theme of love essay

Before You Write a Love Essay, Read This to Get Examples

The day will come when you can’t escape the fate of all students: You will have to write a what is love essay.

No worries:

Here you’ll find tons of love essay topics and examples. No time to read everything? Scroll down to get a free PDF with original samples.

Definition: Essay on Love

First, let’s define what is love essay?

The most common topics are:

• Definition of love
• What is love?
• Meaning of love

Why limit yourself to these hackneyed, general themes? Below, I’ll show how to make your paper on love original yet relevant to the prompt you get from teachers.

Love Essay Topics: 20 Ideas to Choose for Your Paper

Your essay on love and relationship doesn’t have to be super official and unemotional. It’s ok to share reflections and personal opinions when writing about romance.

Often, students get a general task to write an essay on love. It means they can choose a theme and a title for their paper. If that’s your case,  feel free to try any of these love essay topics:

• Exploring the impact of love on individuals and relationships.
• Love in the digital age: Navigating romance in a tech world.
• Is there any essence and significance in unconditional love?
• Love as a universal language: Connecting hearts across cultures.
• Biochemistry of love: Exploring the process.
• Love vs. passion vs. obsession.
• How love helps cope with heartbreak and grief.
• The art of loving. How we breed intimacy and trust.
• The science behind attraction and attachment.
• How love and relationships shape our identity and help with self-discovery.
• Love and vulnerability: How to embrace emotional openness.
• Romance is more complex than most think: Passion, intimacy, and commitment explained.
• Love as empathy: Building sympathetic connections in a cruel world.
• Evolution of love. How people described it throughout history.
• The role of love in mental and emotional well-being.
• Love as a tool to look and find purpose in life.
• Welcoming diversity in relations through love and acceptance.
• Love vs. friendship: The intersection of platonic and romantic bonds.
• The choices we make and challenges we overcome for those we love.
• Love and forgiveness: How its power heals wounds and strengthens bonds.

Love Essay Examples: Choose Your Sample for Inspiration

Essays about love are usually standard, 5-paragraph papers students write in college:

• One paragraph is for an introduction, with a hook and a thesis statement
• Three are for a body, with arguments or descriptions
• One last passage is for a conclusion, with a thesis restatement and final thoughts

Below are the ready-made samples to consider. They’ll help you see what an essay about love with an introduction, body, and conclusion looks like.

What is love essay: 250 words

Lao Tzu once said, “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Indeed, love can transform individuals, relationships, and our world.

A word of immense depth and countless interpretations, love has always fascinated philosophers, poets, and ordinary individuals. This  emotion breaks boundaries and has a super power to change lives. But what is love, actually?

It’s a force we feel in countless ways. It is the warm embrace of a parent, filled with care and unwavering support. It is the gentle touch of a lover, sparking a flame that ignites passion and desire. Love is the kind words of a friend, offering solace and understanding in times of need. It is the selfless acts of compassion and empathy that bind humanity together.

Love is not confined to romantic relationships alone. It is found in the family bonds, the connections we forge with friends, and even the compassion we extend to strangers. Love is a thread that weaves through the fabric of our lives, enriching and nourishing our souls.

However, love is not without its complexities. It can be both euphoric and agonizing, uplifting and devastating. Love requires vulnerability, trust, and the willingness to embrace joy and pain. It is a delicate balance between passion and compassion, independence and interdependence.

Finally, the essence of love may be elusive to define with mere words. It is an experience that surpasses language and logic, encompassing a spectrum of emotions and actions. Love is a profound connection that unites us all, reminding us of our shared humanity and the capacity for boundless compassion.

What is love essay: 500 words

A 500-word essay on why I love you

Trying to encapsulate why I love you in a mere 500 words is impossible. My love for you goes beyond the confines of language, transcending words and dwelling in the realm of emotions, connections, and shared experiences. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to express the depth and breadth of my affection for you.

First and foremost, I love you for who you are. You possess a unique blend of qualities and characteristics that captivate my heart and mind. Your kindness and compassion touch the lives of those around you, and I am grateful to be the recipient of your unwavering care and understanding. Your intelligence and wit constantly challenge me to grow and learn, stimulating my mind and enriching our conversations. You have a beautiful spirit that radiates warmth and joy, and I am drawn to your vibrant energy.

I love the way you make me feel. When I am with you, I feel a sense of comfort and security that allows me to be my true self. Your presence envelops me in a cocoon of love and acceptance, where I can express my thoughts, fears, and dreams without fear of judgment. Your support and encouragement inspire me to pursue my passions and overcome obstacles. With you by my side, I feel empowered to face the world, knowing I have a partner who believes in me.

