Medieval theology did indeed hierarchize sins in the way Tedaldo suggests—for example, homosexual sex was considered far more sinful than extramarital sex; because the former couldn’t have any procreative purpose, it was considered less “natural” than the latter. In his disguise as a friar, Tedaldo is playing the role of a priest and guiding Ermellina through a confession—only it’s a confession focused on the codes and morals of
fin’amors. In this way, he recreates and corrects the original confession that scared her into breaking off the affair. Importantly, her most serious sin, attempted murder, is the result of “cruelty,” which is the charge made against any woman who spurns a man’s romantic advances, regardless of her reasons. The sexual double standards at play in the book and its culture claim to elevate women but in reality often punish them for failing to follow men’s desires.