Love and Marriage in Renaissance Literature - 1228 Words

In medieval Europe, the troubadours (poets of the southern part of France), like Guilhem IX, or Cercamon, first began to write poems about humble men falling in love with women who were admirer and adored by their lovers. Furthermore, intense love between men and women became a central subject in European literature, like between Tristan and Iseult, Lancelot and Guinevere, or Aeneas and Dido. But it was not question of marriage. Actually, marriage and love did not match very well together but then Renaissance literature developed the concepts of love and marriage and recorded the evolution of the relation between them. In the Renaissance poetry, Donne, in The Good Morrow, celebrate love and sexuality in marriage. However, the aspects of†¦show more content†¦In Shakespeare s play entitled A Midsummer Nights Dream, in the couples, the mates were chosen on their own will. Theseus, at the beginning of the play, is talking with his wife, Hippolyta, about their upcoming marriage. He so, demonstrates that the marriage was not a forced duty but that he wants it and even Hippolyta shows her happiness to marry him. Shakespeare went against societal norms and showed love as the only desire of a couple. And this began his central and favourite theme: the lovers who cannot be together because that goes against their families will. Besides, the societal norms of the marriage were quite strict in regard to the church. Indeed, before a couple could officially be considered married by the church and common law, there were four basic requirements. First, the bride s family had to consent and a dowry had to be offered. Second, both parties had to be of equal social class. The third requirement was for the parties to publicly declare the wedding and to have witnesses. Finally, the couple had to consummate the marriage. In Shakespeare s Measure for Measure, Claudio and Juliet are, thus married by common law standards -- however, their marriage was secret and so, not consi dered as a legal marriage. Actually, it was very important that the marriage was witnessed. And in this play,Show MoreRelatedLove and Marriage in Renaissance Literature Essay973 Words   |  4 PagesLove and Marriage in Renaissance Literature In medieval Europe, the troubadours (poets of the southern part of France), like Guilhem IX, or Cercamon, first began to write poems about humble men falling in love with women who were admirer and adored by their lovers. Furthermore, intense love between men and women became a central subject in European literature, like between Tristan and Iseult, Lancelot and Guinevere, or Aeneas and Dido. But it was not question of marriageRead MoreThe Reflection of Life During the Renaissance in Literature1601 Words   |  7 PagesLife in the Renaissance has been greatly reflected through the literature of its time. Many authors from this time reflected life in the Renaissance through their works. Several authors who strongly demonstrated this reflection include William Shakespeare, Thomas Elyot, Christopher Marlowe, Walter Raleigh, and Christine de Pizan. They accomplished this by producing various literary works, such as Hamlet, â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,† â€Å"The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd,† Le Livre de laRead MoreEssay on Attitudes Toward Love in French literature838 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the centuries, literature has provided a way to express oneself, while at the same time, allowing the reader to experience a different kind of life through the stories. 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In Chaucers Canterbury Tales, Christian love clashes with courtly love, as men and women grapple with such issues as which partner should rule in marriage, the proper, acceptable role of sex in marriage, and the importance of love as a basis for a successful marriage. WorksRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance1317 Words   |  6 Pagesis the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance is the cultural movement of the 1920’s. The movement essentially kindled a new black cultural identity through art, literature and intellect. The Harlem Renaissance started during the Roaring Twenties. It took place in Harlem, New York. It became most prominent in the mid to late 1920’s and it diminished toward the early 1930’s (Henderson). The Harlem Renaissance was initially called the New Negro Movement or the New Negro Renaissance. It was the resultRead MoreGender Equality During the Renaissance Essay1198 Words   |  5 PagesThe Renaissance was simply â€Å"the green end of one of civilizations hardest winters† (Robert 10). In other words, catastrophic events swept through Europe such as the black plague, warfare, and starvation causing a high population of death rates. After an era of destitution, the Renaissance was a period of â€Å"rebirth† where individuals could express their intellectual thought through art, science, literature, and education. It’s true that people during that time express humanist ideals of individualRead MoreThe Essay Of Groom Service And The Return 803 Wo rds   |  4 Pagesare two short story which have the common theme of â€Å"love† and the common situation of â€Å" the marriage†. Although the two stories have common themes and situation related to acceptance, acknowledgement, and recognition, the difference between the two story influence the meaning a lot. The common theme of story is â€Å"love†. The protagonist in â€Å"Groom Service†, Bernard, had the ability to survive with his hunting skill, but did not dare to seek his own love. He seeks acceptance from Marie and her family. OnRead MoreDifferences Of Shakespeare And Much Ado About Nothing By William Shakespeare1668 Words   |  7 PagesShakespeare is regarded as a very influential writer in British literature and has been an inspiration for literature beyond his time. This play has been recreated for the cinema in many versions of film. One version of film in particular is by the director Kenneth Branagh in 1993 (IMDb). Both the Much Ado About Nothing play and the Much Ado About Nothing film have differences, updates, and similarities that relates back to Renaissance time or to current 21st century culture. The original text that