ere often poets in their own right (Dijkstra 54). It was there that a mystical doctrine of love as a holy passion, pure and uplifting, developed. Arabic literature is full of parted and thwarted lovers, completely faithful and devoted. Its poetry is mostly love poetry, foreshadowing the themes and styles of French troubadours (Evans 112).Courtly love compensated the medieval lady for the brutalities of marriage, and recognized her existence as an individual (Evans 113). The lover, who by definition was not her husband, addressed her with the same vocabulary of adoration he used for the Saints. For his lady's sake, he sought to progress in merit, and to purify his spirit. For her he was mighty in battle and in her presence, gay, witty, well dressed, and well washed. He composed and sang love songs for her, and was always scrupulous to defend her honor (Dijkstra 60). Through honoring her, he respected all ladies and proclaimed their fame. He was his lady's vassal and to her he rendered his homage. Though romantic, the concept of courtly love was a strict violation of the teachings of the church (Evans 113). How far courtly love led to actual adultery is an insoluble problem. Plenty of troubadours celebrated their amorous victories, but these troubadours are very unreliable witnesses (Evans 120). At any rate, adultery in the swarming communal life of the castle was difficult, if not impossible. These sinful matings must have occurred mostly outdoors and must have greatly depended on the weather. In its entirety, it seems courtly love was mostly a game, an intellectual diversion with little effect on moral behavior (Lunt 67). Courtly love framed the virtues and ideals of a man of status. It's perfect representative was humble, a loyal warrior for religion, a defender of ladies' honor, and a true gentleman in every aspect idealized at the time. The proper medieval gentleman had many virtues. He was generally loyal to his ...
