inventor of Courtly Love Later the Troubadour poets in France started writing poems that applied the theme of courtly love Soon this theme of poetry became much more popular So it spread throughout Europe Rules of Courtly Love Marriage is no real excuse for not loving Who is not jealous cannot love One can be bound by a double love Love may increase or decrease Boys do not love until they arrive at the age of maturity Troilus and Criseyde as a Poem of Courtly Love The poem Troilus and Criseyde deals with the theme of Courtly love But it overlooks the earlier French poetry of Boccaccio Troilus and Criseyde was written in the th century Chaucer writes the poem with certain modifications He never strictly followed the rules of th-century Courtly love He modified the poem towards sensibility Marriage is No Real Excuse for Not Loving Troilus is an unmarried young Trojan prince On the other hand Criseyde is a young widow Troilus is struck by Cupid's arrow Chaucer states For sodeynly he hit him at the fulle Suddenly Love struck him completely So Troilus becomes weak in Criseyde Here Chaucer properly fulfills the first rules of courtly love The marriage of Criseyde did not hinder their love affair as she was a widow with unthinkable beauty Who is not Jealous Cannot Love The second rule and conditions of Courtly Love are not properly fulfilled by Chaucer Indeed Troilus could not think of anything without Criseyde He could not bear anybody besides Criseyde His heart is broken when he gets the brooch he gave Criseyde as a token of his love in Diomedes' coat Chaucer remarks And eek a broche and that was litel nede That Troilus was she yaf this Diomedes And also a brooch though there was little need she gave to Diomede the same brooch that once belonged to Troilus After that he becomes jealous of Diomedess But he never hates Criseyde as a loyal lover One can be Bound by a Double Love The third condition is shown by Chaucer of Courtly Love in Troilus and Criseyde Here Criseyde leaves Troy and goes to the Greek camp There she falls in love with Diomedes Though she started to love him for her security she betrayed Troilus for that So the tragedy of Troilus leads him towards undesirable suffering Criseyde is told that Troilus loves her more than his life but she cannot depend on him So Chaucer says For love is yet the moste stormy lyf Because love is still the most troubled and restless life Love may Increase or Decrease Chaucer's character of Criseyde reveals the fourth condition of Courtly love While remaining in Troy she loved Troilus so much from the core of her heart But when she goes to the Greek camp the situation changes She accepts Diomedes's love offer Though she replied to the letter of Troilus with extreme passion over time everything has changed Boys Do Not Love Until They Arrive at the Age of Maturity The final condition and rules of Courtly Love are exposed through the character of Troilus Troilus mocks the lovers But when he starts to love Criseyde he becomes a serious lover He becomes more graceful So goodly was and gat him so in grace That ech him lovede that loked on his face He was so kind and noble that everyone who looked at him loved him He reaches the mature level of mind In the end Troilus embraces suffering without complaining and it is regarded as the deed of a fool not a hero In termination Chaucer does not follow all the conditions of Courtly love in his poem Troilus and Criseyde These variations make the poem more attractive and meaningful To Chaucer the lovers have genuine feelings for each other but cannot remain true to their oaths of love because of their circumstances