The Wife’s Lament
There are numerous ways to interpret The Wife’s Lament. Indeed, I have had many thoughts pass through my mind about what position the narrator is truly in – what exactly is going on behind the scenes. However, regardless of what else is going on in the picture, the biggest issue in this work, and discussed outside, is the relationship between the wife and her husband. One could easily say there are two options: they either love each other, or they hate each other. But it is not quite that simple. There are far more options: He loves her, she hates him (which doesn’t appear to be the case at all), she loves him, he hates her, or my opinion; they both hate and yet because of circumstance are drawn to, or on some level, love, each other.
What points me to this final conclusion? There are various areas in the text that would point to this idea. In the text, the wife says, “the man’s kinfolk hatched a plot to separate us so that we two should live most unhappy and farthest from one another…” There are two ideas within this statement that show the relationship to her husband. First, regarding the kinfolk’s plot, indicates that they are being forced apart by some means. Second is her mentioning that separation would make both of them unhappy. This indicates that perhaps there was some deeper attachment between the two. Where they living happily together? Why would they be unhappy apart if they hated each other? The following line, “And I felt longing” would show that she (obviously) does have a longing for her husband, but to what extent? As a lover? As a fellow victim of, as the introduction suggests, a failed attempt to bring peace between two parties?
The following section has a lot more to speculate on. She describes her husband as “like minded – luckless, gloomy, hiding murderous thoughts in his heart.” This would pertain to their circumstances, that is, being married to end the feud. It is the line “murderous thoughts” that I believe often throws people off, and that brings me to my own love/hate conclusion. Being from two feuding families, they would have been brought up, naturally, to hate each other. Murderous intent towards each other would be the initial thought. But perhaps it is towards the families themselves for forcing them to be wed to each other? Perhaps they were against the feud and the murderous thoughts were towards their own families for hating each other? This shared murderous thought, and because of their circumstance of being wed, it is possible that they formed some kind of connection between this?
The following line is about a vow – that of friendship that would not be broken unless by death. This shows some kind of affection between husband and wife, whether by duty, or by personal feelings. Was the vow made because of the devotion each felt towards their own people, made in an effort to maintain peace? Perhaps the friendship was forged in an effort to make peace but it didn’t work and now they both have to suffer through the feud feeling it was their duty to side with their respective families and thus creating a feud within themselves? *takes a deep breath* Regardless, the vow is broken - this indicates the outside parties were unhappy with this friendship vow, and thus forced them apart.
The wife then finds herself in this earthen shell of sorts. This can be taken both literally and figuratively. Is she truly in this earthen hall? Or is this a symbolic entrapment of her unfulfilled desires? In spite of all that’s been said, the way I interpret the relationship between husband and wife is from the final section of the work. The entirety of the last section points to the wife’s loneliness. If we interpret the relationship of husband and wife from this paragraph, it shows that, while she may have hated her husband, they shared a mindset – a bond of circumstance. While the hate may have been there, suffering alone is the worse fate. The last line then leaves us hanging: “Woe is the one who, languishing, waits for a lover.” Is she lamenting over a love that she’s never had? Or does she in reality, love her husband?
Of course, viewpoints can change easily when placing the wife in different positions. If she was an older woman, then I find this story extremely depressing and very unfortunate. If she was a girl of 15 or 16, she could have likely, in her mind, over dramaticized and over romanticized every aspect of her situation, as young girls are wont to do? In this case, it’s honestly a bit funny…
