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The Courtly Love Tradition

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The courtly love tradition came during a time when love emphasized nobility and chivalry. It originated with musicians called troubadours in the late eleventh century. Courtly love to promote a new form of paganism which people of the time called Gai Saber(means the happy wisdom or "gay science") It was practiced mainly by noble lords and women. Couples who were engaged in courtly relationships gave each other gifts and tokens of their affection. Before Courtly love established itself as a popular real-life activity, it first gained attention as a subject and theme in imaginative literature. Ardent knights, that is to say, and their passionately adored ladies have been already popular figures in song and fable before they began spawning a
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The best knights had gone to perfection, leaving the worst to hold their sieges” (White, 477). Although Arthur intended to improve his Round Table, he did not properly prepare for the risks associated with his quest, and the consequences of its completion. As a result of Arthur’s imprudence, the success of his quest is instead detrimental to the resulting state of his court.

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The Aurthian legends of chivalry and courtly love are archaic. Chivalric code includes being a courageous knight that is willing to sacrifice himself for his king; to be strong during all battles and have integrity in all situations. Courtly love refers to an unattainable love between a knight and a married woman. Although polite and courteous, the knight may only win a kiss from the lady in the end. With that, satire is used today as a way to make fun of these outdated themes.

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Romeo and Juliet Compare/Contrast Sometimes, people are just not meant to be together. Romeo and Juliet are two different types of lovers. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is about two teenagers who make quick decisions and it ends up coming back to haunt them. Romeo and Juliet are from to feuding families but somehow end up falling in love.

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Chivalric romances are often centered upon the efforts of gallant knights seeking to achieve a concept known as “true knighthood” which involves embarking on quests or adventures to obtain honor, love, and Christian virtue. The brave knights of these stories are met with many obstacles to overcome, commonly in regards to rescuing or protecting a lady. In other words, the typical role of women in this period is that of the damsel in distress or a helpless, dependent lady in need of a hero. However, the stories of Chrétien de Troyes’ Yvain, the Knight of the Lion and Friedrich Heinrich Karl La Motte-Fouqué’s The Magic Ring strays from the typical role of women as the damsel in distress.

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Marie de France, one of the few women writers of the medieval time period, challenged gender roles through her exploration of women’s empowerment and resistance to social norms. Her work shows her creative talent and provides an overview of the evolution of the attitudes of the era. She also expresses and shows the value and ideals of medieval society through the love and chivalry in Lanval. She illuminates the concept of love, emphasizing its ability to transcend social boundaries and trigger transformational

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During these days, Sir Gawain was tempted and seduced by Bertalik’s wife, but he did not succumb to her advances. By not allowing himself to give in to her advances, it showed true honor and Godliness. Sir Gawain remained true to his word and gave Bertalik his earnings from day one and two which were kisses from Bertalik’s wife, and in return Bertalik did the same. However, on day three the wife gave him three kisses and a silk green girdle that possessed the power to protect whomever was wearing it, but when it came time to exchange, Sir Gawain only gave Bertalik the kisses and not the girdle.

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Throughout the Elizabethan era, in most cases, courtships were nonexistent; most individuals went immediately to marriage. Today, “couples usually spend some periods of time engaged before they actually marry” (Document A). Couples moving towards engagement establish a strong connection which is crucial to a relationship. Without a strong connection with someone, love may fizzle out, or there may even be a lack of love in the first place. Many times in the Elizabethan era, if any, a scarce amount of attraction occurred, let alone love.

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The Bible itself is the most sold book in all of history, for good reason. In one way or another, it has impacted the lives of almost everyone. Whether it is through the practice of religion, or through the arts, it is a part of us all. Authors have been fond of using it as a tool in their writing, which can be as seen as a type of “Easter egg”. They are not easily shown and the readers sometimes have to dig deep to see them, and the same goes for those eggs.

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In Geoffrey Chaucer’s epic poem “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” and Giovanni Boccaccio’s “Federigo’s Falcon” illustrate what love is to a woman. Both works emphasize an ongoing theme of sacrifice. Boccaccio’s story dwells on a man sacrificing things he loves to prove he is worthy of a woman’s love using dramatic irony, while Chaucer uses power as a sacrifice for safety. Both works of literature depict sacrifice as a way to get what you want, ultimately losing what you love. Boccaccio presents a lusty knight flaunting his power and looks, when he takes the power from a virgin maiden it only made his power excel. .

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The medieval view of Courtly Love is evident in “The Knight’s Tale” by chivalry, the rules of Courtly Love, and the indirect opposition to the church’s teaching. Courtly Love is a highly conventionalized medieval tradition of love. It is typically between a knight and a married noblewomen. Courtly Love can even be considered as romantic love. “The ideals of this

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Courtly love in the medieval romance story of Lancelot (also known as The Knight of the Cart) is the driving force of this famous romance beloved for generations. This proves to be an interesting subject, seeing is a lot of other medieval stories do not focus on love and instead, show it in a rather negative light. This was obviously seen in another medieval story, Njal’s Saga, where not only were marriages arranged and sometimes unwanted by one or both parties, the relationships between men and women were rought with conflict, hatred, and sometimes even murder. The women were not beautiful, diminutive, helpless creatures; they were as strong as their male counterparts. Men also had relatively no interest in love, only of going on grand adventures

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Reluctantly the knight marries the old woman, yet he constantly complains about how old and hideous she is. Therefore, the old woman offers her husband a deal: either she can become young, beautiful, and a cheater, or she can remain old and faithful. The knight tells his wife that he wants her to choose whatever shall make herself happy, for that will make him happy as well. The old woman becomes young and beautiful, while also remaining faithful to her husband. Women have been the subject of subservient roles for centuries and medieval literary icons such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales both depict plots that disvalue women and their

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(Chaucer 45-60). Chaucer gives the knight genuine praise to show the virtuous qualities he possesses. Similarly, Chaucer uses the knight in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” to show the importance of honor. The knight shows honor when he promises the queen that he will find what  women most desire, “In the end he chose to go away / And to return after a year and a day / Armed with such answer / As there might be sent to him by god” (Chaucer, 91-94).  

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In general, courtly love is meant to be passionate love between two people who are already married to other individuals. However, as seen through the Miller’s tale, courtly love is usually not as ardent as it is made out to be. In his tale, Absalon “[kicks] his heels about and blithely prance / And play some merry tunes upon the fiddle” in an attempt to make women love him (3330-31). However, when he does this for Alison, she “[makes] poor Absalon an ape, / [Makes] all his earnest efforts but a jape” (3389-90).

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