Class Assignment 3, Choice 1

The troubadours in southern France typically followed the same conventions in writing their lyrics. Many of the songs contained both repetition and rhyme. Many also had a refrain, which would be an extended example of repetition. This is true in many of the poems I read. In the song by Almucs de Castelnau and Iseut de Capio on p. 93, there is clearly evidence of rhyme. The rhyme scheme of this song is ABBACCDDEE. The second stanza has the same rhyme scheme, also corresponding to the first (the first line of both rhyme, the second line of both rhyme, and so on). The song by Isabella, on p. 111, contains clear repetition. The first line of each verse addresses who it is being spoken, or sung, to. The song by Maria de Ventadorn, in contrast (p. 99), does not have much repetition or rhyme. One of the common qualities of troubadour writing that I do not see much of is clichés. This may be because of the translation, or the fact that we are separated by so many hundreds of years. Looking at it from another perspective though, clichés cannot become clichés until they are used, and this may be when they were first used.

In reading songs of women troubadours as opposed to those by men, we can see the other side of courtly love. In the song by Almucs de Castelnau and Iseut de Capio, the speaker (a woman) is saying that she will not be with this man until he apologizes. The man wants her to be kinder, but the woman says that she cannot do this until he shows “contrition.” I think this seems like it is the beginning of women being on their way to being viewed as equal. The men troubadours are practically worshipping the women, and because of this “power” that the women have over the men, they can afford to ask to be treated with respect. In the song by Garsenda on p. 109, it is clear that the men no longer feel as superior to women as they used to. The woman in this song wants to man to confess his feelings, and the man says that he is too intimidated; he would rather be just friends.