Traditional Courtly Love and Marriage Portrayed in Literature

After reading 'Macbeth', 'The Wife of Bath's Tale', 'Federigo's Falcon', and researching traditional courtly love and marriage, one realizes that over time dating, marriage, and divorce have changed a lot. My research will compare how differently each story portrays love and marriage compared to today’s society and how traditions have changed.

One subject to compare from now and old traditional times is how did the man asks for the woman's hand in marriage. Did the groom ask the father for permission to marry his daughter? As per Cape Town Diamon Museum, the origin of the potential l groom asking the father of the bride for permission to marry dates back to ancient Rome. The groom would give the father a symbolic coin. The bride would not have a say in the matter but if the father approved the groom, the daughter would marry the groom. Today in society it depends on the type of person and his family. The bride has a choice on who she wants to marry and the groom asking the father is asking for the father’s blessing. It isn’t common for the man to ask the father anymore, but some still do. It is the right thing to do but not everyone has to think that way. In the novel, “A Tale of Two Cities”, Darnay doesn’t know how Lucie Manette feels about him or if she is dating Mr. Carton or Mr. Stryver, but he is still respectful to her father when he says, “Promise me that if Miss Manette ever tells you that she feels the same way about me as I do about her, you will tell her what I have said and that you believe me to be telling the truth. I hope you will think well enough of me as to not speak against me. I ask nothing more than that. Just tell me the conditions that you have, which you have a right to have,” Dr. Manette replies, 'I make the promise without any condition,' said the doctor. 'I believe that what you said is true. I believe you intend to make the bond between my daughter and me stronger, not weaker. If she ever tells me that she loves you, I will give her to you. If there were—Charles Darnay if there were—'. Darnay is really in love with Lucie Manette and his heart is in the right place when asking for her father’s blessing. He hopes one day that he will be able to marry her and is not being deceitful or going behind her father’s back. It is kind and this should still be practiced today because when a couple gets married it is essentially two families becoming one. When a marriage starts and can be successful is when everyone is happy and gets along. But when is the right time to date and be married compared to today and the early traditional times when couples were getting married at the age of 12 or sometimes being told who they could marry?

The minimum legal age was 12 years old for women and 14 for men, or when he/she reached puberty. During the 14th century, marriage was only the only place sex could be performed per Sally Dixon-Smith, a curator at the Tower of London. This is very different from the way people marry today. According to Minnesota Statute 517.02, if one is 16 or 17 years old and wishes to be married, one must have parental consent or court approval. In the state of Minnesota, there is no legal age to be engaged and even someone over 18 cannot marry a minor under without consent or court approval. In the short story 'The Wife of Bath's Tale', it tells about a knight who rapes a young girl and is sentenced to be killed after he is caught. Arthur's queen and other ladies beg the court to save him, The Queen gives him a year to find out women most want and then report back, his life will be saved. The court grants the Queen's request and the knight rides off. He finally comes across an old and ugly lady who gives him the answer he was looking for. The only condition is the knight must pledge his life to her and she can promise he will live. He tells the queen that what women want more in the world is to oversee their husbands and lovers. The knight’s life is saved and he keeps his agreement to marry the old and ugly lady. Soon after she gives him the option of beauty and unfaithfulness or ugly and loyalty he gives her something back. Her chance to oversee her husband. She turns into a beautiful and loyal wife. They live a long happy marriage. This is great, but again the age factor falls into this and the lady had it right, most of the time humans are too young to be married and become unfaithful. They aren't ready to settle down and have kids at the age of twelve. In today's society compared to the 11th-century women, women are more independent and are in control of their lives but not at age twelve. Plus, if women don't even know what they want at age twelve how is a man supposed to know at age fourteen. This is what good issues that needed to be changed through the years to keep up with society today.

”Macbeth” was written has a tragedy that showed how power can take over people and make them not make smart de. Macbeth is encouraged by his wife to kill the king so Macbeth can take the throne. Before this happens Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are happy and strong couples. After the witches tell Macbeth he will be King one day he tells Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth lets the prophecy turned her into a strong and influential wife to her husband, Macbeth. She becomes the drive behind MacBeth to shed blood and take the crown. 'Macbeth' shows how Lady Macbeth and Macbeth fought for love, acceptance, power, family and work connections. The couple fought in the name of love but only suffered grief and pain. At the beginning of the play, Shakespeare shows how Lady Macbeth stands behind her husband and only wants to see him succeed. “We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail”. Another example is said by Lady Macbeth “This night’s great business into my dispatch, Which shall to all our nights and days to come, give solely sovereign sway and masterdom”. Lady Macbeth is the strength behind her husband and this passage is stating she will set everything up for Macbeth to kill Duncan. It tells us that she might be more in love with the thought of him becoming king than of him being her husband. She is pushing him to kill King Duncan and comes up with a master plan to get away with it, and if they are caught Macbeth would take the fall. She seems more in love with power than her husband and doesn't care who gets hurt along the way. Were these the typical 11th-century duties of a wife? Not really. It is one thing to stand behind her husband, but Lady Macbeth was not a typical 11th-century wife. After reading this quote and understanding, marriage doesn't seem like it has changed much from early medieval times to now. The movie's books, stories still portray couples more in love with power today then one another and are so blinded by it. There is no comparison between the old times and now when it comes to love and power in a marriage.

