the confines of the courtly system, presenting himself as a gentle vassal of the king by putting his paw on the king's stirrup and offering his loyalty. This is what saves Bisclavret and, in the end, allows him to be vindicated, for the king takes an interest in this gentleman-like wolf servant.

The story shows men having more agency than the sole woman character, the lady. She notices that her husband goes away mysteriously for periods while she is stuck at home. She can only find out why he goes off by coaxing the story out of him; his love for her is her only leverage. When he tells her his story—which is that he goes off as a werewolf and can only regain human form by putting his clothes back on—she must again work through a man, her beloved knight. He, not she, is the one who steals the baron's clothes. The story shows us a female character who, though near the top of her social hierarchy, must depend on a male to act for her. 

In "Lay of the Were-Wolf," the king enjoys immense power and privilege. As a monarch, he presides over the medieval class structure. The king in the story is served by his barons and knights; all owe their allegiance to him, and he wields considerable power over their lives. In the story, the king is served by a wise counselor; this counselor is "cunning and crafty" and has the ear of his monarch.

When Bisclavaret attacks the knight and his wife, it is the counselor who advises the king to interrogate the knight's wife. So, while the king is the ultimate authority in Brittany, imperial counselors wield considerable influence at court. The king has the knight's wife tortured in order to obtain a confession. Eventually, of course, she admits her part in betraying her former husband (Bisclavaret). 

Within the Brittany class structure, the king represents the ultimate patriarchal authority. He can order the incarceration of any citizen and act unilaterally in his kingdom's best interest. The knights, lords, and barons (nobles) who are subordinate to his power represent the next level of patriarchal authority within the medieval social structure. The ruling class is predominantly male, as can be seen in the story. Bisclavaret, although part-beast, is portrayed as noble, dignified, and loyal. This contrasts with how Grendel's mother is portrayed in Beowulf.

Predominantly, women in "Lay of the Were-Wolf" are portrayed as subordinate and dependent upon the protection of men. The baron's wife transfers her love and loyalty to the knight once she discovers that her husband is part-beast and part-man. In the story, she betrays her husband, Bisclavaret, in order to preserve her physical safety. 

The women in "Lay of the Were-Wolf" and Beowulf are similar in that they play secondary roles in the public sphere. In Beowulf, Wealhtheow is a beautiful queen who plays hostess to her husband's warrior knights. She bequeaths the mead cup to each warrior guest and invites him to drink from it during gatherings at Heorot Hall. During one such gathering, Wealhtheow beseeches Beowulf to remember her sons and to protect their natural claims to the Danish throne. Wealhtheow also asks her husband, King Hrothgar, to refrain from making Beowulf his heir. Wealhtheow is similar to Bisclavaret's wife in that both must rely on the good graces of powerful men to protect their privileged positions in society. In Wealhtheow's case, the failure of her sons to take the throne would eventually lead to her own displacement as queen.

While women in "Lay of the Were-Wolf" and Beowulf are portrayed as subordinate to men, they are also characterized as synonymous with sin, betrayal, and temptation in the stories. For example, Grendel's mother is the ultimate mother-warrior; she is contrasted with Wealhtheow, the refined and generous queen-mother. In "Lay of the Werewolf," the baron's wife exemplifies feminine treachery when she reveals Bisclavaret's secret to the knight. Both Grendel's mother and the baron's wife are punished for subverting the prevailing feminine archetype. In Beowulf, Grendel's mother is killed by a magic sword wielded by Beowulf. The sword is a symbol of masculine authority and potency; its power to obliterate feminine monstrosity is absolute.

Likewise in "Lay of the Were-Wolf,"the baron's wife and her lover are banished from the civilized realm of Brittany; her lover shares her fate because he fell into temptation on account of her influence. So, in both stories, women are portrayed as subordinate to male authority. Additionally, any woman who fails to live up to the feminine ideal is severely punished.