Ovid’s+Art+of+Love

Type in the content of your page here.

Ovid: The Art of Love

Poem written during in teh era of Augustus. Composed around 1 B.C.E, the poem focuses on the theme of service that lovers engage with. Lovers serve. In the contemporary society of the 12th century, service had a Christian hue to it that drew upon monastic themes. Just as a Christian was supposed to be completely subservient and serve God unconditionally, so was the interpretation from Ovid that lovers were supposed to do the same. They were supposed to unconditionally serve each other. Also combines with the idea of secular service between a lord and vassal. Just as the vassal was under the service of the lord, through love, the knight became the servant of the lady. The lady was the lord, the lover was the vassal. Service between lovers showed their dedication to each other.