... to this lack of love in medieval arranged marriages, one of the romantic main ideas of courtly love is that love exists only outside of a marriage. In consequence of this, adultery is presented as a romantic feature of love although in reality adultery, especially that form of adultery in which a vassal seduced the wife of his lord, was "regarded in medieval law as a form of treason on a level ... with regicide" (Benton, 27). The punishments, accorded in the few known cases, were harsh and in form of castration, banishment and death. In the light of these severe historical realities, th...

• Word Count: 1140
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... to this lack of love in medieval arranged marriages, one of the romantic main ideas of courtly love is that love exists only outside of a marriage. In consequence of this, adultery is presented as a romantic feature of love although in reality adultery, especially that form of adultery in which a vassal seduced the wife of his lord, was "regarded in medieval law as a form of treason on a level ... with regicide" (Benton, 27). The punishments, accorded in the few known cases, were harsh and in form of castration, banishment and death. In the light of these severe historical realities, th...

• Word Count: 1140
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate