In this weeks story, Melusine and her relationship with Raymondin highlight the importance of respecting someones personal boundaries and their privacy. When Melusine and Raymondin first meet, the two outline certain expectations and objectives for their relationship. This includes never seeing each other on a Saturday. In this scene, Melusine explicitly says, “You must swear by all holy sacraments as a christian that on each Saturday, from sundown till the following day, never – and I will say it again so there is no doubt about it – never must you try to see me in any way whatever, nor seek to know where I am” (pg. 27). This isn’t a simple request or suggestion. Instead there’s a heavy weight of responsibility to Melusine’s words, especially through using the term ‘holy sacraments’. This implies that to break this oath is akin to breaking a promise to God, which usually carry severe punishments. She didn’t say this once, but twice in order to further emphasize this clause in their agreement. This statement is unbreakable and leaves no wiggle room for potential change in the future. With all this laid out, Raymondin agrees to marry her. The two share a prosperous life together and are deeply committed to each other which makes Raymondin’s betrayal of their promise and Melusine’s privacy all the more heart breaking. When Raymondin uncovered this secret, he didn’t bear it alone, but instead revealed it to all those who were in the castle. Because of this public spectacle and exposing of her secret, she would never again get to be with Raymondin as husband and wife. This reveal captures the nature of secrets: once revealed, the circumstances surrounding the secret will forever be altered. Had Raymondin kept the discovery to himself, Melusine would have been able to die as a mortal Christian woman besides him. By violating these boundaries, these actions lead to the downfall of both their happiness and contentment, which shows the importance of treating boundaries in relationships with respect and continued acknowledgement.
Knight, G. The Romance of the Faerie Melusine. Skylight Press, 2011.
Great reading of this scene and its biblical, contractual language. This is, indeed, the pivotal moment and language– let’s discuss why and wherefore. Thanks for taking us here!
“This reveal captures the nature of secrets: once revealed, the circumstances surrounding the secret will forever be altered.” This is a great point. I love how this story has a bunch of important ideas and lessons to take away from it. I haven’t thought about what the story could be saying about the consequences of betraying someone’s trust on a larger scale. It wasn’t bad enough that Raymondin disobeyed Melusina’s wishes and tried to see her on a saturday, no – he had to tell everyone which dissolves any chance of reaching a mutual understanding and moving on cordially. Just like in real life, secrets have a reason for being kept private, and just like in real life – things can fall apart for everyone involved with the secret when it gets out. It’s really thought provoking.