“…when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” ~ James 1:15b
“The goddess Venus arrived by [Troylus’] side, invisible, and whispered to his heart: ‘What a coward you are, knight! You’re all alone with this beautiful girl, the one you love above all others, and you don’t lie with her!’ He considered these words and decided to act upon them…But Propriety, directed by the god of Love, told him it would be a betrayal to do this: no true lover would harm his beloved. Troylus had second thoughts; and when Venus saw him demure she was more than disappointed with him, and lit her torch and set him so aflame that he was nearly driven wild by the heat…he couldn’t help answering Venus’s urging and had all he wanted of the beautiful Zellandine – including her right to the name of maiden.”[1]
Sin is accomplished, and has brought forth death. For rape is as death to a woman (Deut. 22:26). Themis caused Zellandine’s body to fall asleep; but it is this act that truly destroys Zellandine’s heart.
We want Troylus to be noble, to be worthy of Zellandine’s love. We want the “happy ending.” How can that happen now, when Troylus has done something unspeakably savage?
The author grapples with this story, too. Early in Perceforest, he establishes that only the most evil of man rape women. [2] He also includes a parallel incident in the adventures of the knight Gallafur, whose honor is tested when Venus urges him to take advantage of a sleeping woman; Gallafur feels he should wake the girl “for he thought it shameful and treacherous to assail her as she slept.”[3]
So why did the author write Zellandine’s story this way? And why does he seem to give excuses for Troylus’ evil behavior?
My best guess is the author didn’t have a choice. Zellandine’s story is taken from “murkier oral traditions,”[4] which means the author was bound by certain thematic elements. In the author’s mind, Troylus had to rape Zellandine. There was no other way to tell the story…but like the good fairy in subsequent versions, he could try and alleviate some of the pain.
No, Zellandine’s story is not what any of us – including the author – want.
But it’s the story we need to hear.
Through Zellandine, we see that the past is not so different from our present. We still have the problem of violence against women. Troylus’ excuses for his behavior (which I left out since this post was running long) are similar to modern abusers’ excuses; and Zellandine’s feelings and reactions are the same as those expressed by modern survivors of violence.
This was the story women in the 14th century needed to hear…and this is the story modern women need to hear: the situation seems hopeless, irredeemable, unsalvageable. But God’s Love is all-powerful and all-healing, even when we endure betrayal and unspeakable evil.
Sources
[1] Bryant, Perceforest, p. 392
[2] Bryant, Introduction, p. 6; Bryant points out several instances within the text in which rape is discussed as the most inhumane crimes one could commit.
[3] Perceforest, p. 595-596, pointed out in Bryant’s Introduction to Perceforest, p. 13. He actually decides not to sleep with her at all since he’s not in love with her.
[4] Bryant, Introduction, p. 2. Interestingly, Bryant does not comment on the Zellandine episode when he discusses the theme of rape in Perceforest.
