Essay On Sexuality In The Middle Ages

Society, is the body that is composed of individuals or communities who share a set of familiar religion, norms, values, cultural or political beliefs or practices. But society does not always stay the same, it is constantly changing due to significant events, that influences social beliefs or practices to change. The significance of family, marriage, sexuality, and homosexuality are some of practices or beliefs that has changed over the centuries. In modern society, family and marriage are still important but, because of the growing desire of independence, it is something does not hold the same value as compared to the Medieval Times. Sexuality and homosexuality are similar beliefs that has notably changed contrast to the Medieval Ages. The

Jacqueline Murray, an expert in Medieval studies, discusses about the relationship about men and sexuality and how during the Middle Ages society used to perceive men’s sexuality. Sexual relationships between a man and woman was natural, only if both the man and woman were married, however, self-stimulation was considered a sin. In the Middle Ages, man, were seen as superior, they perceive man’s body as a creation of God, and it signified grace(pg 1)1. These interpretation were influenced by religion, and it also had a very large influence regarding sexual morality during the Medieval Times, because of Adam and Eve (pg 2). Murray illustrates that masturbation was considered a temptation by the devil and ,as described by the philosopher Augustine, it was considered lower than an animal's appetite (pg5). However, Murray further discussed about the ways which society viewed seminal emission and menstruation. For instance, she further discovers that Augustine viewed seminal emission as sinless, since men had no control of their dreams and it was a form to balance the four humorous, whereas, menstruation was just a cycle of sins (pg 5 and 8). Jacqueline Murray analyzed that society had different perspectives about the men’s and women’s