Essay on The Wife of Bath Illustrating Courtly Love

In the Middle Ages, when The Canterbury Tales was written, society became captivated by love and the thought of courtly and debonair love was the governing part of all relationships and commanded how love should be conducted. These principles changed literature completely and created a new genre dedicated to brave, valorous knights embarking on noble quests with the intention of some reward, whether that be their life, lover, or any other want. The Canterbury Tales, written in the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer, accurately portrays and depicts this type of genre. Containing a collection of stories within the main novel, only one of those stories, entitled â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale†, truly outlines the 14th century community beliefs on†¦show more content†¦Opposers to that belief state that love has always been in literature throughout all eras and a distinction between typical love and courtly love is ridiculous. However, while this may be true, if one wa s to read a tale with courtly love they would be able to instantly recognize the uncommon behaviors of the characters that are in love and that the experience of feeling love is taken to the extreme, beyond other literature’s definitions of common love. Geoffrey Chaucer, being a writer during the age when courtly love was popular, was influenced by this type of literature and used the techniques of courtly love in many of the conversations and plot lines within the Canterbury Tales. In this tale, the reader is introduced to a belligerent knight in King Arthur’s court who defiles a woman of royalty. This reprehensible act by the knight entirely differs from the actions of a virtuous and respectable knight, consequently suggesting that ethics are not inherited like affluence or one’s last name. Instead of being punished by death, the knight is sent out by the queen on a quest to find what women really want and love, with the agreement that he has one year and a day to return and only the right answer will spare his life. This is where the expression and meaning of love begins to show divides between separate communities. Along the knight’s quest for the answer he comesShow MoreRelatedThe Variety of Ways in Which Chaucer Treats the Subject of Love1450 Words   |  6 PagesWrite an essay on the variety of ways in which Chaucer treats the subject of love. Within ten stories in the Canterbury Tales, men and women on the way to, or in marriage provide the ostensible subject, with six tales expounding largely on love and its counterpart in marriage. In comic tales, sexual activity is constantly relished, especially in the Miller’s Tale and the Reeve’s Tale, where love is defined and motivated by animalistic physical desire and relationships clouded with lies