What is Love? Essay Examples

Literary Love Essay
Love – possibly the most powerful four–letter word known to man. A feeling and emotion so strong
that it makes it nearly impossible to put its meaning into words. However, it is also one of the
most explored subjects in the world of literature. Whether in a comedy or a tragedy, the theme of
love is very often expressed. This theme can be expressed in many different ways, for example,
positively causing everyone to live happily ever after in a fairytale type of world, negatively being
the cause of death and anywhere in between. In Aristophanes Lysistrata and Shakespeare'sA
Midsummer Night's Dream, the theme of love is present throughout moving the story along through
many trials and tribulations; however, Lysistrata is more of a love...show more content...
It is a tale of four young lovers who run off into the woods and fall in love with one another both
naturally and under the influence of magic. Lysander finds himself in love with Hermia who is
betrothed by her father, Egeus, to marry Demetrius who is in love with Hermia's friend Helena.
The love quadrangle ends up playing out to two beautiful love stories for the four young lovers.
Although these four are put through troubles of being betrothed when not in love, running away,
being put under magical spells, they never give up on their true love for one another. For these
characters did learn the hard way that " The course of true love never did run smooth" (I.i.134) But
they never gave up their hope that all would end happily ever after.
There is a difference in desire versus love. Desire is a very strong want or longing when love is a
tender feeling of affection and compassion. The men in these two stories express these. The men
in Lysistrata show much more of a desire for their woman rather than love towards them. They
seem to only want them for sex as Cinesias states, "I just want to screw." (I.i.1030) to Myrrhine,
his wife, who refuses to break her oath to the woman and have sex with her husband. Her love for
peace is stronger than her desire for her husband while her husband's desire for sex is stronger than
his love for his wife or he would respect her decision and understand her cause.
The young men in A Midsummer Night's Dream,
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What Is Love? Essay examples
"I love you." These three small words have such a powerful meaning. Love is something for which
every human since the beginning of time has searched. From the quest for the perfect guy or girl, to
yearning for acceptance, the search goes back to the individual's desire for love. The dilemma is that
love has become hackneyed and clichГ©. People fling around the word love as if it is nothing
when in reality love is such a powerful word. People use the word love when in reality they
should be using the word lust or infatuation. Society tries to replace a person's need to be loved
through sex, which does not work because that person just ends up getting hurt. Does true love
really exist, or is it as bogus as a fairytale? The poems, "Let me not...show more content...
In the poem, "Let me not to the marriage of true love," the speaker notes that love that alters
through circumstances is not love at all (Shakespeare 574). True love is unconditional. True love
does not care whether a person's lover's looks or personality change because the person will still
love her. Even if the lover makes mistakes, the love is still present. The speaker also articulates
that love watches through the storm, but is never moved (Shakespeare). True love is identical to
being in an eye of a storm. Although there is a destructive storm around, nothing can disturb or
shake true love. When problems arise, the lovers may be shaken, but never moved. The speaker
realizes that beauty if fleeting. He comments that even though the beauty of youth will go away,
love does not change; love is not bound by time. True love realizes that people are not going to be
young and beautiful forever. Time basically does not exist because even after death, the love will
still be there. Shakespeare's speaker compares true love to a star that guides all the lost ships;
although a person may be able to calculate its distance no one will truly comprehend how much it
is truly worth (574). True love can be like a star it seems like such a little thing until one studies it
and experiences it and then the true worth of it is known. Shakespeare's character argues that if true
love does not exist, Shakespeare has never

