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COURTLY LOVE

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Courtly Love is a forbidden affair between two people of a court.

Also called Fin' Amors

"The romance, rules and art of courtly love allowed knights and ladies to show their admiration regardless of their marital state" (Alchin).

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"A highly stylized code of behavior popular chiefly from the 12th to the 14th century that prescribed the rules of conduct between lovers, advocating idealized but illicit love, and which fostered an extensive medieval literature based on this tradition" (Courtly) .

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-Aristocratic

-Ritualistic

-Secret

-Adulterous

-Literary

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Aristocratic Courlty love is practiced by noble lords and ladies

i.e. Lancelot and Guinevere

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The two people involved in the affair exchanged tokens of their love when the woman was wooed by the man's etiquette. This was mainly a ceremonial gesture.

i.e. Elaine gives Lancelot her cap to wear to the tournament

Where do you think the action of Courting a girl comes from?

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Pledged to secrecy. For example, a secret rendezvous in a deserted corridor with rules that dictate the meeting.

i.e. Lancelot meeting in Guinevere's room at night-why when Elaine tricked them, Lancelot thought that they had to be quite.

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Extramarital, or "fine love"

The people are offered to escape by the other person in the affair.

Rather than satisfying the physical needs of the partners, like in marriage, courtly love satisfies the sensual needs of the partners (expressing love through the relationship).

i.e. Guinevere with Lancelot-because it is outside of her marriage with Arthur

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Courtly Love and the people involved gained recognition through literature.

i.e. Seriously, what book did you just read?!?

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The origins of Courtly Love are believed to be from France during the 12th century, and the practice was spread to other countries of Europe by troubadours. Courtly love was practiced in the courts between 1300 and 1500.

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"These colorful figures from the Provence region of southern France effectively challenged and sought to redefine traditional Christian ideals of love, marriage, manhood, virtue, and femininity. Under the sponsorship of powerful nobles like Eleanor of Aquitaine and Marie de Champagne, their influence gradually spread throughout France and eventually into England and Germany" (Simpson).

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"Marriages were arranged and had little to do with love. A
successful marriage was perceived as one that brought material
advantages to the participants and their families. As love was clearly
unrelated to marriage the requirement for romance could be gained
outside marriage - as long as the rules relating to chastity and
fidelity were strictly adhered to" (Alchin).

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"-No one can be bound by a double love.

-Boys do not love until the age of maturity.

-It is not proper to love any woman whom one would be ashamed to marry.

-Every act of a lover ends in the thought of his beloved

-Love can deny nothing to love" (Alchin).

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"Romantic love was usually found outside of the marriage vows" (Le Morte D'Arthur).

Because marriages were usually arranged, the romanitc aspect of life was found through courtly love, when the two people had an affair.

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Some of Lancelot's Actions Explained by the Rules of Fin' Amors

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Some of Lancelot's Actions Explained by the Rules of Fin' Amors

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"More often than not, such a love (Courtly Love) expressed itself in terms that were feudal and religious. Thus, just as a vassal was expected to honor and serve his lord, so a lover was expected to serve his lady, to obey her commands, and to gratify her merest whims. Absolute obedience and unswerving loyalty were critical. To incur the displeasure of one's lady was to be cast into the void, beyond all light, warmth, and possibility of life" (Medevial).

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It means that Lancelot couldn't disobey Guinevere, so even if he had wanted to stay when Guinevere had found out about Elaine and Lancelot, she had told him to leave her, and he could not disobey her...there are other examples of this. Can you think of any?