Courtly Love In The Knight's Tale

Before the act of courtly love, or l 'amour courtois, became a ceremonial procedure, it existed as a literary genre. As true of any excessively romantic tale produced in the realm of modern entertainment, these historic publications were written for audiences consisting largely of women--specifically the queen, duchess, or countess and the women of her court. Therefore, to appeal to the feminine audience of the courts, these romances were composed around the progressively active role of women. Rather than being portrayed as “cup-bearers” and “peace-weavers,” or domestic housekeepers and political pawns, as is their status in Beowulf, women became the idealized personification of virtue. Ardent knights participated in quests, not for the benefit

Chaucer uses many standards and facets of courtly love in The Canterbury Tales; most notably in the “Knight’s Tale.” The purpose of this paper is to debate and conclude whether Chaucer depicts courtly love as mockable or something to be

(The love mentioned being Eros, generally defined as romantic love; “That state which we call ‘being in love’; or...that kind of love which lovers are ‘in.’”) Courtly love was practiced only between men and women of nobility. The term “courtly” acts as a reference to the circles of European courts in which this procedure was practiced. This approach to romance allowed knights and ladies to show regard for one another without regard to their marital status. Courtly love existed as an ideal above the realm and influence of intercourse. “Such relationships did not exist in ‘real life’ medieval marriages.” In these days of yore, marriages were arranged with little consideration to the love shared between the individuals involved. Conventional love, however, still existed in medieval society, not as the chaste state found in courtly love, but more so as lasciviousness. It can be said that all love begins in a state of lust. What separates the courtly love from the common erotic love is the elevation of courtly from the needs of, for lack of a better description, the hots. It is the supra-carnal state of non-platonic relations described by 12th century Frenchman, Andreas Capellanus, in “The Rules of Courtly Love” as, “a man who is vexed by too much passion usually does not love.” It should be noted that this lofty state existing above the fervor of passion is not a natural human condition.