THE SCENE: Love could be a deadly business in medieval Europe, as is demonstrated by the passage below, in which a faithless husband (Eliduc) defends his concubine’s honor by resorting to extreme measures.
THE TEXT: They had good wind and settled weather, but as they were about to arrive, they encountered a storm at sea and a wind arose before them that drove them far from the harbour. They sailed back and forth along the coast and came extremely close to being shipwrecked. Then one of the sailors cried aloud: “What are we doing? Lord, you have with you the woman who will cause us to perish. We shall never make land! You have a loyal wife and now with this other woman you offend God and his law, righteousness and the faith. Let us cast her into the sea and we shall soon arrive safely.”
Eliduc heard what he said and almost went demented with anger. “Son of a whore,” he said, “wicked and evil traitor, say no more! If I had abandoned my love, you would have paid dearly for it.” But he held her in his arms and comforted her as best he could against her sea-sickness and because she had heard that he had a wife in his own country. She fell face down, quite pale and wan, in a swoon in which she remained, for she did not come round or breathe. He who was taking her away [Eliduc] with him truly believed that she was dead. He lamented greatly and then arose, went quickly up to the sailor and struck him with the oar so that he knocked him out flat. Then with his foot he pushed him overboard and the waves bore the body away. When he had cast him into the sea, he went to take charge of the helm, steering the boat and holding it on course so that he reached the harbour and land.
– Eliduc, Marie de France, 12th Century AD