Universal Love Essay example
Love is a universal concept that has survived through the ages. With time, though, it also has
become more complicated. Although, the concept of love becomes more complex, the story
remains the same. In the poem, 'Parting, Without a Sequel,'; by John Crowe Ransom, the story of
love is almost over, and the reader becomes a part of it at the end of the affair.
The poem begins with a woman finishing a letter, 'with characters venomous and hatefully curved,';
to be mailed to the man she once loved. This letter, assumed by the reader that its purpose is to
break off the relationship, gives the woman a sense of power and relief when it is completed.
Although, as soon as she hands it 'to the blue–capped functioner...show more content...
The daughter knows she can depend on him for the support she needs during this time of her life,
and he gives it to her. He was quiet during his daughter's relationship, but now that she has come to
him, he finally can speak and tell her what he feels. Rubbing his old dried up hands, 'rasped his sere
leaves,'; he relates his disappointment to her.
Ransom uses the symbols of an oak to represent the father whose emotions never change; he remains
stoic through the good and bad times of life, much like an oak could be thought of. An oak is seen
as an object that is strong, wise, and everlasting. He remains there for whomever needs him; always
willing to listen and give his advice. His daughter, in contrast, goes through many emotions, just
within the poem. In the beginning, she shows hate and bitterness towards her lover then in the end it
transforms into regret for writing such an awful letter.
The rain that is mention twice in the poem could symbolize the relationship the daughter had with
her lover. The father remained 'stoical in the rain'; and when 'the agitation of the rain/ Rasped his
sere leaves,'; did he finally speak to his daughter. Clam and cool, he shows her that he loves her,
even if it cannot replace the love she once had from another.
Love is a concept that will never die. Thought the characters in the story might change, it will go on
forever. People will be hurt by is, but they

Essay about Love
Love
Love is difficult to define, difficult to measure, and difficult to understand. Love is what great
writers write about, great singers sing about, and great philosophers ponder. Love is a powerful
emotion, for which there is no wrong definition, for it suits each and every person differently.
Whether love is between family, friends, or lovers, it is an overwhelming emotion that can be
experienced in many different ways.
People experience love for the first time by being part of a family. Family love is demonstrated
through lessons of sacrifice, concern and compassion, from the cradle to the grave. There are many
different levels and conditions of family love. It is the love we cherish between our intermediate
family and our...show more content...
A close–knit loving bond between two people can begin with a friendship. Whether it is a friendship
between two males, two females, or one male and one female, these friendships will develop into
love. In no way is it a romantic love, but this type of love connects and bonds friends. Friends may
move away or friendships may wane, but the love between the two people burns on forever.
Romantic love is a love that not every person will experience. It is a type of love that is not there at
the beginning, but grows within the individual. When one finally finds the love they have been
looking for, one can not imagine life with anybody else. Romantic love is a connection between two
souls that is captured with a feeling that is not only felt within the heart but within their body as
well. I have never been in love with a girl; I can only imagine what it might be like to be in love.
Guessing from my sister's relationship with boys, it seems like a big headache instead of a
wonderful feeling.
To simply write a definition of love is complicated because every person has a different perception of
love. The only way to capture the true meaning of love is to experience the feeling and find out
for oneself, what love is. In our lives and the lives of others, love is evident. Whether it is between
family, friends, or lovers, love is a precious

Essay about What is Love?
What is love? The type of love I'm describing is the one that gives you butterflies when a certain
person comes to mind. Just seeing that particular person can be enough to make one smile and
make your day and all the worries go away. Right now that person comes to mind. It's neither a crush
nor infatuation and many are willing to do anything for this thing that is called love. Love can hurt in
the long run, and people can also be blinded by it. Those who are ready to be loved have to ask
themselves if there are emotionally ready for. Many people put up walls to guard their "heart" from
being hurt again. Love teaches us many lessons. We use those lessons in our future relationships. We
don't want to make the same mistakes. Lastly, love...show more content...
Its gives us that love in return can make us feel tingly and happy feeling whereas we are often sad
and lonely without love. Love gives us hard lesson to learn. I learned that love does hurt and take
time to heal. We build walls to protect us from being hurt again. I also learn that love is color
blind. When we're truly in love with the person we see beyond color or it doesn't matter because
that person accepts that person for whom they are. When we love those that a different culture from
us we see beyond those imperfections. It's hard to describe 'love' through the sense. When we
experience through the sense of sigh its hit us like a stuck of lightening. Almost love at first sight.
Love through the sense of touch is when they you or putting their arms around you when you are
sitting down. Love through the sense of taste is when the person you are attracted to kisses. When
we experience love through the sense of smell when you're used to a certain aroma from that
person. You seem to get used to when they wear a certain cologne or perfume that you always
loved. When we experience the sense of hear in the relationship when we speak of our day. It's not
just to hear them talk it's the emotion that is involved and the way they said. Lastly, there are many
ways you can incorporate the five senses without you even knowing it.
We all have our own definition of love and there are many words out there to describe love. Love is
very important and without it we become

