Courtly Love Essay Example

Courtly Love Essay Example Courtly Love Paper Courtly Love Paper It would not come as a surprise to find that love is one of the most debated subjects of all time. Some people might think that love is too paramount to actually have an exact definition. It is tantamount to having a discussion of God or the Higher Being. In fact the concept of love could also be tied up with such spiritual and religious pursuit. I would admit that my own concepts of love could be evaluated by others as juvenile but I could not blame them. It is in my belief that when it comes to the conception of love, there could be no ultimate justification for it nor would the so-called degrees that love would have. It is in this paper however that a medieval kind of love would be discussed. The book, ‘The Art of Courtly Love,’ written by Andreas Capellanus had provided this perspective on love. It would then be the aim of this particular paper to scrutinize a certain theme of Medieval Romance that Capellanus had discussed. Courtly love would then take its roots on the basic medieval scene between the opposite sexes with noble birth. It then stemmed out to a more romanticized view that some contemporary medieval writers are adopting. The sexual implication then could easily read by exalting that of a woman’s desirable qualities as well as the erotic implication that it has. Andreas Capellanus had written the treatise for Countess Marie of Troyes. His role then sprung when he had written certain ‘rules’ or ‘norms’ regarding the art of courtly love for the said maiden (Blacksmith). It was reviewed that this book presents conflicting or contradictory ideas as well as an insinuation that the author had started out the book as a pleasurable written past time (Blacksmith). There were 31 rules that a man must follow in order to embark on the so-called courtly love and taken as a whole, this would be the main reason why some things could be conflicting as well as it had become a battle that some or most men would not likely succeed. This certain vibes, it would seem that some feminist might feast upon especially when speculations and implications could speak numerous perceptions. As part of this essay then, one of the major themes that could be found in some Medieval Romances could easily be rooted from Capellanus’ work, his rules of love in general (Capellanus). In this particular area, the thirty-one rules of love are deductions that could be drawn out from other discussions that he made in his book. It would be difficult to take it holistically but I would discuss a few snippets of the rules. The 10th rule, â€Å"Love is always a stranger in the home of avarice. (Capellanus)† could easily be spotted in romance novels, even in contemporary ones, and sometimes it could be spotted in reality. A discussion on the effect of love on a person was also included in the book. It seems that a man who loves would not be moved by greed. Maybe love may be the main concern of this greed but greediness from love would not mean any harmful effect. A love that is usual among relationships could be tainted with greed through jealousy but this greed is not directed to other women but it is usually directed towards the beloved. It could be deduced then that a man in love could feel certain jealousy but too much greediness of this kind could actually destroy the relationship. Some themes that romance novels would usually depict a man’s or woman’s jealousy as a turning point where a relationship would crumble. But usually, love endures and realizations would be made by both partners. The discussion concerning this topic is a compelling essay that would actually pertain to a love that could be patterned from an unconditional love. This part could be said to be my own assertion taken from the certain implications from the book. The pureness of love could be connoted by the part where greed should not reign between the lover and beloved. It would seem that love of this kind would last since there would be no extremes that could deteriorate the love between partners. In reality, this could also be applied albeit not faithfully but the basic gist of this rule could be applied. Having a partner and being in a relationship, usually connotes a give-and-take situation that would not actually waver given that the partners have the same ideas or opinions. I have a certain personal experience regarding this kind of scene. Respecting the decision and/or choices of a partner is something that I think of highly and if the partner would truly understand and accept this kind of mind set would create a harmonious relationship. In this case, a good dose of compromise could also be realized. A man and woman could both decide and choose for the course of action that they might have for the relationship. These views may be modern and contemporary but taking into consideration what was written in the book, it could be seen that this is the basic gist that I had realized or noticed. Another aspect of the rules that could be fascinating in the book is the 30th rule, â€Å"A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved (Capellanus). † This certain rule could be connected from what was discussed above. This line is what I had in mind when talking about greed. The though of a beloved may not be greed in a worldly sense but it is greed nonetheless. The lover’s desire to dwell upon the thoughts of a beloved is usually a major appendage that a person could realize in a love relationship. Other poetic revelations could reveal that a lover usually attributes a certain possession that a beloved has on him/her. As could also be seen, this realization could also extend to what is happening right now. From what were discussed above, it could be inferred that the book that Capellanus had provided us are what constitutes the modern notion of love. Some subjects in the book may be sources of issues but it could not helped that the book was written on times where women’s full role had not been realized as well as a society open to different gender preferences. What could be noted then is that the rules of love could actually summarize the basic notions of love provided in the book as well as the interwoven meaning that could justify or clash with the ideas provided. It would also be justified to further assert that medieval romance is not completely different from modern notions of love. Blacksmith, Lady Eden. A Little Bit of Love in the Middle Ages. 2000. September 18 2007. florilegium. org/files/PERIOD-THOUGHT/Love-in-th-MA-art. html. Capellanus, Andreas. The Art of Courtly Love. Records of Civilization. Ed. John Jay Parry. New York: Columbia University Press, 1990.