The poem is originally written in Medieval French in rhyming couplets. This is the most common style for "romances." The Romance of the Rose is considered to be an excellent example of Medieval courtly literature discussing romantic love. Rhyming couplets are originally introduced by the troubadours who popularized many of the courtly romances, mostly as an aid to memory during performance. It is unlikely that the Romance of the Rose was intended to be recited orally from memory.