THE  TRADITION  OF  COURTLY  LOVE  IS  AN  ELABORATE  ATTITUDE  OR  CODE  OF  BEHAVIOR  EUROPEAN  THOUGHT  FROM  THE  TWELFTH  CENTURY
ON . PREVIOSLY ,THE  FRENCH  TROUBADOURS  IN  LANGUEDOC  HAD  SUNG  THE  PROVENCAL  LOVE  SONG  WHICH  LATER  BECAME  INCORPORATED  INTO
THE  LOVE  POETRY  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES ,AND  EVEN  INTO  OUR  CODE  OF  LOVE  TODAY .MANY  OF  THE  FEATURES  OF  THIS  SENTIMENT  HAVE  DISAPPEARED,
BUT  THEY  FORMED  A  MOMENTOUS  BACKGROUND  FOR  EUROPEAN  LITERATURE  FOR MORE  THAN  EIGHT  HUNDRED  YEARS .THE  FRENCH  POETS  WERE  THE  FIRST  TO
EXPRESS  OR  INVENT  THE  ROMANTIC  NOTION  OF  PASSION  WHICH  CHANGED  THE  ENTIRE  IMAGINATION  OR  DAILY  LIFE  OF  THOSE  AFFECTED . FOR  THIS  REASON ,
(PLACE  YOUR  NAME) FINDS  IT  ABSOLUTELY  UNAVOIDABLE  TO  VOTE  THE  ENTIRE  FIRST  CHAPTER  OF  HIS  ALLEGORY  OF  LOVE  TO  THE  SENTIMENT  OF  COURTLY  LOVE
,EVEN  BEFORE  HE  BEGINS  HIS  DISCUSSION  ON  THE  ALLEGORICAL  LOVE  POETRY  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES .
IN  THE  ART   OF  COURTLY  LOVE ,ANDREAS  CAPELLANUS  DEALS  WITH  THE  SUBJECT  QUITE  ADEQUATELY  AND  PARADOXICALLY . HIS  BOOK  IS  DIVIDED  INTO  TWO  PARTS :FIRST
, HOW  ONE  CONTROLS  AND  DIRECTS  HIS  EMOTIONS  IN  THE  EYES  OF  HIS  BELOVED ;AND  SECOUNDLY ,HOW  ONE  SHOULD  TRY  TO  REJECT  SECULAR  LOVE  AND  CONCENTRATE  
ON  A  NOBLER  LOVE  DIRECTED  TOWARDS  GOD . DISREGARDING  THE  SECOUND  PART ,CAPPELLANUS'  WORK  IS  A  GUIDE  ON  HOW  TO  PREPARE   SOMEONE  PSYCHOLOGICALLY  FOR  A  
POSSIBLE  PHYSIOLOGICAL  HAPPENING .IT  IS  THE  EMBODIMENT  OF  THE  NOTION  OF  COURTLY  LOVE  AND  THE  GAME  OF  
RHETORIC  WHICH  IS  PLAYED  BETWEEN  THE  TWO  PERSON  INVOLVED .THE  RELATIONSHIP  BETWEEN  THEM  DETERMINES  THE  ULTIMATE  GOAL  OF  THEIR  GAME .IF  THE  LADY  HAPPENS  TO  BE  
A  WOMEN  OF  HIGHER  NOBILITY  THAN  THE  MAN  WHO  IS  WOOING  HER ,THEN  HE  MUST  SATISFY  HIMSELF  WITH  NOTHING  MORE  THAN  HER  PRESENCE . HOWEVER ,IF  THE  LADY  IS  OF  A 
LESSER  STATION  IN  LIFE ,OR ESPECIALLY  OF  A  PLEASANT  CLASS ,THEN THE   GAME  IS  DIRECTED  TOWARDS "GETTING  HER  INTO  BED  AS  SKILLFULLY  AS  POSSIBLE 
,  FOR   SHE  CAN  UNDERSTAND  NO  OTHER  LANGUAGE.  THE  REWARD  OF  COURTLY  LOVE  IS  AN  ENNOBLING  CHARACTER  WHICH  IS BOTH  INTERNALLY  AND  EXTERNALLY  
REVEALING .ALTHOUGH  THE  LOVER  SUFFERS  GREATLY  IN  LOVING  PASSIONATELY  WHAT  HE CANNOT  HAVE ,HE  ALSO  TAKES GREAT  
CARE  IN  LOOKING  ,ACTING ,AND  SPEAKING  AS  APPEALING  AS  HIS  LADY  WOULD  HAVE  HIM .THE  MAN  BECOMES  A  CHANGED  PERSON  WHEN  HE  BECOMES  A  LOVER ,FOR  LOVE  CONVERTS  MAN'S
MOST  AGGRESIVE  INSTINCTS  TO  PASSIVE  ONES .ANY  OVERWHELMING  EMOTIONS  IS  DEVASTATING ,BUT  COURTLY  LOVE  TEACHES  ONE  HOW  TO  CONTROL  AND  DIRECT  THESE  EMOTIONS ,WHICH  ULTIMATELY  BECOME  AN  ART
IN  MODES  OF  EXPRESSION.