Regarding love and marriage from early traditional times compared to now, was divorce allowed? Nowadays if a person wants a divorce they can just get one but must pay and make it legal. For example, my parents, they dated (or courted), got married, had children, and then divorced. No, my dad did not ask my mom's father for her hand in marriage (my mom's dad was not around) and yes, my mom did her wifely duties of cooking, cleaning, raising children but as much as they loved my brother and me, they were moving in different directions. Their focus was us of course but together as a couple was not working out. They agreed on a divorce and went to the lawyers and made it as easy as possible. All they wanted was to raise my brother and me together but find happiness, which they did, and move on. It worked out great for them and us, but back early traditional times it was different. There was a belief in divorce but only certain terms per the Medieval Times website. Couples were married for life which means they were married until death but could divorce if one was not of legal age, the husband or wife made a religious promise or monastic vow and was not Christian. In the story Macbeth, Lady Macbeth helped her husband become who he was. At the beginning of the play, the feeling was they did love one another. Then has the poem moves on it seems Lady Macbeth is in control of the marriage. Once the killing and manipulation continue Macbeth gains his control as a king and husband. Lady Macbeth is overcome with guilt and sees how her husband has changed. If she gets a divorce will her husband kill her to hide the secrets and would she want to give up her power of Queen? She knows the only way out of her marriage is suicide.“To bed, to bed. There’s knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come, give me your hand. What's done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed!'. In this quote from Lady Macbeth, it is saying that her guilt has taken over her and she can't live any longer. This also says that the guilt of helping her husband become the greedy and angry king he is. She views that her only way out is suicide. This is a sad ending because of the way Lady Macbeth and her husband were a team at the beginning of the story. Macbeth is there for his wife but he let the greed and power come before his love for his queen. If she had not let her guilt, power, and greed become her main focus she could have been happy without King Macbeth and lived her life.

The last thing that is seen during reading these poems this semester is how men would yearn over beautiful and powerful women. Most of the stories are about a man being in charge and the woman following her husband but, in the story, 'Federigo's Falcon', a man chases after women and stays in love with her while she gets married and her husband dying. He goes broke trying to win her love and eventually accepts his defeat when he surrenders himself and his falcon to his poverty-stricken farm. To his surprise after the love of his life, Monna Giovanna to take her son and herself to their country home. Fredrigo and the young boy become friends because of Fredrigo’s falcon. When the young boy falls ill, he tells his mother the only thing that will make him well is if he can have Fredrigo’s falcon. Monna will do anything not to lose her only son so makes her way to Fredrigos. Frederigo is so excited to see the love of his life but is embarrassed because he is poor and has nothing to offer her for a nice supper. So he decides to kill and cook his falcon to serve. He then serves supper and that is when Monna asks about his falcon. He is shocked and disheartened but tells her the truth. The young boy passes and Monna’s brothers told her to re-marry she decides the only man she will marry is Fredrigo, “I would prefer to remain a widow if that would please you; but if you wish me to take a husband, you may rest assured that I shall take no man but Federigo degli Alberighi'. Her brothers see her as stupid, but she tells them her reasoning of she would rather have a man that needs money than money that needs a man. Her brothers gave their blessing and they were happily married. It's a happy ending but there was lots of suffering that occurred before that. They both had to lose something or someone precious to them but found happiness with one another. And in this story, the women were of great power and money and the man was poor. At the end after everything they went through, they came out equal. Marriages or couples should be equal and to their fair share to make a relationship work.

So, in conclusion, this research paper traditional courtly love and marriage portrayed in literature during early history, some people should be glad to live in today's' time rather than the 11th century. The romantic aspect is neat, but the man running the marriage and the women being the follower is not right. Today is where women and men are equal and if needed a couple can get divorced rather than stay married miserable or even end one’s life. The man should ask the woman's father for her hand in marriage and will make that clear to someone not to be deceitful or dishonest, but start love and marriage of purity and honesty. It is too bad that the people of the 11th century had to face so much tragedy with death and dishonor but if they didn’t, would people have learned to grow from the past and become the society they are today? Probably not. It is good the stories, poems, and tales that are read and learned. People can learn how to love one another and how not to love one another. Plus, it is fun to imagine yourself in those times and think about how you might change the story!

Works Cited

• Ask Her Father's Blessing in Marriage: CT Diamond Museum, Cape Town Diamond Museum, 8 Jun. 2017
• Boccaccio, Giovanni. “Federigo's Falcon.” The Language of Literature, McDougal Littell Inc., 2006. 171-176.
• Charles, Dickens. The Tale of Two Cities. McDougal Littell Inc, 1997.
• Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. The Language of Literature, McDougal Littell Inc., 2006. 327- 416.
• Love and Marriage in Medieval England. HistoryExtra, 13 Feb. 2019,
• Minnesota Legal Ages Laws, Minnesota Legislature, 2019.