The Wedding Planner Essay -- Literary Analysis

Chaucer’s tale of courtly love may have been written in the fourteenth century, but the growth of love that occurs in the story is still a concept that can be seen in the twenty-first century. The script for The Wedding Planner, a 2001 romantic comedy, contains the following lines, said by father to daughter about the development of love in his arranged marriage: â€Å"I appreciated her. Then the appreciation grew to respect. Respect grew to like. Then like grew to love.† While Troilus fell head-over-heels in love with Criseyde, his beloved needed some time and persuasion to warm up to his affection. The processing of his wooing, her dancing around the potential for a relationship, and each of them coming to terms with his or her own feelings is exemplary of the journey from complete strangers to lovers in â€Å"heaven’s grace.† For Criseyde, appreciation really did grow to respect and then to like and, finally, to love. The full impact of the emotion that the lovers share is felt in Book III. By that point, Troilus has successfully wooed his sweetheart, and she has realized, wisely according to Chaucer, that â€Å"though he was not self-confident or tough,/ Nor tried to fool her with some fine address,† she loved him (Book III, stanza 13). Troilus spent two books playing a game with Criseyde and her uncle, Pandarus. He has written her letters and showed off in armor and paraded like a peacock all while being terrified that he was going to be unsuccessful in gaining Criseyde’s attention. In Book I, the reader is granted an insight into Troilus’ later fear of rejection, an insight that Criseyde is never privy to. Troilus has never been in love. In fact, he has scorned love, denied its worth in front of all his soldiers. When a man under his ... ...ore afraid† and Troilus â€Å"seem[s] inspired† (Book III, stanza 69). This is the true manifestation of courtly love; the man, the lover, motivated by a beloved, doting woman. On this journey from doubt to trust and from cynicism to confidence, both Troilus and Criseyde reach an ultimate bliss in one another. For a man who did not believe in love and for a woman who did not need a man, the journey was challenging and filled with resistance. The remarkable aspect of courtly love is that it defies expectations. With proper, unrelenting, and sincere wooing, as Troilus demonstrates, a champion can be won. Criseyde grew to love and lean on Troilus, and Troilus grew to believe in love. And all it took was 127 pages and two books to get there. Chaucer never said the journey would be short – or easy – just that it would â€Å"bring them to [the] heaven of grace† (Book I, stanza 6).