Courtly Love Carrie Ho - Introduction Cindy Mi - Rules & Etiquette John Duffell - Religion Sabina Ambartsumyan - Literature

What is Courtly Love? Humility Andreas Capellanus: C. S. Lewis: “Love is a certain inborn suffering derived from the sight of and excessive meditation upon the beauty of the opposite sex, which causes each one to wish above all things the embraces of the other and by common desire to carry out all of love’s precepts in the other’s embrace” (p.28). C. S. Lewis: Humility Courtesy Adultery Religion of Love

Ovidian Origins of Courtly Love Parody of the genre – Not meant to be taken seriously Similar elements: Extramarital Secrecy Man must give in to woman’s wishes Jealousy Ovid’s treatises on love Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love) Amores (Amours) Remedia Amoris (The Cure for Love)

Other Conjectured Influences on the Development of Courtly Love Crusades & the patronage system Muslim Court poets (such as Ibn Hazm) The Cult of the Blessed Virgin An innate characteristic of the Germanic peoples (as suggested by Tacitus)

The Heyday of Courtly Love Eleanor of Aquitaine and Countess Marie Courts at Troyes and Poitiers Chrétien de Troyes Andreas Capellanus Dissemination through translation

Something to Ponder In what ways has our culture still not “Humanity does not pass through phases as a train passes through stations: being alive, it has the privilege of always moving yet never leaving anything behind. Whatever we have been, in some sort we are still” (p.1). -C.S. Lewis In what ways has our culture still not completely left courtly love behind?

Rules and Etiquette It’s a playbook of love with rules, plays & counter plays written for men (Walter) Originally I was under the impression that this book taught men the proper way of acting towards women After reading more into it

Seeking It Homosexuality Age Blindness Excess passion VI. Boys do not love until they arrive at the age of maturity Blindness Excess passion XXIX. A man who is vexed by too much passion usually does not love “between two men or two women love can find no place” they are not fitted for the exchange of it not the practical nature of it Can’t be too old or “the natural heat begins to lose its force” The blind “cannot see anything upon which his mind can reflect immoderately, and so love cannot arise in him” A slave to the passion and desire, constantly lusting after the next woman

Acquiring It Beautiful figure Excellence of character XVIII. Good character alone makes any man worthy of love Readiness of speech IX. No one can love unless he is impelled by the persuasion of love Great wealth X. Love is always a stranger in the home of avarice Readiness with which one grants that which is sought If seeking a simple lover, then by all means entice her with your beauty However, it is not guaranteed to last nor is it very manly to adorn oneself in a womanly fashion

Dialogue of Courtship Middle class man + middle class woman Excessive praise of her beauty Middle class man + noblewoman Restrained praise of her beauty Nobleman + middle class woman Convince her that she is worthy of your love Nobleman + noblewoman Plead for love, but not shamelessly for they “commonly delight in being commended and readily believe every word that looks like praise” Restrained praise so as not to raise suspicion of false flattery Unless she is not shrew in which case excessive praise will be appreciated

Retaining It Keep it a secret Do not annoy her XIII. When made public love rarely endures Do not annoy her V. That which a lover takes against the will of his beloved has no relish XXV. A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved Otherwise it stops developing naturally, losing whatever progress was made Sympathize with her troubles Accede to all reasonable desires Prepare to accede to unreasonable desires after asking for her reconsideration Confess with downcast face if having offended her Do not talk about her in the company of other men Treat her like a stranger if meeting her on the street with group of other women If he cheats he become entirely unworthy of his love and she must deprive him of her embrace for he no longer loves her There is a great stain on the woman’s character if she continues to love him However, it is alright if he was not seeking another but driven into it by an irresistible passion..he’s simply over-passionate It is a common occurrence Sex is a privilege while immodest that is most allowed to men If a woman cheats she is unclean and is a disgrace to her lover so he should not even consider wanting her back

Do (not) commit adultery I. Marriage is no real excuse for not loving II. He who is not jealous cannot love III. No one can be bound by a double love XII. A true lover does not desire to embrace in love anyone except his beloved XXI. Real jealousy always increases the feeling of love

XXXI. Nothing forbids one woman being loved by two men or one man by two women

Points to Ponder Has courtly love confused love with lust? What are other possible interpretations of these rules? Do people still abide by them today?

Love, Sex, and the Church Christian theology had not explicitly said that the act of sex was sinful by nature There was some inherent evil in sex ever since the fall Gregory: The act is innocent, but the desire is evil Hugo of St. Victor: Pleasure is evil, but not a moral wrong; not the sin, but the punishment of original sin Peter Lombard - quotes Xystus the Pythagorian: Omnis ardentior amator propriae uxoris adulter est. “Any man who is too ardent a lover of his own wife is an adulterer."

Courtly Love & Christianity A Tale of Two Women

Eve Augustine of Hippo: Doctrine on original sin Eve: Mother of sin? Attitudes on women: Unclean, weak, inferior - even insane? Courtly love tradition poses the idea that love/sex (even adultery) ought to be idealized, love is ennobling, women should be adored, should call the shots. Loyalty & devotion to your lady, not to God or the Church Courtly love stands in contrast to Church’s teachings; in 13th century these traditions are called heresy

Mary Mary was a respected figure in Christianity in 1st millennium AD, but not as much as today Cult of the Virgin Mary really developed in the 12th century - possibly a response to courtly love tradition? Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, seems to provide the perfect antidote to lustful, adulterous, or secular attitudes If courtly love made it acceptable to idealize women, did the Church channel this energy by making Mary the ideal woman?

What does this remind you of? A love that is passionate, consuming A love that is absolute in its loyalty A love that one may have to suffer for A love that is subservient, and that serves a higher ideal A love from afar A love that is transforming and transcendent Does this not sound like the ideal love that one should have for God and/or the Church?

Courtly Love in Literature Romance Of The Rose: a 13th century French poem written by two authors. The English idea of courtly love was heavily influenced by French ideas and poetry. Chaucer The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. The Knight’s Tale

Literature: Religious In Dante’s “The Divine Comedy,” courtly love is used in a religious tone. In a Guido Guinizelli poem, feminine beauty can be used as a way to heavenly grace.

Arthurian Legends Chretien de Troyes - Lancelot, The Knight of The Cart Troyes took the Arthurian legends and added chivalry, and courtly love. Sir Thomas Malory – La Morte D’Arthur Stories about King Arthur’s knights included ideas about courtly love. Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Satire During the later part of the Middle Ages courtly love became a topic for satire. Andreas Capellanus’s “Art of Courtly Love” is now considered to be a satire by some scholars. The second part of the “Romance of the Rose” is sometimes regarded as a parody of courtly love. Several tales from The Canterbury Tales are satirical views on courtly love.

Works Cited "Arthurian Literature & Art." Chivalry and Courtly Love. 8 July 2006. Pittsburg State University. 12 Oct 2006 <http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/labelle.html#chivalry>. Capellanus, Andreas. The Art of Courtly Love. Trans. John Jay Parry. New York: Columbia University Press, 1990. Lewis, C.S. The Allegory of Love. London: Oxford University Press, 1968. Newman, Francis X. The Meaning of Courtly Love. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1968. Schwartz, Dr. Debora B.. "Backgrounds To Romance: Courtly Love." 6 Jan. 2002. California Polytechnic State University. 12 Oct 2006 <http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl513/courtly/courtly.htm>.