The Art of Courtly Love, Consolation of Philosophy, and...

The Art of Courtly Love, Consolation of Philosophy, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Part 1: Consolation of Philosophy, written by Boethius 1. Boethius was a popular member of the senatorial family. He was a philosopher that agreed with Plato that government should be solely in the hands of wise men. After becoming consul, charges of treason were brought against him. He lived in a time in Roman society when everyone was mainly Christian. He was an Arian Christian and believed that Christ was neither truly God nor truly man. Because of his beliefs, he was seen as a heretic in the eyes of the Roman Church. This religious controversy was the root of many of Boethius’s beliefs and writings. 2. The literary genre of the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Philosophy argues that misfortune is more beneficial than good fortune, for good fortune deceives, but misfortune teaches† (Boethius, 40). The valuable lessons that bad luck and misfortune teaches a person is to live life modestly, appreciate everything that you have, be humble, and don’t take anything for granted. Lady Philosophy advises to reach the point in the wheel where good and bad fortune are equal and then a person won’t need either to be happy. If you have God and know yourself, than a person doesn’t need either to be truly happy. 4. Boethius relates the human experience of destiny/fate and the divine foreknowledge/providence by interpreting their meanings in real life. â€Å"Providence is the immovable and simple form of all things which come into being, while Fate is the moving connection and temporal order of all things which the divine simplicity has decided to bring into being† (Boethius, 92). Boethius says that providence is what happens in one second for God and fate is what happens in the course of a lifetime for human beings. He suggests that God knows the end of our lives right from the beginning but he doesn’t necessarily know each individual action or thought that it will take for a person to get there. Fate on the other hand is free will. Human beings determine what courses of actions to take in a lifetime, but ultimately, God