he lai of Chevrefoil is considered by some to be one of Marie de France's best lais. In addition to being one of the best, it is also the shortest of the lais, at only 118 lines long. The lai of Chevrefoil is but a scene in the longer story of Tristan and Isolt. Marie drops the reader right in the middle of Tristan's story, when the two lovers meet in the forest. She uses a motif from the Tristan legend. Tristan sends Isolt a message on a piece of wood that he would float down a stream. Marie goes into great detail about the message that Tristan writes for Isolt, although exactly what Tristan writes is still a bit of a mystery. It is unclear whether Tristan writes just his name, as stated in line 54, or if he wrote a long message in a secret language known only to the lovers, or if he wrote the lines contained in quotation marks in lines 77 and 78. Whatever the message that Tristan writes, Isolt is quick to decipher it and meet with Tristan in the forest.
he efficiency of the lais is in Marie's use of her audience's prior knowledge of the story of Tristan. She refers to many pieces of the legend of Tristan: Tristan's exile, the king's barons, Isolt's loyal servent. None of these facets needs further explanation because of the story's fame. There are some facets, such as the love potion, which Marie never mentions. Instead, Marie uses the symbolism of the honeysuckle and the hazel to bind the two lovers.
he longevity of the lai is in part due to the unique style that Marie uses in constructing it. Her carefully chosen words, in combination with her selective use of pre-existing folklore, make for a long-lived lai. Where we know nothing of Marie, we have her lais to remind us of an artisan who lived long ago.
he lai of Chevrefoil is considered by some to be one of Marie de France's best lais. In addition to being one of the best, it is also the shortest of the lais, at only 118 lines long. The lai of Chevrefoil is but a scene in the longer story of Tristan and Isolt. Marie drops the reader right in the middle of Tristan's story, when the two lovers meet in the forest. She uses a motif from the Tristan legend. Tristan sends Isolt a message on a piece of wood that he would float down a stream. Marie goes into great detail about the message that Tristan writes for Isolt, although exactly what Tristan writes is still a bit of a mystery. It is unclear whether Tristan writes just his name, as stated in line 54, or if he wrote a long message in a secret language known only to the lovers, or if he wrote the lines contained in quotation marks in lines 77 and 78. Whatever the message that Tristan writes, Isolt is quick to decipher it and meet with Tristan in the forest.