I love the memories we have created together. From the laughter-filled moments of shared adventures to the quiet and intimate conversations, every memory is etched in my heart. Whether exploring new places, indulging in our favorite activities, or simply enjoying each other’s company in comfortable silence, each experience reinforces our bond. Our shared memories serve as a foundation for our relationship, a testament to the depth of our connection and the love that binds us.

I love your quirks and imperfections. Your true essence shines through these unique aspects! Your little traits make me smile and remind me of the beautiful individual you are. I love how you wrinkle your nose when you laugh, become lost in thought when reading a book, and even sing off-key in the shower. These imperfections make you human, relatable, and utterly lovable.

I love the future we envision together. We support each other’s goals, cheering one another on as we navigate the path toward our dreams. The thought of building a life together, creating a home filled with love and shared experiences, fills my heart with anticipation and excitement. The future we imagine is one that I am eager to explore with you by my side.

In conclusion, the reasons why I love you are as vast and varied as the universe itself. It is a love that defies logic and surpasses the limitations of language. From the depths of my being, I love you for the person you are, the way you make me feel, the memories we cherish, your quirks and imperfections, and the future we envision together. My love for you is boundless, unconditional, and everlasting.

A 5-paragraph essay about love

I’ve gathered all the samples (and a few bonus ones) in one PDF. It’s free to download. So, you can keep it at hand when the time comes to write a love essay.

Ready to Write Your Essay About Love?

Now that you know the definition of a love essay and have many topic ideas, it’s time to write your A-worthy paper! Here go the steps:

• Check all the examples of what is love essay from this post.
• Choose the topic and angle that fits your prompt best.
• Write your original and inspiring story.

Any questions left? Our writers are all ears. Please don’t hesitate to ask!

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Essay on Love for Students and Children

500+ words essay on love.

Love is the most significant thing in human’s life. Each science and every single literature masterwork will tell you about it. Humans are also social animals. We lived for centuries with this way of life, we were depended on one another to tell us how our clothes fit us, how our body is whether healthy or emaciated. All these we get the honest opinions of those who love us, those who care for us and makes our happiness paramount.

What is Love?

Love is a set of emotions, behaviors, and beliefs with strong feelings of affection. So, for example, a person might say he or she loves his or her dog, loves freedom, or loves God. The concept of love may become an unimaginable thing and also it may happen to each person in a particular way.

Love has a variety of feelings, emotions, and attitude. For someone love is more than just being interested physically in another one, rather it is an emotional attachment. We can say love is more of a feeling that a person feels for another person. Therefore, the basic meaning of love is to feel more than liking towards someone.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Need of Love

We know that the desire to love and care for others is a hard-wired and deep-hearted because the fulfillment of this wish increases the happiness level. Expressing love for others benefits not just the recipient of affection, but also the person who delivers it. The need to be loved can be considered as one of our most basic and fundamental needs.

One of the forms that this need can take is contact comfort. It is the desire to be held and touched. So there are many experiments showing that babies who are not having contact comfort, especially during the first six months, grow up to be psychologically damaged.

Significance of Love

Love is as critical for the mind and body of a human being as oxygen. Therefore, the more connected you are, the healthier you will be physically as well as emotionally. It is also true that the less love you have, the level of depression will be more in your life. So, we can say that love is probably the best antidepressant.

It is also a fact that the most depressed people don’t love themselves and they do not feel loved by others. They also become self-focused and hence making themselves less attractive to others.

Society and Love

It is a scientific fact that society functions better when there is a certain sense of community. Compassion and love are the glue for society. Hence without it, there is no feeling of togetherness for further evolution and progress. Love , compassion, trust and caring we can say that these are the building blocks of relationships and society.

Relationship and Love

A relationship is comprised of many things such as friendship , sexual attraction , intellectual compatibility, and finally love. Love is the binding element that keeps a relationship strong and solid. But how do you know if you are in love in true sense? Here are some symptoms that the emotion you are feeling is healthy, life-enhancing love.

Love is the Greatest Wealth in Life

Love is the greatest wealth in life because we buy things we love for our happiness. For example, we build our dream house and purchase a favorite car to attract love. Being loved in a remote environment is a better experience than been hated even in the most advanced environment.

Love or Money

Love should be given more importance than money as love is always everlasting. Money is important to live, but having a true companion you can always trust should come before that. If you love each other, you will both work hard to help each other live an amazing life together.

Love has been a vital reason we do most things in our life. Before we could know ourselves, we got showered by it from our close relatives like mothers , fathers , siblings, etc. Thus love is a unique gift for shaping us and our life. Therefore, we can say that love is a basic need of life. It plays a vital role in our life, society, and relation. It gives us energy and motivation in a difficult time. Finally, we can say that it is greater than any other thing in life.

