Romantic Love, Jealousy and Hatred

To the reader, the main plot line may seem a bit worn and old. In some ways, the Laxdaela Saga has a story line a bit like a soap opera, a Days of Our Lives. Two cousins, best of friends, feud because of the subtle jealousy of a woman who pits them against one another. This results in the men's deaths and an extended and destructive family feud. However, the reader should recall when the Laxdaela Saga was written, somewhere around the year 1245. Romantic tales, romantic in the ordinary sense of the term, were not common and almost nonexistent until the 13th century. One of the first romantic works in history was Tristram and Yseult (the archetype document for all the Tristan and Isolde stories throughout history, including the 2006 and the Wagner Opera), which was written around 1150. The 12th century saw the origins of...