THE  COURTLY  LOVE  TRADITION  IS A LATIN  TRADITION .THE  GERMANIC  PEOPLE ,SUCH  AS  THE  NORSEMEN  OR  DANES ,WHO  ARE  REMOVED  FROM  THIS SPIRIT SPEAK  MOSTLY  OF  HEROIC  DEEDS .THE  DEEPEST  EMOTIONS  EXPRESSED  AMOUNG  THEM  ARE  THOSE  OF 
MAN  FOR MAN,MAN  FOR  HIS  FEUDAL  LORD ,OR  MAN  FOR  HIS  COUNTRY .SUCH  ARE  THE  TIES  WHICH  BIND  ROLAND  TO  HIS  LORD ,CHARLEMAGNE ,RATHER  THAN TO  HIS  LADY .
MARRIAGES  HAD  NOTHING  TO  DO  WITH  COURTLY  LOVE ,FOR  THEY  WERE  OFTEN  ARRANGED  FOR  INTEREST .THE  LOVER  ALWAYS  LOOKED  WITH  REVERANCE  UPON  NOBLER  WOMAN  THAN  HIMSELF .ONE 'S  WIFE    
AWS  HIS  OWN  SUBJUGATED  WOMAN  WHOM  HE  COULD  HAVE  AT  ANY TIME .HOWEVER ,THIS  SAME  WIFE  WAS  POBABLY  THE  BELOVED  OF  ANOTHER ,FOR  LOVE  WAS  USUALLY  DIRECTED  TOWARDS  A  MARRIED  WOMAN .THUS ,THE  PHYSICAL  CONQUEST  OF  A  NOBLE  LADY  WAS  NOT  THE  AIM  
OF THE  LOVER . THE  ONLY  VIRTUES  HE  COULD  EVER  DARE  TO  CLAIM  WERE  OBEDIENCE  TO  HER  SLIGHTEST  WISHES  AND
SILENT  ACQUIESCENCS  TO  HER  REBUKES .THE  TYPICAL  LOVE  RELATIONSHIP  BETWEEN  A  MARRIED  LADY  OF  NOBILITY  AND  LESSER  KNIGHT  WHO  COURTED  HER  FAITHFULLY  IS  FOUND  IN  CHRETIEN  DE  TROYES'
LAUNELOT .CHRETIEN  BORROWS  THE  CONCEPTION  OF  THE  ARTHURIAN  COURT ,AND  USES  IT  AS  THE  BACKGROUND  OR  HOME  OF  TRUE  AND  NOBLE  LOVE .
LAUNCELOT  AND  GUINEVERE ,KING  ARTHUR 'S  QUEEN  ,ARE  SECRETLY  IN  LOVE .LEWIS  AND  ILLUSTRATES  LAUNCELOTS  UNFAILING  DEVOTION  TO  HER  BY  MENTIONING  SOME  DANGERS  LAUNCELOT  MEETS  WHEN  RESCUING  HIS  BELOVED  FROM  THE  LAND  OF  GORRE .HE  LOSSES  HIS HORSE  QUITE  EARLY IN HIS MISSION ,AND  MUST  THEREFORE  OVERCOME  OTHER  DIFFICULTIES  ON  FOOT.ON  THE  WAY ,HE  MEETS  A  DWARF  DRIVING  "A CART OF SHAME," AND HESITATES  
FOR  A SHORT  TIME AS  TO  WHETHER  TO  MOUNT .LAUNCELOT THINKS OF  HIS LADY  AND  DOES .THE  DISGRACE  OF  HIS  RIDE ,AS PEOPLE  SHOUT  AND  DEMAND HIS  CRIME
,AND THE  CROSSING  OF THE  BRIGDE  INTO  GORRE  FURTHER  PROVE  HIS  LOVE .THE  BRIGDE  CONSISTED  OF  SINGLE  BLADE
OF  STEEL ,AND EVN  AFTER THE  WOUNDED  LAUNCELOT  ARRIVES  IN  THE  RPESENCE OF  THE  QUEEN , HE  IS  IGNORED ,FOR SHE HAS  HEARD  OF  
HIS  MOMENTARY  HESITATION IN  ENTERING  THE  CART .LAUNCELOT 'S  PREVIOUS  MERITS  AND  LABORS  IN THE SERVICE  OF  HER  LOVE  DID  NOT  COUNT .
AND  WHEN  HE  IS  FINALLY  FORGIVEN ,GUINEVERS  STILL  TESTS  HIM  BY  COMMANDING  HIM  TO  DO  HIS POOREST  IN  A  TOURNAMENT .LAUNECELOT  IS  FINALLY  
CARNALLY  REWARDED ,BUT  HE  DOES  BESTOW DIVINE  HONORS  ON  GUINEVERE.HE  KNEELS  NEAR  HER  BED AND  GENUFLECTS  AS  HE  LEAVES  HER
ROOM .THIS  LOVE  RELIGION  HE  DEMONSTRATES  IS  ASSOCIATED  WITH  THE  PRESONIFIED  FIGURE  OF  LOVE  HIMSELF .