Last week I was watching E! True Hollywood Stories, Celebrity Divorces and began to think about why celebrities have such a high record for divorce. Is it their wealth that divides couples or does fame ruin a marriage? In Dante’s Inferno one of the themes is the idea of Lust and those that committed sins of the flesh and public love. Dante meets Francesca in the Second Circle of Hell and she tells him her story of how her love leads to her eternity in hell. She was married to a man but fell in love with Paolo de Rimini. They read the love story of Lancelot and Guinevere, which is another tale of public life. Francesca’s husband found out about their affair and had both of them killed. In the tale of Lancelot and Guinevere. Guinevere was King Arthur wife and Lancelot was a King Arthur’s noblest knight. Guinevere and Lancelot had a secret love but it was revealed when Lancelot heisted in saving her because it did not want to show favoritism.
The negative effects of public love were also shown in Virgil’s Aeneid between Dido and Aeneas. After they fell in love, Dido revealed her love for Aneneas to the city but it isn’t long before their love is broken and Dido killed herself. She could have been so ashamed that she ended her life. Public love puts pressure on the couple, especially when they are in position of authority or fame. In the Art of Courtly Love by Andreas Capellanus, he writes, “when made public love rarely endures”.
This quote makes me think of the modern example of Jon and Kate Gosselin. I have to admit that I was a fan of the show since the beginning but have stopped watching after all the drama about their divorce. If any one has seen the early shows, Jon and Kate seem like a happy and loving couple that is lucky enough to have twins and sextuples. After they are given a television show, their lives become public and before you know it, they are no longer a happy family, but anther broken story of divorce. I blame it on the fame and fortune; it is not natural to have your life broadcasted around the world. The love of their family and marriage made public ruined what they once had. I think it is a shame, but I don’t know if it is entirely sinful or would qualify for Jon and Kate plus to eight to be sent to the Second Circle of Hell in Dante’s Inferno. 
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteReally interesting insight into the "public love" idea. Honestly, when we read that in class I innitially found it ridiculous and didn't give it much more thought. But you're absolutley right; many relationships put in the limelight don't last. It would be interesting to see how marriage actually worked back then. How much of it was public show? For members of the court, it must have been, what with so many banquets, balls, etc. Husbands and wives forced to be "happy" all the time can lose it after a while. As we continue reading it will be interesting to see how "public love" continues to be displayed.