Heptameron

The nature of love is central to the project of The Heptameron, whether romantic “noble” love between men and women, platonic love between men, or even spiritual love of people for their God (and vice versa). Love is a constant topic that arises during the group’s debates, and such discussions would have been heavily informed by the doctrine of Platonic love, which was immensely popular during the 16th century. For Plato, the physical world was considered inferior to that of the spiritual world, and ideal love was more of an intellectual attraction existing on a higher plane than erotic attraction. This sort of love extends to situations of loyalty as well, especially between men. Ideal love is repeatedly defined as patient, moderate, and chaste, and in the case of the spiritual ideal of love personified in God, unfaltering for those who show true devotion.

However, being able to identify true love in a potential servant or spouse is problematic, and the stories are filled with “noble” love that later reveals itself for simple erotic attraction. Indeed, love is such an elusive thing, it is often impossible to express simply, and characters sometimes turn to poetry to approximate their feelings, with difficulty. The group’s stories are filled with questions that shape and deconstruct ideas of love throughout the text. Among them: Can a woman love a clergyman? When a woman is tricked or raped by someone who initially seemingly loved them, was it really love? If a woman must test her lover, does she truly deserve his love? The nature of love presents a multitude of discussions in The Heptameron that pivot around the various perspectives of the storytellers themselves.

When it comes to courtship, love is often depicted as a battlefield, and the conquest to win the lover plays out over a long, strategic campaign that sometimes ends in victory. Likewise, dying for love is treated by some in the group as the test for the purest, most noble of loves, embodying that Platonic ideal of seeking no physical satisfaction. Indeed, for many in the group, to love without expectation of sexual consummation is seen as the highest manifestation of love. This view is often countered by more realistic views that perfection is impossible to achieve (via purity tests, servitude to women), and that erotic desire is natural and good for humanity (and is, according to Hircan and Saffredent’s gendered view, essential to manhood). 

A problematic catalyst in many of Marguerite de Navarre’s stories, infidelity is a major theme directly tied to love, but which is certainly not exclusive to married couples. Indeed, problems arise when people are not well matched in marriage, whether the imbalance is due to spiritual devotion, economic status, or a simple personality conflict. Even a good match can be disrupted by simple attraction, and sometimes perfect matches are found outside of a marriage between a lady and her servant. In fact, having a “servant” seems to alleviate this discrepancy in marriage, yet the problem of fidelity between lady and servant takes on an even more intense importance.

The problem of marriage in the 16th century was significant, as marriages were still typically arranged for the benefit of the family rather than due to any true affection within the couple. The group itself discusses the pitfalls of marriage during their time, noting some marriages made between social equals for political reasons, “to maintain peace in the state” can be hellish for the couple (347), while some marriages based on passion bring together two incompatible families and end disastrously. A successful marriage, however, is typically depicted by the storytellers as one that abides by Christian teaching, that produces children, and in which husband and wife respect their roles to each other and their parents.  

As such, one can love one’s spouse yet have a devoted lover outside of marriage. The ever present “servant” offers an alternative form of fidelity that is exclusive to the members of the noble class, who are considered more capable of higher forms of love. Having a devoted servant does not necessarily imply a sexual relationship—it is a manifestation of the Platonic love that seeks only to serve. As such, the male servant embodies a nostalgic throwback to the medieval knight at the service of the lady. This love can transcend the love of the married couple, which serves an altogether different purpose in the eyes of God and society: to produce children and support patrilineal power structures. 

A common theme throughout the text is the necessity to question social norms for men and women. To challenge norms of decency and moral behavior, often rooted in religious teachings, undermines the fabric of society. Marriages support the transfer of wealth and power in 16th-century society, and when men and women leave marriages or shamelessly (publicly) engage in sexual liaisons, this casts doubt on those structures (particularly when the paternity of the children can be questioned). This dynamic plays out primarily in the way men and women seek to escape an unhappy match, defy royalty, or even defy a master, and such a story typically does not end well unless the rebel resigns to a life of religious devotion.

However, while those who undermine societal norms often suffer for it, the men and women of the group note how many social expectations are absurd and contrary to human nature or require that that nature be completely hidden. In other words, social norms require dishonesty, and perhaps that is worse than simple rebellion. Discussions may question what defines feminine modesty and decency, and why; is “modesty” real when it is required, or is it affected because women are expected to hide their desires? Likewise, men are often depicted as being driven by bad intentions and subject to their passions, while women must set an example/standard of behavior, so the sexes are constantly pitted against one another in a battle for social dominance.