Whither The Price Of Love?

So here I am, watching "A Knight's Tale" on the History Channel when the scene where William wishes to confess his love to Jocelyn, in which she requests, nay demands that he lose the next tournament to show he loves her above even himself and his own reputation.

Hold the phone! She wants him to besmirch his reputation in her name? I think this lands squarely in the realm of "ridiculous", just south of "selfish" a quarter mile from "impudent". I understand that love requires a certain amount of sacrifice on behalf of each partner in order for the relationship to work. These acts of selflessness should be self-motivated. Having them be demanded of someone makes it less a matter of them being selfless, and more a matter of you being selfish.

Thoroughly perplexed? Wonderful, let's continue.

I've always felt that love should be not unlike a warm blanket. Private, cozy, familiar, unpretentious and undemanding. Once love is built upon a foundation of sand, it cannot hope to weather the storms of conjugality. I don't believe that partners need be entirely undemanding, but the demands one makes of the one they love should be demands they would expect to be asked of them self. I feel that there will always be a more dominant member of a relationship, but it should be expected of them not to abuse their position of power and control. Be it the man or woman, a ship is best steered by a sure hand with a yielding grip. Nothing gets accomplished when people begin to feel bossed around by their significant other.

I felt that segment of the movie was entirely preposterous and kind of makes for a hypothetical back story to "Brokeback Mountain". I could certainly see such obtuseness as grounds for a team swap.