Marriage in the Middle Ages and Today

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Marriage in the Middle Ages and Today

Introduction

There has been a focus on sexuality in the middle ages. This sexuality has been used to describe the institution of marriage. Marriage in the middle ages was not the same as today. It meant very different things and was not an association that it is today. In the medieval Europe and Britain and the literature that proves it marriage was used as a source of sexuality foremost. Marriage mostly used to be a source of sexual intercourse and a means to gratify one's lust. Both men and women were expected to engage in marriage for ulterior motives of quenching their thirst for love and sex. Still, there are certain aspects of marriage in the medieval Europe that we come to understand from the works of contemporary authors. These authors evaluate the medieval Europe literature to understand what marriage and love meant to them.

Marriage in the middle ages and today

Marriage has always been what it is. It is an institution for the couples to achieve different ends. While at times they might seek one type of ends at other times they will be looking for something from the marriage. Still, the analysis of various literatures reveals that marriage in the medieval Europe happened through mutual consent and not by force or coercion. Furthermore, marriage was also not different from property and the husband's property was bequeathed by the widow. Marriage was also a holy alliance and even an economic one between the males and females who got married. Then, essentially marital sex was one important feature of this marriage. It also resulted in offspring of the couple through reproduction. Then, such marriage often also did encounter problems and resulted in divorce (McCarthy, 2004).

For example, the Confessions of Augustine is an autobiography that he wrote to express the turn in his life. He moved from being a sinful man to become a noble man. Although he does not directly mentions his preoccupations with non-marital sex and adultery, the confessions that he makes of his sinful actions are enough to show his immorality. However, he is not a recidivist and once purged of his sins through his confessions, he is no longer interested in committing more sins. However, he also fails to identify the presence of any marital love in his life. Still, his confessions underpin the importance of morality in medieval times and the need for people to get married to avoid the temptations to commit sins (Clinton, Irele, and James, 2009).

However, the contemporary Bible that looks at marriage from different angles has also looked at women and marriage from a sensual perspective. For example, in the Song of Songs or the Song of Solomon the beauty of a woman has been described. It clearly points out the beauty of the woman's breasts and describes the author's intention in fulfilling his desires through these breasts of the woman. Then, although it appears to be providing a ...