Love for Everyone

I spent MLK Day spending time with other students and C Nicole Mason, who wrote Born Bright. Throughout the day, we discussed social injustice and how society can fight towards social justice. Reflecting back on The Art of Courtly Love and MLK day, I found myself mainly focused on "Chapter II. Between What Persons Love May Exist" and how this section reflects back into today's current climate. 

Taking the time period into consideration, I understand why it was believed that “love cannot exist except between persons of opposite sexes,” (Capellanus, 30). There are still many instances where the ideology from the older time period has remained true. For example, in 1998, Matthew Shepard was murdered in Wyoming because he identified as a gay man. Additionally, a bakery in Colorado refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in the summer of 2017. Same-sex couples were legally allowed to marry each other in all states in 2015. Today, there are still marches to fight for LGBTQ+ rights. 

In my opinion, this chapter contradicts the overarching theme of the work that someone should do whatever it takes to make love work. A person should do whatever it takes to show their love, but according to Capellanus there are many stipulations when it comes to love. On top of not being able to love someone of the same sex, one cannot be capable of love if they are too young, too blind, or too passionate. The Art of Courtly Love seems to appeal to some idea of what love should be, but the entire piece does not encompass what love is in today's society.