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Essays About Love: 20 Intriguing Ideas for Students

Love can make a fascinating essay topic, but sometimes finding the perfect topic idea is challenging. Here are 20 of the best essays about love.

Writers have often explored the subject of love and what it means throughout history. In his book Essays in Love , Alain de Botton creates an in-depth essay on what love looks like, exploring a fictional couple’s relationship while highlighting many facts about love. This book shows how much there is to say about love as it beautifully merges non-fiction with fiction work.

The New York Times  published an entire column dedicated to essays on modern love, and many prize-winning reporters often contribute to the collection. With so many published works available, the subject of love has much to be explored.

If you are going to write an essay about love and its effects, you will need a winning topic idea. Here are the top 20 topic ideas for essays about love. These topics will give you plenty to think about and explore as you take a stab at the subject that has stumped philosophers, writers, and poets since the dawn of time.

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

1. Outline the Definition of Love

2. describe your favorite love story, 3. what true love looks like, 4. discuss how human beings are hard-wired for love, 5. explore the different types of love, 6. determine the true meaning of love, 7. discuss the power of love, 8. do soul mates exist, 9. determine if all relationships should experience a break-up, 10. does love at first sight exist, 11. explore love between parents and children, 12. discuss the disadvantages of love, 13. ask if love is blind, 14. discuss the chemical changes that love causes, 15. outline the ethics of love, 16. the inevitability of heartbreak, 17. the role of love in a particular genre of literature, 18. is love freeing or oppressing, 19. does love make people do foolish things, 20. explore the theme of love from your favorite book or movie.

Defining love may not be as easy as you think. While it seems simple, love is an abstract concept with multiple potential meanings. Exploring these meanings and then creating your own definition of love can make an engaging essay topic.

To do this, first, consider the various conventional definitions of love. Then, compare and contrast them until you come up with your own definition of love.

One essay about love you could tackle is describing and analyzing a favorite love story. This story could be from a fiction tale or real life. It could even be your love story.

As you analyze and explain the love story, talk about the highs and lows of love. Showcase the hard and great parts of this love story, then end the essay by talking about what real love looks like (outside the flowers and chocolates).

This essay will explore what true love looks like. With this essay idea, you could contrast true love with the romantic love often shown in movies. This contrast would help the reader see how true love looks in real life.

An essay about what true love looks like could allow you to explore this kind of love in many different facets. It would allow you to discuss whether or not someone is, in fact, in true love. You could demonstrate why saying “I love you” is not enough through the essay.

There seems to be something ingrained in human nature to seek love. This fact could make an interesting essay on love and its meaning, allowing you to explore why this might be and how it plays out in human relationships.

Because humans seem to gravitate toward committed relationships, you could argue that we are hard-wired for love. But, again, this is an essay option that has room for growth as you develop your thoughts.

There are many different types of love. For example, while you can have romantic love between a couple, you may also have family love among family members and love between friends. Each of these types of love has a different expression, which could lend itself well to an interesting essay topic.

Writing an essay that compares and contrasts the different types of love would allow you to delve more deeply into the concept of love and what makes up a loving relationship.

What does love mean? This question is not as easy to answer as you might think. However, this essay topic could give you quite a bit of room to develop your ideas about love.

While exploring this essay topic, you may discover that love means different things to different people. For some, love is about how someone makes another person feel. To others, it is about actions performed. By exploring this in an essay, you can attempt to define love for your readers.

What can love make people do? This question could lend itself well to an essay topic. The power of love is quite intense, and it can make people do things they never thought they could or would do.

With this love essay, you could look at historical examples of love, fiction stories about love relationships, or your own life story and what love had the power to do. Then, at the end of your essay, you can determine how powerful love is.

The idea of a soul mate is someone who you are destined to be with and love above all others. This essay topic would allow you to explore whether or not each individual has a soul mate.

If you determine that they do, you could further discuss how you would identify that soul mate. How can you tell when you have found “the one” right for you? Expanding on this idea could create a very interesting and unique essay.

Break-ups seem inevitable, and strong relationships often come back together afterward. Yet are break-ups truly inevitable? Or are they necessary to create a strong bond? This idea could turn into a fascinating essay topic if you look at both sides of the argument.

On the one hand, you could argue that the break-up experience shows you whether or not your relationship can weather difficult times. On the other hand, you could argue that breaking up damages the trust you’re working to build. Regardless of your conclusion, you can build a solid essay off of this topic idea.

Love, at first sight is a common theme in romance stories, but is it possible? Explore this idea in your essay. You will likely find that love, at first sight, is nothing more than infatuation, not genuine love.

