Courtly love.
It was newly in fashion.
To the innocent it sounded incredibly romantic,
Especially with all of those handsome new knights charging about.
To the less innocent it sounded incredibly convenient:
An opportunity to breach propriety and take liberties –
Escaping the emotional confines of sworn fidelity.
And perhaps the physical ones as well.
It left a trail of broken hearts in it's wake.
Why labor to love your tired spouse?
All of the rapture and fantasy of new love awaits in amour courtois.
It was a game for fools.
And in Camelot, fools were not in short supply.