Medieval poetry covered religious devotion, courtly love, and social satire. It was often spoken by minstrels and troubadours before being written. Monks and priests composed religious poetry, while courtly love poetry celebrated women and heroism. The use of vernacular languages helped increase literacy rates and set the stage for the Renaissance.
Medieval poetry is a type of literary verse which was written during the Middle Ages and which has a specific subject matter pertinent to this time period. This type of poetry very often covers topics of religious devotion and courtly love, both of which were of great importance in medieval society. Because literacy rates were relatively low during this historical period, medieval poetry was often spoken before it was finally written. Professional reciters called minstrels or troubadours usually traveled from city to city and performed long epics from memory. Their purpose was usually to educate as well as entertain the inhabitants of any town or village.
Many topics in medieval poetry concerned religion and accepted ideas of virtue. This argument reflects the importance of the church as a unifying influence on people from otherwise diverse cultural backgrounds. Monks and priests were usually the ones who composed or transcribed medieval religious poetry because they were the literate minority during this time period. Much of this religious poetry sought to teach lessons about morality and piety, and it also offered solace to audiences who often lived with hardships such as disease and poverty.
Courtly love was a further focus of medieval poetry. These poems were the most popular for troubadour performances. These types of verses worshiped women and imparted ideas of heroism.
Much of this poetry was composed in verse that was set to music, and some artists even sang these romantic poems a capella instead of simply reciting them. Medieval poetry on courtly love is considered one of the earliest appearances of romantic ideals of passion in literature. Because much of this poetry has a definite oral tradition, the exact identities of many courtly love poets have been lost to history.
While many medieval poems were dramatic and serious, others were satirical and aimed to make fun of the shortcomings of certain socioeconomic classes. One of the most famous examples is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. This poem and others written during the medieval period also represent a shift in the use of written language. While many poems were written in Latin only, others appeared in vernacular languages such as Old English, Irish and French. This new literary practice grew along with literacy rates among the common people, and this aspect of later medieval poetry helped set the stage for the Renaissance era that followed.
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