Love is the central theme of the two stories “Lanval”, by Marie De France, and “The Prologue and Tale of the Wife of Bath” in The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffery Chaucer. The authors have very similar opinions about the nature of love and how people react to being in love. One of the messages conveyed in both stories is the irresistible power that a woman has over a man who is in love with her. …showed first 75 words of 664 total…

…showed last 75 words of 664 total…love; neither author seems to believe that love can be a mutual, innocent feeling. The stories that they penned show love as a cold, calculated commodity that only leads to death and unhappiness. They show that love is used to manipulate and confuse the unsuspecting partner, not lead to peoples’ contentment. The main purpose for love, according to the authors, is for social and monetary gain. The most skillful and manipulative partner reaps the reward.