A Story Of Romantic Love Or Courtly Love

Love as a concept in general has evolved greatly over the several millennia of human civilization, but in particular the concept of courtly love has changed greatly in perception. Courtly love is the concept of a noble and pure but illicit love, often between a knight or nobleman and a married noblewoman. Courtly love was seen as a beautiful thing in the high Middle Ages, but throughout the late Middle Ages and on to modern times the concept of courtly love has taken on much more negative contexts; being seen as, among other things, infidelity, extramarital affairs, cheating, and adultery. Currently, there are many varying viewpoints on whether courtly love is wrong or not, but in the high Middle Ages it was seen as noble and pure.

I have been very sad lately because I love Roseline, but she doesn't love me back. "Ay me! sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast?" Benvolio saw me today so I told him the news. "Bid a sick man in sadness make his will: Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill! In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman." He took me to the Capulet party. Once, I got there I saw the most beautiful girl named Juliet, but she is a Capulet. "Is she a Capulet? O dear account! my life is my foe's debt."I kissed her and decided to stay after the party with her.

“The worst,” Wolfgang spits. “She loved him, I don’t know why, but she did. And now all I have to remember her is the expression he wore after he beat her to death.”

“‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” (Miriam-Webster 253). This quote has been used for centuries as both persuasion in favor of loving and also as comfort in times of heartbreak and loss. However, is this statement completely true, or does it offer false hope to anguishing lovers? In fact, are the rules and costs of loving and being loved so great that in fact it is actually better to never have loved at all? When pondering these questions, one must first consider the rules of loving and being loved to determine the physical, emotional, and psychological costs they entail. In order to do so, one could use Andreas Capellanus’ The Art of Courtly Love as a guideline for the rules of love.

Catherine: Neither one of them can stand the person they’re married to. Why go on living with one another like this?

“Madam Delphine, Now even you know that once a spell has been made it can't be broken, you'll never hurt my children” Marie replied with

Given the fact that different types of courtly love emerged in different areas, there is not one universal concept of courtly love and no general definition of courtliness. For example, poets following the courtly love tradition of Southern France, according to the theory, were not committing adultery with the ruler’s wives, but their poetry was written only for the ladies’ amusement, which was called “fin’ amors” translated into pure love. In northern regions of France, however, the troubadour tradition often included sexual love and, therefore, adultery. (Singer, Philosophy of Love 33)

The familiarity with the love tradition makes it easily mistakable for a natural and universal phenomenon and even brings a laxity of enquiring into its origins. However, it is difficult of not impossible to show love to be anything more than an artistic phenomenon or construct- a literary per formative innovation of Middle Ages. Courtly love was a medieval European formation of nobly, and politely expressing love and admiration. Courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility. (Simpson).

I don’t know what to do now… My husband has killed my cousin Tybalt! Romeo why? Why Romeo why? My dear cousin, one so closely bonded to me by blood has been killed by your hands just after we were married today. But, yet I don’t know to whether to speak ill of you or praise you. My nurse called you a villain though you are my hero. Cousin Tybalt I mourn for your unfortunate death, weeping for this mishap. Did you know that when my nurse announced a death to me I was so deeply afraid that the person who died was Romeo? I am so enamored with Romeo that although, I have only been a wife for a few hours the feelings of joy are abundant that I’m glad m husband is still alive. However, why do I feel this way? Love is so mysterious

"Don't touch me, Wulfric?" she said and pushed my hands away from her soft skin.

“Brother, the men in our family, is blessed to live long years, but the same cannot be said for the maidens they loved,” the king elaborates. “Justine is dead because she loved him. We lost our mother, because of her loved for our father. Loving us is a death sentence, I do not want to bestow onto another.”

“Nadia, those were people chosen by the King, but the queen’s doctors sent to the castle by her parents,” he said slowly, right before his eyes exploded. “Renaud had the royal princes murdered in childbirth!”

“Now Allessandro, you need not use the very same words, indeed, I feel if you could simply say to Vitus what is truly in your heart it may go better for you.”

She paused, letting the trembling in her voice quiet, “ But you knew this and I know what you are wondering. Why did Hohenheim choose you over Lucina? Why is it in every branch Hohenheim choses Lucina, that in every other branch, this is a constant. I figured it out, Karina. Lucina and Hohenheim could never love each other if this world was going to survive. We had tried everything else, but I knew this was going to be the last step, the one thing that would finally save the world from being torn apart.”

During the Middle Ages, Courtly love was a code which prescribed the conduct between a lady and her lover (Britannica). The relationship of courtly love was very much like the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege. The lover serves his beloved, in the manner a servant would. He owes his devotion and allegiance to her, and she inspires him to perform noble acts of valor (Schwartz). Capellanus writes, in The Art of Courtly Love, “A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved”. The stories of Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes illustrate the conventions of courtly love.