Transcendent Love In Chretien De Troye's Knight Of The Cart

Dante Alighieri’s Divina Commedia includes the Purgatorio, the second section within the poem. It tells a story from Dante’s perspective about his personal journey through Purgatory, and the penance of his sinful actions he committed on Earth. Dante, the pilgrim, is shown by heavenly Beatrice the strength and purity of transcendent love, through forgiveness and unconditionality, like the courtly love Lancelot and Guinevere share in Chretien de Troye’s Knight of the Cart. This theme of transcendent love is represented throughout the Purgatorio by Purgatory itself; God demonstrates limitless love through the creation of Purgatory by allowing individuals to redeem themselves of their wrongdoings if one truly desires salvation. In Canto 30, Dante

He is in complete wonder by her beauty, but feels as if there is something about her presence that is different that he cannot quite grasp and understand. Dante describes this by saying, “…though many years had passed since I last stood trembling before her eyes, captured by adoration, stunned by awe—my soul, that could not see her perfectly…” (Dante, 30.34-38). Due to being led astray “from the path the leads to truth” (Dante, 30.131), he cannot fully fathom her holy presence and goodness from within; he can only see her superficial outer beauty. Such emphasis on material things and not living a pious life is why Beatrice requests this intervention of having Dante move through Hell and Purgatory. It is explained further how Dante cannot feel her spiritual presence while he is on Earth and claims he wandered from her, and ultimately God, because he could not

This love has similarities to Dante and Beatrice’s love. Firstly, Beatrice is regarded more highly than Dante in a sense, because she is heavenly and he is not, like Queen Guinevere is more noble than Lancelot, a knight. Both loves are originally based on lust. Chretien de Troyes writes, “…he turns and sees seated up there at the window of the tower her whom he desired most in the world to see. From the moment he caught sight of her, he did not turn or take his eyes and face from her…” (de Troyes, 45), which demonstrates the concept of ‘love at first sight’, which Dante is said to experience about Beatrice. It also shows the awe and amazement Lancelot was of Guinevere’s beauty; Dante was in likewise wonder when he laid eyes on Beatrice again in the Purgatorio (Dante, 30.34-38). Both women are also the one’s to forgive their lovers, and make them better men in different senses. Guinevere shows mercy for when Lancelot hesitates entering the cart, which is representative as a hesitation or shame towards their love. The queen says, “What? Did you not hesitate for shame to mount the cart? You showed you were loath to get in… I pardon you willingly” (de Troyes, 55). She does this to show Lancelot his wrongdoings, and to allow him a second chance at their love. Correspondingly, Dante admits to his sinful ways of life to Beatrice, who pardons him (Dante,