Yet you may discover that sometimes, love, at first sight, does happen. So, determine in your essay how you can differentiate between love and infatuation if it happens to you. Then, conclude with your take on love at first sight and if you think it is possible.

The love between a parent and child is much different than the love between a pair of lovers. This type of love is one-sided, with care and self-sacrifice on the parent’s side. However, the child’s love is often unconditional.

Exploring this dynamic, especially when contrasting parental love with romantic love, provides a compelling essay topic. You would have the opportunity to define this type of love and explore what it looks like in day-to-day life.

Most people want to fall in love and enjoy a loving relationship, but does love have a downside? In an essay, you can explore the disadvantages of love and show how even one of life’s greatest gifts is not without its challenges.

This essay would require you to dig deep and find the potential downsides of love. However, if you give it a little thought, you should be able to discuss several. Finally, end the essay by telling the reader whether or not love is worth it despite the many challenges.

Love is blind is a popular phrase that indicates love allows someone not to see another person’s faults. But is love blind, or is it simply a metaphor that indicates the ability to overlook issues when love is at the helm.

If you think more deeply about this quote, you will probably determine that love is not blind. Rather, love for someone can overshadow their character flaws and shortcomings. When love is strong, these things fall by the wayside. Discuss this in your essay, and draw your own conclusion to decide if love is blind.

When someone falls in love, their body feels specific hormonal and chemical changes. These changes make it easier to want to spend time with the person. Yet they can be fascinating to study, and you could ask whether or not love is just chemical reactions or something more.

Grab a science book or two and see if you can explore these physiological changes from love. From the additional sweating to the flushing of the face, you will find quite a few chemical changes that happen when someone is in love.

Love feels like a positive emotion that does not have many ethical concerns, but this is not true. Several ethical questions come from the world of love. Exploring these would make for an interesting and thoughtful essay.

For example, you could discuss if it is ethically acceptable to love an object or even oneself or love other people. You could discuss if it is appropriate to enter into a physical relationship if there is no love present or if love needs to come first. There are many questions to explore with this love essay.

If you choose to love someone, is heartbreak inevitable? This question could create a lengthy essay. However, some would argue that it is because either your object of affection will eventually leave you through a break-up or death.

Yet do these actions have to cause heartbreak, or are they simply part of the process? Again, this question lends itself well to an essay because it has many aspects and opinions to explore.

Literature is full of stories of love. You could choose a genre, like mythology or science fiction, and explore the role of love in that particular genre. With this essay topic, you may find many instances where love is a vital central theme of the work.

Keep in mind that in some genres, like myths, love becomes a driving force in the plot, while in others, like historical fiction, it may simply be a background part of the story. Therefore, the type of literature you choose for this essay would significantly impact the way your essay develops.

Most people want to fall in love, but is love freeing or oppressing? The answer may depend on who your loved ones are. Love should free individuals to authentically be who they are, not tie them into something they are not.

Yet there is a side of love that can be viewed as oppressive, deepening on your viewpoint. For example, you should stay committed to just that individual when you are in a committed relationship with someone else. Is this freeing or oppressive? Gather opinions through research and compare the answers for a compelling essay.

You can easily find stories of people that did foolish things for love. These stories could translate into interesting and engaging essays. You could conclude the answer to whether or not love makes people do foolish things.

Your answer will depend on your research, but chances are you will find that, yes, love makes people foolish at times. Then you could use your essay to discuss whether or not it is still reasonable to think that falling in love is a good thing, although it makes people act foolishly at times.

Most fiction works have love in them in some way. This may not be romantic love, but you will likely find characters who love something or someone.

Use that fact to create an essay. Pick your favorite story, either through film or written works, and explore what love looks like in that work. Discuss the character development, storyline, and themes and show how love is used to create compelling storylines.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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The Theme of Love

The theme of love is one of the themes that have appeared in many books or rather works of literature that has been written in the past. This has appeared in many forms; love as a virtue that brings peace and consolation in the society or love as a virtue that causes pain in the society. Following this point, there are various sides that love is shown to the public in different books in the society. One of the books that carry the theme of love is ‘Cold Sassy Tree’ by Olive Ann Burns. The book reveals different forms of love that are exhibited among its characters, in different ways. Whereas love is expected to be genuine and based on one’s choice, love in the book ‘Cold Sassy Tree’ is based more on lust and material things.

