A Study of Shakespeare and Romantic Love

Many a junior-high aged girl will be wooed when presented by an admirer a poem which begins, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate." (Sonnet XVII) Some will credit the author, others will claim it as their own, but whatever the case, Shakespeare has served as an inspiration and resource for lovers worldwide for centuries.

Several different kinds of love have titles and definitions: Agape is the Greek term for love but has come to refer specifically to a love for God (in Christianity a love for Jesus) or for mankind. Platonic love is named for philosopher Plato, and is a pure, nonsexual kind of love, without passion. Familial love is love for the family and amongst family members, and Eros love is that which is full of passion and generally just sexual. Phila is the love amongst friends. Romantic love is possibly the most complex of all - relating to emotions that surpass simple attraction yet include sexual passion - it is idealistic and relates to the spiritual and emotional connectedness among people.

The word "romance" has not always been once that was used in conjunction with love; in fact, the original meaning was the expression of one's inner most desires in an artistic fashion. Sometimes that included love, but often it did not. Many scholars, historians and psychologists believe that romantic love is an invention, and not a matter of human nature. This conclusion was reached by the study of historic texts and literary works. The consensus reached among scholars, who include psychologists, evolutionary biologists, philosophers, anthropologists, is that romantic love has existed, as we know it, for about 800 years. Those who oppose the argument cite texts as old as the Bible, such as the Song of Solomon (Song of Songs).