Lanval

In Lanval, Marie uses the Legend of King Arthur to make her views of the king known. Marie's courtly audience would have recognized the target of her attack. Lanval is her only Arthurian lai, and Arthurian literature is often used as a vehicle for examination of the contemporary monarchy and culture. The Arthurian setting of Lanval is one of the strongest arguments in favor of identifying it as written about, not for, Henry II.

As a Norman ruler, Henry evidently wished to become identified with King Arthur in order to validate his reign in that country and on the continent, and to glorify his identity as an "Anglo-Angevin" king in opposition to the Capetian kings' legitimization through Charlemagne (Kelly 55). To destroy the myth of Arthur's return and to allow himself to take Arthur's place as national hero, Henry sponsored an archaeological excavation at Glastonbury Abbey and staged an "elaborate 'discovery'" of the tombs of Arthur and Guinevere (Duby 198).

Furthermore, the kernel of Marie's attack on Arthur in Lanval is his failure as feudal lord and administrator of justice. One of Henry's areas of concentration during his reign was the improvement of the judicial system.
Marie certainly displays great concern over this problem in Lanval and some of the Fables, but it must be wondered why Marie would "frequently point to the urgent need for a system of justice that treats everyone fairly" if Henry were successfully alleviating that need.

Surely the medieval audience understood the choice of traditional material as a vehicle for commentary on contemporary issues and persons, and Eleanor would not have missed the point. The likelihood of the image of Henry as a self-interested and rash administrator of justice, a cuckolded husband and graceless feudal lord being tolerated or considered as entertainment is unimaginable, not to mention the depiction of Eleanor as an adulterous, prideful queen, willing to pervert justice and the court to serve her ends.

Summary of Lanval

- King Arthur distributes presents, lands, and wives to his barons but neglects to reward the loyal Lanval
- Lanval is depressed and in financial straits; lost in thought he goes off to the countryside and reaches a stream where he meets two lovely ladies who lead him to their mistress who is beautiful and rich
- Lanval becomes her lover; she requires however that he keep their relationship secret or lose her forever; from then on Lanval is able to meet his lover whenever he wants and lives in luxury
- Queen Guinevere makes a pass at Lanval who rejects her; angry, she accuses him of homosexuality
- Lanval defends himself by boasting about the extreme beauty of his lover and points out that even her servants are more beautiful than the queen
- Even angrier, the queen tells the king that Lanval tried to seduce her and insulted her
- The king demands that be put on trial; distressed, Lanval calls his lover but she doesn't come
- Lanval is brought to court; the barons are divided as to what to do; then it is agreed that Lanval must prove the truth of his boasts
- Suddently two girls, attendants of Lanval's lover and more beautiful than anyone had ever seen, appear and request that preparations be made for the arrival of their mistress; two more and also very beautiful ladies arrive and also request preparations for the arrival of their mistress
- Lanval's lady finally arrives to the awe of all those present who must admit she is the most beautiful woman in the world
- The lady announces she has been the lover of Lanval and that the queen lied, and requests that he be acquitted - Lanval is set free and he leaves with the lady for the island of Avalon and is never heard from again