The Art of Courtly Love

“Therefore, although it does not seem expedient to devotes oneself to things of this kind or fitting for any prudent man to engage in this kind of hunting, nevertheless, because of the affection I have for you I can by no means refuse your request; because I know clearer than day that after you have learned the art of love your progress in it will be more cautious, in so far as I can I shall comply with your desire.”

Andreas addresses Walter, the friend who has fallen in love and asks Andreas for advice. From the outset, Andreas makes it clear that he does not endorse the pursuit of love, but he trusts that learning about love will show Walter why it is best avoided. The structure of the book develops accordingly. The first two books explain what love is and how to tell if it is returned, while the third book elaborates on the many sound reasons men should avoid it.

“Love is a certain inborn suffering derived from the sight of and excessive meditation upon the beauty of the opposite sex, which causes each one to wish above all things the embrace of the other and by common desire to carry out all of love’s precepts in the other’s embrace.”

In this passage, Andreas explains what love is. The lover is consumed with thoughts of his beloved and can attend to nothing else. This definition echoes Roman writer Ovid. Later in the text, Andreas will draw on this definition to explain what makes love so harmful. Since men in love can think of nothing but the object of their affection, they sacrifice care of body and soul, which leads to torment in life and after death.

“Just as a skilled fisherman tries to attract fishes by his bait and to capture them on his crooked hook, so the man who is a captive of love tries to attract another person by his allurements and exerts all his efforts to unite two different hearts with an intangible bond, or if they are already united he tries to keep them so forever.”

Andreas explains the etymology of the word love. It derives from the word “hook” (31), which frames love as a game of hunt and capture. Andreas will draw on this association throughout the book, using a variety of hunting similes and metaphors.