Acquiring Love

Each of the three books has a well-defined theme. Book One is the introduction to the treatise and it starts where a treatise on love naturally begins, explaining how love is acquired. Capellanus begins by explaining what love is and the various forms of love, their effects, and the people who should engage in the practice of courtly love.

However, the primary element of importance in the acquisition of love is the initiation of courtly love. The process is complex and involves many subtleties, most of which vary according to the social rank of the lover and the social rank of the beloved. For instance, all the rules of initiation require that social class be at least implicitly acknowledge particularly up front and in general throughout the entire conversation.

This is clearest in cases of deeply unequal dialogues. For instance, in the third dialogue, a middle -lass...