Ms. McElroy’s Senior English Class
Medieval
Romance
Characteristics of the Medieval Romance
1. Medieval romance usually idealizes chivalry
2. Medieval romance Idealizes the hero-knight and his noble deeds
3. An important element of the medieval romance is the knight's love for his lady.
4. The settings of medieval romance tend to be imaginary and vague.
5. Medieval romance derives mystery and suspense from supernatural elements.
6. Medieval romance uses concealed or disguised identity.
7. Repetition of the mystical number "3." (Repetitions of the number or multiples
of 3)
Characteristics of the Hero-Knight
1. Birth of a great hero is shrouded in mystery
2. He is reared away from his true home in ignorance of his real parents.
3. For a time his true identity is unknown
4. After meeting an extraordinary challenge, he claims his right
5. His triumph benefits his nation or group.
Arthur himself is a Hero Knight and the events surrounding his rise to power as King
is a Medieval Romance.
This genre is still exciting for people today. The new interest in Stars Wars is
wonderful because the first trilogy (Episodes 4-6) is a perfect contemporary Medieval
romance.
Backgrounds to Romance: "Courtly Love"
"Romance" originally referred not to a specific literary genre but to the vernacular
French language which was called romanz (meaning that it was derived from the language spoken by the Romans, i.e.
Latin). French and other languages derived from Latin, such as Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, are still referred to as
"Romance Languages" today. In the 12th century, literature which was written down in the French vernacular was
referred to as "romance" to distinguish it from "real" literature, which was invariably written in Latin. Gradually, the
term "romance" began to refer not to any narrative written in the French vernacular, but to the specific sort of narrative
literature that was most popular among the French-speaking court audiences of France and Anglo-Norman England:
stories of the chivalric adventures of knights and their ladies, often set at the
court of King Arthur (see Translatio handout for early development of Arthurian
literature and of the genre known as "romance"; see also Anglo-Norman Literature
and French Literature: Anglo-Norman).
The audience for these early vernacular narratives was largely made up of
women--the queen, duchess or countess and the other ladies of her court. These
women naturally tended to be interested in stories in which women played more
central roles than was true in Germanic epics such as Beowulf (which centered
almost exclusively on the exploits of male warriors). Because the vernacular
language poet's livelihood depended upon pleasing his/her audience, the
vernacular narratives written for these courts ("romances") tended to focus on
other plot developments than the fighting and male-bonding emphasized in epic
poetry. The narratives still concern the deeds of brave warriors, but the Middle
English knight (unlike the Old English thane) is motivated by love for his lady. Accordingly, women play an increasingly
important and active role.
Two women who had a particular influence on the development of romance were Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen first of
France and then of England, and her daughter Marie, Countess of Champagne (in Eastern France). Eleanor brought to
the English court her interest in poetry, music and the arts, all of which were cultivated at the court of Aquitaine where
she grew up (her grandfather William was the first known troubadour poet). In the vernacular narratives that were
written for and/or dedicated to Eleanor--early "romances"--we find an emphasis on the sort of love relationship that is
depicted in troubadour poetry, commonly known as "courtly love" (fin'amors in Provençal, the language of troubadour
poetry).
The "courtly love" relationship is modelled on the feudal relationship between a
knight and his liege lord. The knight serves his courtly lady (love service) with
the same obedience and loyalty which he owes to his liege lord. She is in
complete control of the love relationship, while he owes her obedience and
submission (a literary convention that did not correspond to actual practice!)
The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds, in order to be
worthy of her love or to win her favor. Thus "courtly love" was originally
construed as an ennobling force whether or not it was consummated, and even
whether or not the lady knew about the knight's love or loved him in return.
The "courtly love" relationship typically was not between husband and wife, not
because the poets and the audience were inherently immoral, but because it was
an idealized sort of relationship that could not exist within the context of "real
life" medieval marriages. In the middle ages, marriages amongst the nobility were
typically based on practical and dynastic concerns rather than on love. The idea
that a marriage could be based on love (as in the "Franklin's Tale") was a radical
notion. But the audience for romance was perfectly aware that these romances
were fictions, not models for actual behavior. The adulterous aspect that bothers
many 20th-century readers was somewhat beside the point, which was to
explore the potential influence of love on human behavior.
Social historians such as Eric Köhler and Georges Duby have hypothesized that
"courtly love" may have served a useful social purpose: providing a model of behavior for a class of unmarried young
men that might otherwise have threatened social stability. Knights were typically younger brothers without land of their
own (hence unable to support a wife) who became members of the household of the feudal lords whom they served.
