Love and Sacrifice in Literature

Service in love often has a positive connotation which suggests a profound love, whereas possession generally receives a negative connotation suggesting a superficial love. However, Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare explore in depth the roles of both possession and service in love and reveal to their readers which one is ultimately the superior way to gain love. The stories of “The Knight’s Tale” and The Tempest are different thematically, yet the thread which unites them both expresses similar ideas regarding love, possession and service. Both William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer show the reader love cannot be claimed; it is earned through service of the heart. By examining the similarities in “The Knight’s Tale” and The Tempest

The stories of Romeo and Juliet and Pyramus and Thisbe both talk of young lovers willing to be together no matter what the consequences may be. The love between the two couples was so strong that they were would die for their lovers. Although, the sequence of events that lead to the tragic endings of these stories have their differences as well.

In William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare presents characters in difficult situations in Romeo and Juliet through various language techniques and structure. Romeo and Juliet were star-crossed lovers. Both Romeo and Juliet were from feuding families that would not approve of their marriage. In the play they are presented with many difficult circumstances. The play was set in the Elizabethan era; there was a significant change in religion, family and politics. Attitudes and key scenes highlight the theme of love in difficult circumstances and prepare the audience for Romeo and Juliet’s suicides at the end of the play. In this essay I will be exploring the ways Shakespeare presents characters in difficult situations.

One of the overarching themes that spanned over the many books we read over the semester, was the nature of love and the search for meaning. Love is an inherent aspect of humanity, and while it is an often inexplicable and complex sentiment, it is intrinsically connected with mankind's search for meaning in life. Love often leads a person in directions that they do not expect, and this is obvious in the very different applications of love in different books. However, one common idea about the relationship between love, suffering, and wisdom, can be argued for based off the ancient texts that we read. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Antigone, and The Tale of Genji, love is used as a vehicle for wisdom through suffering and loss.

In life, one of the most baffling motifs that presents itself is the feeling of love. Whether you take it when you have it or be scared and back away is up to you. However, when you decide to take it and embrace it freely, this is when is when people finally decide to open up and be their true self. In the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, the author portrays a contrasting theme between how life and death relates with how dramatic their love can be.

Love always seems to find a place in someone’s heart not by choice but by admiration. One who admires another appears to feel something towards the person they are admiring and that feeling they have can lead into the feeling of love. Despite all of Love’s joy and excitement, Gottfried Von Strassburg’s Tristan and Thomas’ Tristan, reveals the way love overwhelms a person and the outcomes that happen when two lovers cannot be near or without each other. Love’s overwhelming feeling often associates with death, in that those in love are so consumed with emotion and the desire to be with their beloved that it can lead to their downfall. Even though the loves of Rivalin and Blancheflor and Tristan and Isolde/Ysolt are similar in ways, they also are different.

In the play `Romeo and Juliet` the writer William Shakespeare uses the theme of love as a main feature to push the story along. Presented are a plethora of variations of love including family love, true love and courtly love. This essay aims to analyse these three types of love chosen.

In Romeo and Juliet, love is depicted in several ways. Both Luhrman and Shakespeare represent love in different ways in different contexts to both the Elizabethan era and the contemporary audience. Both the original and later manifestations of the text are valued because they both communicate to the audience on the values of love and society by employing a variety of devices.

Teacher and classmates, A few weeks ago, I questioned Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet wondering why, why is this literature still prominent in today's society? The foreign tongue it is written in, the seemingly basic and boring plot and the lack of action all combined being regarded as one of man’s greatest achievements didn't quite equate. However through my studies of the question, How effectively does Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet shape our notion of love, I realised. Throughout the text lies defining moments of romantic, fickle and fraternal love and the complexity of the text allows for both interpretation while maintaining relatability. However our perception of love, the strong feeling of affection, has differed immensely since 1595. Romeo and Juliet, a story over four centuries old is the foundation of love and romance throughout history.

It is the Morning of Dudley a porky, brown haired jerk of a cuzins birthday. I'm sitting in my cupboard under the stairs I have as a room.

The foundations of family relationships lies in their love for one another. Sacrifices and expressions of love are essential elements to further strengthen or weaken a family’s bond. How love is expressed between family members is a crucial part in sustaining healthy family relationships. However, if it is not maintained, it can breakdown a family. In King Lear, Lear’s mindset towards conveying love brought his downfall, he measured his daughters’ love by the flattery he received (Shakespeare, 1.44-45). Whereas in The Road, love was communicated between the father and the son by simple gestures of touch, such as forehead kisses (McCarthy, 223). The sacrificial component in each novel played another prominent role in family relationships. In

“The course of true love never did run smooth,” comments Lysander of love’s complications in an exchange with Hermia (Shakespeare I.i.136). Although the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream certainly deals with the difficulty of romance, it is not considered a true love story like Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare, as he unfolds the story, intentionally distances the audience from the emotions of the characters so he can caricature the anguish and burdens endured by the lovers. Through his masterful use of figurative language, Shakespeare examines the theme of the capricious and irrational nature of love.

Some people will do anything for those they love, no matter what the cost. In literature, this act of sacrifice is often exaggerated and glorified. Almost every novel contains some example of sacrifice, a giving up of something dear and precious without thought of material repayment. Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Misérables, is no exception. It is, in fact, full to overflowing of sacrifice between its different characters. Two such characters are Eponine and Jean Valjean, who each sacrifice an extraordinary amount to other characters.

For this anthology about love I have chosen, and mainly centred around the topic of love that is forbidden. With this type of love, comes many struggles and questions that I’m sure must go through the minds of people in this situation. This is what happens with Romeo and Juliet in the Play written by William Shakespeare in 1591. It will be a romance that will strongly challenge them, but as we see it will not break the bond of love they have for each other. In this task I will try to describe the pain, happiness, frustration, forgiveness, anger, and joy through a collection of shorts texts that come with the topic of persecuted, and forbidden love.

The modern concept of love owes a great deal to the Humanist tradition of the Renaissance. The humanists focused on perfection and exaltation of this life as opposed to the afterlife. In Tristan and Iseult the seeds of Renaissance love are present in the Middle Ages. To the modern eye, it is a mystery how the period of the Middle Ages produced the seeds of the diametrically opposite Renaissance. Yet it is necessary to understand this transformation if one is to fully comprehend the forces that helped produce the modern consciousness. Courtly Love is a transitional concept that emerged in the Middle Ages. It is transitional because it emerged early and acknowledges God as the creator of love,