A Love Story Essays
I met her two years ago and we did not have much to say at that time. Little did I know that she
would later steal my heart and become an intimate part of my life. As the saying goes "there is
someone for anyone at any time in this life" and I was about to find out that this saying was so
true. I have had a wall built around me and my defense was as a stronghold to protect myself from
all the relationships that have come and gone over the years. I thought that I was meant to be
alone in this old life and happiness was forever gone from me. This wonderful woman I am speaking
of is Mary Doe, and the joy she has given me has revived my hope and faith that I may have finally
found love and peace within. She has made me feel like I am a child...show more content...
"People will only try to take advantage of you if you open the door for them to do so". "Be
strong, be independent, and above all love, love, love when you find someone worthy of your
love". Even my dreams consist of her. Last night I dreamed that I was riding out on the open
range and after around three hours just riding and enjoying the peace and quite of being away
from everything I noticed a figure walking towards me. I was not worried but just curious as to
who it may be. When I drew nearer I could tell it was a woman. I thought to myself why is she out
here all alone and walking. This was horse country and there was nothing for miles around that
she could walk too. When we finally came face to face I could see that she was crying and that tears
were coming down and such a sad look on her face. I dismounted and asked if "I may be of any
help? She began to cry all the much harder and tried to talk but her emotions had the best of her. I
took a chance and put my arms around her and let her cry until there seemed to be no more tears in
which she would be able to shed. When she did finally look at me her eyes were so sad and I took
my hand and softly brushed away the tears flowing down her cheeks. I asked if there was
anything I could do for her, and she said "no, I must handle this my way". "How are you going to
handle anything out here all alone and crying the way you are"? Mary Doe then looked at me and
said, "you

Love in Poetry Essay
Love in Poetry
There are endless ways in which love can be portrayed and occur. There are numerous types of
love, whether it's physical, emotional or romantic love. I intend to expand upon and highlight the
various ways in which love an loss is portrayed in 5 selected poems: John Clare's 'First
Love', John Keats' 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci', Robert Browning 'My Last
Duchess' and Christina Rossetti's two poems 'Birthday' and
'Remember'. All of the poets portray love the concept of love or loss or both in relation to some;
they all attempt to capture and express the presence of love and loss in the closest way possible.
In ?First Love?, the poet (John Clare) situates his poem as if telling a story. The story of a young boy
...show more content...
Since the moment the poet–to–be set eyes on this fairy tail princess like figure; Clare is paralysed
due to the over load of emotion which has overcome him and of such a level experienced for the
first time, almost as if he is under a spell:
?My legs refused to walk away.?
The poet carries on to say ?Words from my eyes did start;? as if due to the overload of emotion
running through his body paralyzing him and making him dumbfound, the young boy desperately
wants the girls heavenly eyes to meet with his, as if a sign to recognize him and his feelings
towards her. Oblivious to the fact that the young girl still does not recognise his feelings towards
here or his existence as a matter of fact; Clare carries on acknowledging his loss, and simultaneously
emphasizes his undying love towards her and continuers to secretly admire her.
The poet expresses his loss in such a way that the reader feels sympathetic towards him; secretly
admiring and long a woman who does not even know he exists let alone his feelings towards her.
?Are flowers the winters choice??
?Is love?s bed always snow??
these two lines express his feelings of undying love towards his first true love and how he feels he
should have told her how he felt; but alas it is to late, so he puts his feelings in writing in the form
of a poem. The first line expresses his feelings of admiration

