The Power of Myth

Campbell focuses most of Chapter 7’s discussion on the influence of the 12th- and 13th-century troubadour poets, whom he believes are responsible for the shift towards individualism in the West. The troubadours wrote about love as a person-to-person spiritual experience that transcended societal norms. The troubadours touted Amor, a highly personal, spiritual recognition of the lover that begins with the meeting of eyes. The Church saw the troubadours’ philosophy of personal spiritual rapture as threatening to the idea of credo—adherence to divine law—because it promoted libido—individual impulse. Campbell analyzes the romance of Tristan and Isolde as exemplifying Amor and the sufferings lovers willingly endure. The figure of Tristan recurs in Dante’s Inferno, where he is punished in hell for his adulterous love.

Campbell asserts the affirmation of individualism in love encouraged the affirmation of individualism in all aspects of life. Although Moyers suggests that following individual whims might lead to anarchy, Campbell reassures him that there was still a respect for societal decorum among the troubadours, as shown by the five knightly virtues and rules of chivalry. In this context, Campbell discusses the Romance of the Grail. As human life has both an inner and outer dimension, the Romance of the Grail warns against a life lived solely by reference to the outer world—the expectations of society.