their love possible" (Marie 87-88).
In "Equitan" we read of the same set of circumstances--a strong and beautiful woman who wins the heart and soul of a man who was otherwise an indomitable character, in this case the king himself: "Through the lady, Love caught him unawares, with the result that he was distraught and overcome with sadness. Unable to withstand its power, he was forced to give Love his full attention . . . 'I think I have no option but to love her'" (Marie 57).
The sources in Marvin Perry, et al. present both orthodox and unorthodox views of women and their roles and status in Medieval Europe. For example, it is beyond a doubt that Charlemagne, in "An Injunction to Monasteries to Cultivate Letters," expresses views that stand in stark contrast to the views of Marie. Though Charlemagne is addressing the abbott of a monastery, it is clear that he believed women should be as conventionally virtuous as, if not more so th
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