The Lay of the Nightingale - Book Review Sample

Introduction

The Lay of the nightingale is about two knights who are neighbors. One knight is married while the other is a bachelor. A secret love affair develops between the wife of the married knight and the other knight, but the two cannot meet because of the husband’s diligence. Their relationship, therefore, is limited to a conversation and tossing gifts to one another through windows over the courtyards. The lady wakes up at night to speak with her lover when her husband is asleep. When her husband becomes suspicious, she tells him that she rises at night to listen to the song of the nightingale. The husband commands his servants to capture the bird and bring it to him alive. When the bird is brought, the man informs his wife that she will now be able to sleep. His wife requests him to release the bird, but he kills it and throws it at her, staining her dress with blood. The wife mourns the death of the bird because she knows she can no longer communicate with her beloved. She wraps the Nightingale’s body and requests a servant to deliver it to the neighbor. The knight is saddened when he sees the nightingale’s corpse. He puts it in a reliquary and carries it around with him always.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The Number of Characters in the Story

There are four characters in the story. First is the married knight, who is diligent and spiteful. Second is the unmarried knight who is courageous, persistent, and adventurers. The third is the knight’s wife, who is beautiful and courteous, and finally, some servants are obedient to their master. The two knights are similar in that they are both knights. However, they are different in that one is married while the other is a bachelor. Also, the married knight is diligent and spiteful, while the other is brave, persistent, and adventurers.

What the Nightingale and Coffret Symbolize

A coffret is a small box or container. It was used to preserve physical remains or keeping valuable items, especially during the Middle Ages in French medieval society. The Nightingale and the coffret symbolize the sad story of love between the lady and the knight. Love, in this lay, is represented by the glorious song of the nightingale. The song can be viewed to convey the power of imagination and fantasy. The lovers, to an extent, are encouraged by the fantasies of one another through the glimpses they acquire.

The Representation of Love in the Lay

According to the story, true love between a husband and a wife is not possible. Although the wife in the story was married, she had a secret love affair with another knight, thus a clear proof that true love between a couple is not possible. Moreover, in my view, the title of the lay is metaphoric. Nightingale may be seen as a symbol of love, but in the story, I see it as a symbol of doom. It emphasizes the fact that secret love is impossible in the public world. Although the lady and the knight maintain a chaste admiration of one another, the public (represented by her husband and the servant) is desperately working to end their secret love affair.

Conclusion

Lastly, the story tells us several things about the French medieval society. Firstly, it tells us that associating glorious bird songs’ was a common practice in society. Secondly, it tells us that people preserved their treasures and other valuable items in reliquaries for memory. Also, it tells us that having a secret relationship was not possible, especially for married people, because no matter how private the lovers tried to maintain the affair, it would still be known by the public.