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Part 1: Artigues
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Wife of Martin Guerre, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Loyalty
Gender and Madness
Modernity, Tradition, and Change
Morality, Legality, and Deception
Summary
Analysis
Since Artigues has no court, the returned Martin is tried in Rieux. Bertrande travels to Rieux, and stays again with her aunt. This time, Bertrande does not feel disoriented by the city. She is secure in her accusation of Martin, but feels alone. Two of Martin’s sisters accuse Bertrande of being greedy, and of wanting to be sole mistress of the farm again. Martin’s other sisters and Bertrande’s aunt defend Bertrande, but claim that she is mad.
The women in Bertrande’s life attack her morals and her sanity. The social norms in Artigues dictate that women obey men and never presume to have their own convictions. The fact that none of the women in Bertrande’s life believes her suggests that these social norms are deeply embedded enough to make women turn against their own sex.
Themes
At the trial, the returned Martin is charged with misrepresentation and theft. Pierre asks that Martin do public penance, pay a fine, and give Bertrande 10,000 livres. For her testimony, Bertrande describes Martin’s awkward swordplay with Sanxi, so unrepresentative of Martin Guerre’s skill. When the judges and Martin smirk, Bertrande swears that Martin is not her husband. Martin testifies in a relaxed manner, recounting his travels and how he returned when he heard that his parents were dead and how Pierre greeted him with recognition (but turned malicious when Martin asked for money that had been saved for him as a child). He also recalls how Pierre attempted to kill him. Martin gives the dates of his wedding and Sanxi’s birth. Bertrande confirms that the dates are correct. The judges suspend the trial until the following day. Discouraged, Bertrande wishes that she and Pierre had not asked for money.
Pierre charges the imposter 10,000 livres (10,000 pounds of silver equivalent to about 12,000 U.S. dollars)—a request that makes it seem that Bertrande is driven by her greed rather than her commitment to her morals. From Bertrande’s testimony, however, it is clear that what she wants is moral justice and freedom from the sin of adultery. The solemn language of her oath proves that she cares that the truth is honored. In contrast to this testimony founded in moral instinct, the prisoner’s testimony focuses solely on physical and circumstantial detail. These opposite focuses point to the moral shortcomings of the legal system, which cannot distinguish between what is just (in a legal sense) and what is right (in a moral sense).
Themes
The next day, the courthouse is filled with people who have heard about the trial and have come to bear witness. The returned Martin’s servants and the priest testify that Martin is Martin Guerre. Then, a man named Jean Espagnol testifies that he has known the prisoner since birth as Arnaud du Tilh. The crowd murmurs. Jean continues his account. Six months ago, Arnaud told Jean that he met Martin Guerre in the war. As part of a deal, Martin gave Arnaud his estate and permission to impersonate him. Bertrande cries that Jean is lying, and the prisoner agrees. The judges call for silence.
Jean Espagnol’s evidence helps Bertrande’s case in a huge way. However, his story upsets Bertrande. Instinctually, Bertrande feels that Jean is lying about Martin’s enabling the impersonation. In this reaction, Bertrande shows the depth of her moral nature. She does not care simply about winning the case and taking home the retribution. Instead, she cares about defending her own and her husband’s moral characters.
Themes
All in all, 40 witnesses claim the prisoner is Martin, while 50 claim he is Arnaud. Several who know both Martin and Arnaud testify that they can’t decide which man the prisoner is. Sanxi is called forward, but his resemblance to the female Guerres makes him unhelpful. Bertrande overhears someone wonder why Bertrande didn’t accuse the imposter immediately upon his return. Bertrande prays for God to deliver her from her sin. At last, the judges declare that the prisoner is Arnaud du Tilh. They sentence him to decapitation. Bertrande jumps up, crying that she does not want Arnaud’s death. She faints in Pierre’s arms. The prisoner, despite the news of his death sentence, looks at Bertrande with joy.
The fact that the witnesses are equally divided on the case indicates that the case cannot be resolved based on the kind of evidence the court asks for. The physical and circumstantial evidence the court presents is insufficient because it is inconclusive. When the court decides that du Tilh is guilty, the decision feels arbitrary: it is a decision made out of the judicial need to have a winner and a loser. Bertrande opposes the court’s need to punish one of the parties, revealing that she cares only about what is morally right, not what is legally just. And to her, putting a man to death—even if the court has justly and legitimately arrived at that outcome—is an immoral act.
Themes
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