The Significance of the Ship: Fate as a Central Concept in Guigemar Eve Mandel College

In Guigemar, Marie de France uses the swift, silent ship that carries the knight Guigemar to and from his beloved lady to symbolize fate and the lack of control humans exercise over their passions and life choices. The ship may seem a positive symbol initially because of its beauty, the lai’s happily romantic conclusion, and the comfort it provides, but this interpretation serves to demonstrate that we are often fooled into believing we are in charge of our own destinies. The ship lures Guigemar with its majestic appearance and then sets sail, dictating Guigemar’s experiences, both positive and negative, for the remainder of the story. Marie de France asserts that everyone must experience love and the suffering that comes with it; those who attempt to resist will be taken for a ride, just as Guigemar was.

Marie de France initially portrays the ship as a symbol of beauty and wealth, supporting her larger idea that fate easily manipulates people. She describes the ship, “There was no peg or spike / that was not made completely of ebony; / under heaven there is no gold worth more. / The sail was entirely of silk, / very beautiful when unfurled… / in great anguish he climbed aboard” (de France 63). Here, Marie emphatically stresses...