Domnei · Chapter
Epigraph II explained
This epigraph introduces the concept of 'domnei,' a term from the Troubadours that encapsulates the complex system of opinions, ideas, affections, and habits that drove a knight to devote himself to a lady, striving to prove his love and me
What happens
This epigraph introduces the concept of 'domnei,' a term from the Troubadours that encapsulates the complex system of opinions, ideas, affections, and habits that drove a knight to devote himself to a lady, striving to prove his love and merit hers in return.
Themes in this chapter
Woman-Worship and Domnei
The epigraph directly defines 'domnei' as the chivalric code of devotion and service to a lady, central to the theme of woman-worship.
Key passages
“The complication of opinions and ideas, of affections and habits, which prompted the chevalier to devote himself to the service of a lady, and by which he strove to prove to her his love, and to merit hers in return, was expressed, in the language of the Troubadours, by a single word, by the word domnei, a derivation of domna , which may be regarded as an alteration of the Latin domina , lady, mistress.”
The intricate mix of beliefs, emotions, and behaviors that led a knight to dedicate himself to a lady, seeking to demonstrate his love and earn hers, was summed up by the Troubadours in one word: 'domnei,' from 'domna' (lady), itself derived from the Latin 'domina.'
This paraphrase clarifies the definition and etymology of 'domnei' as presented in the epigraph.