One reason why the lady in the courtly love relationship is typically older, married and of higher social status than the
knight may be because she was modelled on the wife of the feudal lord, who might naturally become the focus of the
young, unmarried knights' desire. Köhler and Duby posit that the literary model
of the courtly love relationship may have been invented in part to provide these
young men with a model for appropriate behavior, teaching them to sublimate
their desires and to channel their energy into socially useful behavior (love
service rather than wandering around the countryside, stealing or raping women
like the knight in the "Wife of Bath's" tale).
The behavior of the knight and lady in love was drawn partly from troubadour
poetry and partly from a set of literary conventions derived from the Latin poet
Ovid, who described the "symptoms" of love as if it were a sickness. The
"lovesick" knight became a conventional figure in medieval romance. Typical
symptoms: sighing, turning pale, turning red, fever, inability to sleep, eat or
drink. Romances often contained long interior monologues in which the lovers
describe their feelings.
What is Courtly Love?
It is defined as a forbidden affair that was characterized by five main attributes.
1. Aristocratic: As its name implies, courtly love was
practiced by noble lords and ladies; its proper milieu
was the royal palace or court.
2. Ritualistic: Couples engaged in a courtly relationship conventionally exchanged gifts and tokens of their affair.
The lady was wooed according to elaborate conventions of etiquette and was the constant recipient of songs,
poems, bouquets, sweet favors, and ceremonial gestures. For all these gentle and painstaking attentions on the
part of her lover, she need only return a short hint of approval, a mere shadow of affection. After all, she was
the exalted domina--the commanding "mistress" of the affair; he was but her servus--a lowly but faithful servant.
3. Secret: Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy. The foundation for their affair--indeed the source of its
special aura and electricity--was that the rest of the world (except for a few confidantes or go-betweens) was
excluded. In effect, the lovers composed a universe unto themselves--a special world with its own places (e.g.,
the secret rendezvous), rules, codes, and commandments.
4. Adulterous: "Fine love"--almost by definition--was extramarital. Indeed one of its principle attractions was that it
offered an escape from the dull routines and boring confinements of noble marriage (which was typically little
more than a political or economic alliance for the purpose of producing royal offspring). The troubadours
themselves scoffed at marriage, regarding it as a glorified religious swindle. In its place they exalted their own
ideal of a disciplined and decorous carnal relationship whose ultimate objective was not crude physical
satisfaction, but a sublime and sensual intimacy.
5. Literary: Before it established itself as a popular real-life activity, courtly love first gained attention as a subject
and theme in imaginative literature. Ardent knights, that is to say, and their passionately adored ladies were
already popular figures in song and fable before they began spawning a host of real-life imitators in the palace
halls and boudoirs of medieval Europe. (Note: Even the word "romance"--from Old French romanz--began life as
the name for a narrative poem about chivalric heroes. Only later was the term applied to the distinctive love
relationship commonly featured in such poems.)
King Arthur in Legend: The Holy Grail
The Holy Grail
The Tradition: The Holy Grail was a vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper. Given to his grand-uncle, St. Joseph of
Arimathea, it was used by him to collect Christ's blood and sweat while Joseph tended him on the Cross. After Christ's
death, Joseph was apparently imprisoned in a rock tomb similar to the one he had given for the body of his grandnephew. Left to starve, he was sustained for several years by the power of the Grail which provided him with fresh food
and drink every morning. Later, St. Joseph travelled to Britain with his family and several followers. He settled at Ynys
Witrin (Glastonbury), but the Grail was taken to Corbenic where it was housed in a spectacular castle, guarded always
by the Grail Kings, descendants of Joseph's daughter, Anna (Enygeus) and her husband, Brons.
Centuries later, the location of the Great Castle of Corbenic became forgotten. At the Court of King Arthur, however, it
was prophesied that the Grail would one day be rediscovered by a descendant of St. Joseph: the best knight in the land,
the only man capable of sitting in the mysterious Siege Perilous. When such a man arrived in the form of Galahad, the
son of Lancelot, along with a miraculous, though brief, vision of the Grail itself, a quest to find this holiest of relics
began. Through many adventures and many years, the Knights of the Round Table crossed Britain from one end to
another in their search. Perceval (Peredyr) discovered the castle in a land that was sickly like its spear-wounded King.
When entertained by this "Fisher" or "Grail King", however, he failed to ask of the grail and left empty-hand. Lancelot
next reached Corbenic, but was prevented from entering because of he was an adulterer. Finally Galahad arrived. He was
permitted entry to the Grail Chapel and allowed to gaze upon the great cup. His life became complete and together grail
and man were lifted up to heaven.