Love in Ancient and Medieval Literature

Throughout history, love has been portrayed differently in various types of literature. The concept of love in ancient literature and in medieval literature is represented both similarly and conversely. Two famous authors, Sappho, an ancient author, and the poets of Arabic Spain, medieval authors use passages in their pieces of writings to express and depict a picture of love in comparable and contrasted ways.
Sappho, an ancient author, depicts human emotion in the passage chosen through a series of references to the human senses.
“If I meet/you suddenly, I can’t/speak-my tongue is broken;/a thin flame runs under/my skin; seeing nothing,/hearing only my own ears/drumming, I drip with sweat;/trembling shakes my body/and I turn paler than/dry grass. At such times/death isn’t far from me.” (Sappho, p. 39, l. 9-19)
Here, a story is being told to us about a man who is so greatly loved by the author. The love shown here for the man is so intimate and passionate that a los...