Gurun Character Analysis in The Lais of Marie de France

Gurun is a lord who falls in love with Le Fresne. He is so taken with her, in fact, that he determines to patronize and enrich the abbey where she lives so that he can visit her there without raising suspicion. After Le Fresne comes to live at his castle, however, Gurun lets his knights talk him into seeking a noble wife instead—La Codre. After Le Fresne’s mother identifies Le Fresne as her daughter, Gurun agrees to get his marriage to La Codre annulled, so that he and Le Fresne can marry after all.

Gurun Character Timeline in The Lais of Marie de France

The timeline below shows where the character Gurun appears in The Lais of Marie de France. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Gender Roles and Class Status Theme Icon

...beautiful and cultivated in her speech, and everyone loves her. Meanwhile, an excellent lord names Gurun is living in Dol. When Gurun hears about Le Fresne, he immediately begins to love... (full context)

Gurun talks to Le Fresne often, and once he’s assured of her love, he persuades her... (full context)

Eventually, Gurun is persuaded to seek a wife. On his knights’ advice, he approaches a wealthy maiden... (full context)

On the day of Gurun’s wedding, all his friends show up, as well as the Archbishop of Dol. La Codre’s... (full context)

That night, when the marriage bed is being prepared, Le Fresne shows the chamberlains how Gurun likes the bed to be made, since she’s seen it done many times. She doesn’t... (full context)

...rejoices and greets Le Fresne as his daughter. Then he and the archbishop go to Gurun and explain everything to him. They all agree that the archbishop should separate Gurun and... (full context)