At the
Court of the Viscountess Ermengarde of Narbonne, the question whether
the love between lovers was greater than the love between husband and
wife was settled as follows: "Nature and custom have erected an
insuperable barrier between conjugal affection and the love which
unites two lovers. It would be absurd to draw comparisons between two
things which have neither resemblance nor connection."
The contrast between the new, spiritualised love and the older, sexual,
instinct created that dualism so characteristic of the whole mediaeval
period. Sexuality and love were felt as two inimical forces, the fusion
of which was beyond the range of possibility. While on the one hand
woman was worshipped as a divine being, before whom all desire must be
silenced, she was on the other hand stigmatised as the devil's tool, a
power which turned men away from his higher mission and jeopardised the
salvation of his soul. Wagner portrayed this dualism perfectly in
_Tannhauser_. "A man of the Middle Ages," says Lucka, "would have
recognised in this magnificent work the tragedy of his soul.
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