Analysis
The poem is well known for a number of reasons. The extensive judicial scene gives a degree of insight into the legal system of the period, which is also well documented from a technical point of view in various Anglo-Norman texts of Henry I and Henry II of England. In contrast to Marie's other lais, such as Guigemar and Le Fresne, nothing is made of the mistress's intellectual or spiritual qualities. Rather the description is of the opulence of her wealth and her beauty.
- "She lay on a very beautiful bed, the coverlets cost more than a castle…Her side, though, was uncovered, as well as her face, neck and breast; she was whiter than the hawthorn blossom."
Although the atmosphere of all of the lais is one of fairy tale, "Lanval" is the only one to take place within the milieu of Arthur and to make reference to such Arthurian items as the Round Table and the isle of Avalon. Lanval is rescued from Arthur's judgment by his mistress, which reverses the traditional gender roles of the knight in shining armor and the damsel in distress--at the conclusion, Lanval leaps onto the back of his mistress's horse and they ride off to Avalon.
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