"Love has the power to transform evil into good"
Love, betrayal, and downfall are the main themes involved in the story of The Wife of Martin Guerre, the main concept of these themes, 'love have the power to transform evil into good' is portrayed. Also portrayed is the concept that while love can transform evil into good, this transformation is only on the surface, the evil still remains in the core. "Can you not marvel now that the rogue, Arnaud du Tilh, for your beauty and grace, became for three long years an honest man?"
Through the character of Arnaud du Tilh, the concept that 'love has the power to transform evil into good' is portrayed most blatantly. "But it is also notorious that men who have been great sinners have become saints. What would become of us all if we had no power to turn from evil towards good?" Before Arnaud came to the Guerre house, he was a rogue who had only planned to stay long enough to steal some silver or gold.
Chris Martin
Title page of Arrest Memorable, an account of the ...
Martin Guerre (musical)In spite of this he fell in love with Bertrande de Rols and continued on at the house. During this time Arnaud was a good and caring man, he was a farther to Sanxi and his own child, the house prospered.
However, Bertrande became suspicious that the man she had welcomed into the house was not the real Martin Guerre. And she decided to have the fate of the imposter decided by the courts. "Passionate as had once been her love for this stranger, so passionate became her hatred of him." Bertrande became very sick whilst she was pregnant to her third child, second child to Arnaud, which died within the hour of her birth. The child is symbolic of the fact...