one of the Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur’s nephew. Sir Gawain is the most frequent mentioned knight and is often described as being King Arthur’s closest friend and ally. He is also one of the most honorable men in the Arthurian legends, thus making his son’s desire to become a knight something natural.

How can the story be categorized?

Le Bel Inconnu is a medieval chivalric romance, a popular genre at the time when the story was first written down. It was seen as a genre of high culture, or rather the most popular genre of the time. It is extremely versatile, with both literary pieces form the time written in prose or verse. Because of the time when the story was written, it also has a moral message transmitted through it and it describes the main characteristics a man or a woman should possess. This type of literature usually presented an idealized version of the society and the roles men and women were supposed to fulfill. A great accent is also put on the idea of honor and courage, two qualities which had to be developed and always maintained.

How is marriage seen in the story and why is the main character not criticized for promising to marry numerous women and then abandoning them?

Marriage was a complicated affair in the Middle Ages, especially for those who were in the upper class. Usually, women and men were engaged soon after birth in order to form alliances with other powerful families or kingdoms. The children grew up knowing the person they will have to marry and no matter the circumstances, they had to follow through with their parents’ wishes. Some of the women in the story offer themselves to the main character as a marriage option in exchange for his help in various tasks. When the protagonist agrees to these marriage proposals, he does this not because he loves the women but because he wants to inherit their land. Unfortunately, during those times, a woman could not decide who she wanted to marry as this was something the father did. Because of this, it is possible the main character did not see those marriage proposals as being legitimate ones as they were not put forth by the father. At the end of the story, the main character encounters another problem when his King orders him to marry a woman of his choosing. In this context, the King had absolute power and whatever previous agreement the protagonist had become null. Thus, because of these reasons, the narrator does not criticize the protagonist for not following through with his marriage promises.