Different Types of Love Essay
"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love
is a growing up." –James A. Baldwin. The author, Baldwin talks about the fact that we assume love
starts once you meet that person and it ends when you die, but love is everlasting and is a part of
you from the very beginning. In his quote he also says that we will face different types of love, while
growing up. Films are made about it, books, songs, and poems are written. Artists draw, paint and
sculpt from inspiration of it and people spend their entire lives waiting for it. In dictionaries love is
defined as a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection but it is more than just a deep
connection. Its more than deep connections...show more content...
This is why mother sends out more of a warm fuzzy feeling than the father. Family love is the type
of love that every human being encounters throughout his or her lifetime. It's the very first and
less painful type of love. Parental love isn't the only part of family love. Sibling love is a big part
to. Sibling rivalry starts when the second child is born and the 1st child starts to feel alienated and
abandoned. Even though siblings are like archenemies, they have the most caring love. Since they
are closer through blood, they have the ability to protect each other and fight for each other.
Another main type of love is the love that is felt towards friends. This love is felt less when younger
because when you are younger you are accompanied more by parental love and attention. But when
grown older, parents become busier that the kid will start creating their own bonds and connections
with other children their age. This would start a friendship. After people make new friends they start
to become more dependent and more trusting until they feel like they are one person with their
friend. Having common interests, similar history, common values, and equality draws people to be
together as friends. Psychologically when one friend feels pain the other friend feels it because of
the bond created between them. In their mind they have automatically "connected" themselves with
that person. But friendship is the hardest to find because you're not

Essay on Love
Much has been said about love, but if you search the horizon, you will discover that most of the
things written about love are either pithy or cynical.
Society in general can be cruel and heartless toward real virtue of any kind. In the most popular
venues, love is seldom dealt with with any degree of sobriety. Modern humor mocks marriage,
husbands and wives, then glorifies every conceivable breech of virtue, such as sexual immorality,
profane and obscene values.
Real love is a mystery to most people. Most people never realize the true potential or value of love,
nor do they learn to practice the art of love. It is usually very poorly defined. People think they are
in love, but they can't explain it. There is a great deal of confusion...show more content...
Romance is different from love, even though ideally, they should occur together. Romance is the
emotional component of love. Romance adds the sparkle in your eyes. Romance adds the perfume
and the colors. Romance embellishes the scenery and swells the music. Romance is the gilding of
love. Romance is gold leaf. It is ornamentation. Romance sometimes becomes a means unto itself. It
even becomes a cheap substitute for love at times. Some people seem to desire the trappings and
embellishments of romance in place of genuine relationships. By comparison, romance is superficial
to love. Romance is skin deep. Love is heart deep. Romance requires things that love does not
require. Romance requires gifs and surprises and lavish attention. Romance sometimes demands
things that contradict love. Romance is offended when the gold leaf wears off. Romance condemns
love that is not eye–pleasing. Romance often injures and denigrates true love because love doesn't
always appeal to romance's selfishness.
Love is for givers, not getters. Those who demand to be loved before they will love shouldn't be
surprised if no one gives them love. Lovers live in a world of giving. The getters, the ones who are
looking for love, is a different world. We have a duty to love, but we have no guarantees that we will
be loved. We have it in our power to love, but we have no power to force others to love us. It is folly
to spend life demanding love from

