Part one of term paper
The theme of love develops through several different levels in Arthurian Literature. Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wace equate love with sexual desire, and little else. The concept becomes less one-dimensional in Hartmann von Aue’s romances. In Erec and Iwein, Hartmann’s definition of love includes emotional attachment and a degree of commitme ...

Part two of term paper
... of love strays even further from sexual gratification and physical pleasure. In his epic poem, Parzival, Wolfram lauds the recognition and embracing of a divine love that transcends the earthly realm altogether. He, like Hartmann, acknowledges that earthly love can be a detrimental “padlock on our reason” (Wolfram, 153). Love in Parzival thus entails many of the same characteristics that it does in Hartmann’s works as far as love among human beings is concerned. But Wolfram develops love’s d ...