Britta Carlson's 'Essay On Love Is Dangerous'

Britta Carlson

Love is Dangerous The rules of courtly love guide the characters of the knights’ stories through their love lives. Some rules are a little realistic; such as no one can love more than one person. While others are a little more ridiculous, like a woman must swoon when her love walks into the room, or she must regularly go pale in his presence. In today’s society, these rules will be a little extreme. But they are what make these stories interesting. The ones that are addressed here are broken by some, and very much kept by others.
Marriage does not prevent love is the first rule to be looked at. This can be true in some instances, but love should not be condoned if one of the two are married. It is not right for someone
This rule can actually apply in real life. It isn’t healthy, but it can happen if someone is really worried about his significant other, or if something is wrong with her. This usually is not taken to the extreme that these stories tend to go however. There are two characters that follow this rule pretty well. Laustic was so tormented by his love, that he stood at the window all night to stare at her, instead of sleeping the night away. I do not recall the poem saying anything about his eating habits changing, but he definitely did not sleep at night. He follows this rule very well; seeing as this is the only way he can talk to her or see her. It shows how much he is bothered by not being able to see her in person. In a way, it shows how much he cares for her. The fact that he would rather stand at the window and watch her all night instead of sleep, should make her super happy. But on the other hand, she should be more worried about the man she married and is sleeping in her bed. One character that broke this rule was Laustic’s neighbor. When his wife was awake all night standing at the window, he didn’t really bother with her so much until it had been a long time. The poem did not imply that he was sleeping poorly, or having trouble eating. So in this case, he definitely broke the