What is Love? Essay
Love, Love, Love. We all think about it, dream about it, sing about it, and even lose sleep
worrying about it, but why? Love is such a small word paired with a vital meaning. It's universal,
easy to spell, difficult to define, but impossible to live without. When we don't have it, we search
for it, when we find it, we don't know what to do with it, when we have it, we fear losing it. Love is
the constant source of happiness and sorrow. I am young and I haven't a clue as to what love is, let
alone what falling in love is. However, I have my ideas of what love is like. I have never witnessed
the beauty of people falling in love, or the severity of those falling out of love, so what is love?
Love in general could be frightening. Some...show more content...
I think falling in love with someone happens when you least expect it to, when you're too busy
focusing on other aspects of your life. This is where fate comes into play. That specific person
was led to you for some unknown reason. Out of the blues, it's like your knight in shining amour
that you have longed to be with finally found his/her way to you. There are people in this world
that think they may never fall in love again. You fall at times, but you get back up. You will love
again, and you will also trust again. You have to simply let things get themselves done, that's when
you know it's meant to be, because destiny took its course, and while you were too busy doing
something else, the love of your life came along.
Love dates way back to when the world began. In reality, we really have no idea what love truly is.
Raising questions like, is it even real? We watch love movies, read romance novels, but that's the
sugar–coated, sweet and simple version of it. Meeting someone, fall in love, get married, have
kids, spend the rest of your lives together. What about the suffering we have to endure when falling
in love? Risking everything for that one person? And even when we feel we've reached the end of
the road, this person has the power to leave us at any given moment. We put ourselves out there with
the chance they can break us apart.
Love, as it is with everything,

Shakespeare In Love Essay example
Shakespeare In Love with Queen Elizabeth
"Shakespeare In Love" dominated the Oscars in 1998 bringing home seven academy awards
including best picture. At Consumnes River College, a film professor argued to his class that
"Saving Private Ryan" should have won the award. The whole class, which I attended, obediently
agreed. Only after studying Renaissance literature, I realize our mistake. "Shakespeare In Love"
accurately portrays Renaissance England and the birth of English drama, which is the ancestor of
American motion picture. Its combination of screenplay and acting accurately portrays the important
figures surrounding young Elizabethan drama. However, despite representations of Will
Shakespeare, Kit Marlowe, and Ned Allen, perhaps...show more content...
Furthermore, Viola symbolizes the Queen's courage simply by standing up to the Queen in argument.
Due to Viola's early–established courage and talent, she successfully plays the role of "Romeo." This
element of the film further links Viola to the Queen, forQueen Elizabeth successfully plays a lifetime
role as the male monarch. It's noted that "In the course of her reign, England became a nation to
rival France and Spain; England's cities became centers of commerce, her navy controlled the
principal routes of trade, and her people pursued lucrative interests in Europe and the New World."
(Jordan 1021) So, their accomplishment of successfully portraying the dominant male role further
links the factual Queen to the fictionalized Viola.
Queen Elizabeth and the character Viola also share the misfortune of experiencing tragic love.
Whereas Viola is forced to end her affair with Shakespeare due to their corresponding class
distinction, the Queen too was forced to end her affair with her love, Duke d'Alencon, due to her
status as monarch. She previously promised this course of action in her speech, "On Marriage."
Regarding her love life, she states, "I will never in that matter

Blind Love Essay examples
Blind love can be a hurtful experience, or one that is misleading. One example of blind love is
being in love with someone who will provoke you into doing things you would not normally do.
While most people have certain standards which they live by, being in love with someone to the
point that they influence you to go against what you believe in is a result of blind love.
Being in love can often persuade a person to do anything in order to make the other happy, or to
keep from loosing them. It makes one incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, and often the
person who is the recipient of this kind of blind love will take advantage of this circumstance. It can
be as simple as having them do all the housework, cooking and catering...show more content...
When friends and family see this happening and try to intervene, they will think of it as an intrusion
and will not listen or welcome this advice.
Blind love can also be when a person falls in love with someone is controlling or possessive, and
this person brainwashes him or her into thinking of him or herself as worthless, therefore using them
to their advantage, often forbidding them to have contact with friends or family. This can result in
an abusive affair, but because of blind love, this person starts to believe in everything the other says
and does, and becomes enslaved in the relationship.
A couple who are both blinded by love may do things that are irrational, or be in a world all their
own, choosing each other and dismissing their friends and family. They want to spend every moment
together, and are so much in love that they abandon their jobs, social obligations and anything else
that will separate them from each other.
Blind love can also be a love that sees no color, race, flaws or handicaps. It is a love that is
unconditional, and looks or personal traits do not matter, only the fact that they have found love.
It is as if a person were truly blind, as in not being able to see, only to feel with one's heart, and to
fall in love with someone without caring what he or she look like. Some examples of this could be

