Examples Of Courtly Love In The Knight's Tale

Lauren Arant
Mr. McInnis
English IV
19 February 2018

The Medieval View of Courtly Love in “The Knight’s Tale”
Courtly love can mean different things for different poets, genres, and periods. During The Medieval Times in western Europe, poets wrote in the courts of nobility and developed a new approach to love. In the Medieval Times, the new approach to love was called Courtly Love. The medieval view of Courtly Love is evident in “The Knight’s Tale” by chivalry, the rules of Courtly Love, and the indirect opposition to the church’s teaching. Courtly Love is a highly conventionalized medieval tradition of love. It is typically between a knight and a married noblewomen. Courtly Love can even be considered as romantic love. “The ideals of this

The church was a central factor of the medieval times. “Medieval Christians believed they could only find salvation by following the guidance, laws, and teachings of the church, for according to Catholic beliefs, the church and its clergy had been proclaimed by Christ to be the only intermediary (go-between) between God and human beings”(“The Medieval, Catholic Roots of the Elizabethan World”). In the medieval times, the church overruled the peoples’ lives. Everyone believed that God, Heaven, and Hell existed. Everyone believed that the only way to Heaven was through the church. The church is the only one who could grant them entrance into Heaven. Everyone wanted to go to Heaven and not Hell. However, believing in the church helped the people follow its rules. The rules made it easier for the church to be in charge. This made them believe that if the Roman Catholic church let them go to Heaven, they would go to Heaven. Everyone was petrified of Hell. Since the church ruled over the people, the Church continued to tell them that Hell was terrible. Throughout the medieval times, the Catholic Church was the center of attention. The land was led by the Pope. Knights needed to serve their lord but keep their faith. The knights needed to always speak the truth. They were told to always honor women, which they did especially if she was their love. Since

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