Love in Othello Essay
Love in Othello
However strong the emotional attitude of prejudices may be in Othello, Love is the most powerful
emotion and ironically the emotion that leads to the most vulnerability. Loves of all kinds are tested
in the tragedy and ultimately all fail to rectify the horrible situation. Marital love for Othello and
Desdemona serve as both a heaven and a hell on earth. As Othello portrays by saying,
If I were now to die
'Twere now to be most happy; for I fear
My soul hath her content so absolute
That not another comfort like unto
Succeeds in unknown fate. (act 2.1 188–191)
Such statement gives mixed messages suggesting happiness yet weariness about the future. Susan
Snyder has cited the same irony in Othello's statement...show more content...
Susan Snyder states "Barbantio, Iago and finally Othello see the love Between Othello and
Desdemona as unnatural, 'nature erring from it self'." Othello expresses this through his statement,
. . . Haply for I am black and have no soft parts of conversation
That chambers have, or for I am declined
Into vale of years– yet that's not much–
She's gone. I am abused, . . .
Furthermore Desdemona finds herself and her self–worth in question after Othello's cruel treatment
to her. She says " And his unkindness may defeat my life,/ But never taint my love" (4.2 line
159–160) Shakespeare makes the characters think love will bring them the most joy, but it actually
brings them the most pain and suffering. This is done to portray that uncertainly of all that is in life
and to make one think more about putting all ones faith, or hope in one object or person.
In Othello, the most prominent emotions of love, jealousy and finally hate lead into one another to
further intensify each and bring about a most tragic end. Hate and jealously are a response to
insecurities felt over the beloved of each character. In turn, all the emotions bring total destruction to
any peace of mind or happiness that any of the major characters may have. By the end of the drama,
Othello, the once loving husband, has become a green–eyed monster. He is so

Essay on Love Poems
Love Poems
Have the love poems, you have read given you a better insight into the emotion of love?
The subject of 'Love Poetry' has given rise to some of the most beautiful and fascinating poetry. The
poets illustrate their feelings, or the feelings of the people concerned with them through the use of
figurative language. Alove poem is not necessarily a poem about romantic love, about romance,
marriage and commitment; it could be something else entirely. It seems to be Universal.
Timeless. Yet, it's also very individual, filtered by our own lives and expectations. Love can be a
different thing for each one of us. Not all love poems deal with happy positive sides of love but
there is also the negative sides such as pain,...show more content...
'do not grieve' , she does not want her lover to feel that her love is possessive, she does not want
him to feel guilty. She wants him to cherish good times that they had, 'forget and smile'.
The tone throughout is melancholy and emotional as the poet talks about her approaching death. The
sonnet form is suitably used because the poet is telling her husband on how death will take over
their love. She accepts death in a philosophical manner. Although she is physically dead she wants to
be remembered.
Christina Rossetti shows us how death can bring a blissful relationship to an end, but she also
shows that love can exist even after death if it has withstood the test of time. She repeats the title
'remember' throughout the poem as a technique to emphasize that she really wants to be
remembered. Poet Rossetti wants to be remembered by her love even if 'darkness and corruption
leave'. Yet her love is unselfish.
Here a poem by Christina Rossetti's, 'A Birthday', is a contrast to
'Remember'. Throughout this poem Rossetti expresses happy contented feelings, through her
beautiful use of imagery. Nature imagery is used in the first half of the poem, ' heart is like a
singing bird' ,
'heart is like a rainb
The title 'A Birthday' is not represented with love at all, but as we read the poem, we come to know
that 'A Birthday' is new life, because she is in love. We see how love makes a person radiant and
blissful.
From the first line itself Rossetti

What is Love? Essay Examples

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