To begin with, whereas marriage is built on love, there is a perspective that is explained by some characters in this book that raises eyebrows in regard to their loving one another. In this case, the reader is left wondering whether the love that is exhibited among these characters is genuine or whether it is a fake love. In line with this, the novel begins with a love story between Grandpa Enoch Rucker Blakeslee, who announces that he had intentions of marrying Miss Love Simpson, one of the young girls that worked in his store (Burns 5). To the readers and to some of the characters in this novel, the love between grandpa and Miss Love is questionable since the wife to grandpa, Mattie Lou had died just three weeks earlier. On the other hand, interracial love is depicted in this case whereby the characters in this book do not expect grandpa to marry from people who were outside his race (5).

The genuineness of the love of grandpa to his late is also questionable. Whereas it was expected as a husband in this society to love one’s wife, and thus this love will be there whenever somebody is married, this is not the case in grandpa’s life. While he assures his daughters that it was not disrespect to her late wife for him to remarry just three weeks after her death, what he speaks to Miss Love shows that he had been eyeing her even when his wife was still alive. He says, “I been a-waitin’ for this minute ever since the day I laid my eyes on you!” (Burns 300). This raises the question whether his love to his late wife was a true love as it was expected. On the other hand, one cannot tell whether this love towards Miss Love by Grandpa was genuine since he argues that he loved her the first day he saw her whereas during this time he was married (300). This depicts lust and not love.

The theme of love comes out clearly in this book in different perspective. It is important to observe that there is a high attachment to material things in most relationships that are depicted in this book rather than these relationships being build on love. For example, grandpa argues that when he marries Miss Love Simpson, he would be able to reduce household costs that would have been incurred if he employed a house help (Burns 6). Similarly, he reiterates that he did not want to burden his daughters and therefore, to avoid this, he had to marry (6).

On the contrary, whereas Miss Love is expected to marry Grandpa Enoch Rucker Blakeslee out of love, it becomes evident in the novel that she agreed to marry him because of wealth. In one of the conversations, Miss Love argues that she accepted to marry Grandpa Enoch Rucker Blakeslee since he accepted to deed the house to her together with its furniture (Burns 130). In other words, her love was being bought by Grandpa Enoch Rucker Blakeslee. Thus, without the promise of a house and furniture, Miss Love could not have accepted to marry Grandpa Enoch Rucker Blakeslee since she had no love for him.

There is a lot of irony in the book that brings out the theme of love in a clear way. First, the name Love or rather Miss Love Simpson is an ironic name since this woman did not have any love in her. Instead, she believed in materials things as a way of allowing herself to give out her love to those that required it. To begin with, she accepts nothing less than a house and furniture in order to marry Grandpa Enoch Rucker Blakeslee (Burns 133). On the other hand, she has a high level of lust rather than love in her heart. For example, whereas she knew in her heart that she did not love her former fiancé, she allowed him to kiss her passionately disregarding her married status (137).

The theme of love is also depicted between Grandpa Enoch Rucker and Mattie Lou. From the conversation between Grandpa Enoch Rucker and Miss Love Simpson, there existed a one-sided love. Mattie Lou loved Grandpa Rucker with all her heart and did everything he could to make him happy. In fact, Grandpa Rucker reflects back and narrates to Miss Love that he gave birth to so many children thus endangering her health as she sought for a boy that would enable the lineage of Grandpa Enoch Rucker to continue (Burns 301). However, she also fail in delivering unconditional love to her husband as she is caught up in the web of materialism as a way expressing her love to her husband.

Whereas love is expected to be genuine and based on one’s choice, love in the book ‘Cold Sassy Tree’ is based more on lust and material things. Throughout this book, there are different characters that try to express their love to one another. However, it is notable that their love is based on material things rather than on the choice of one’s heart. Every character in this book that falls in love was found to have a particular attachment to material things in one way or the other. Similarly, there is a strong element of lust with some characters such as Will, Grandpa Rucker, Miss Love and her former fiancé disrespecting marriage because of lusting after other people. 

Mind that anyone can use our samples, which may result in plagiarism. Want to maintain academic integrity? Order a tailored paper from our experts.

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Home Essay Samples Literature Twelfth Night

The Theme of Love in "Twelfth Night"

Table of contents, types of love, unrequited love's impact, love's whimsical nature, love's transformative power.

• Shakespeare, W. (1623). Twelfth Night, Or What You Will. First Folio.
• Garber, M. (1994). Coming of Age in Shakespeare. Routledge.
• Greenblatt, S. (Ed.). (2012). The Norton Shakespeare. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Mowat, B. A., & Werstine, P. (Eds.). (2013). Twelfth Night (No Fear Shakespeare). SparkNotes.
• Stallybrass, P., & White, A. R. (1986). The Politics and Poetics of Transgression. Cornell University Press.

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

William shakespeare, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play about love. All of its action—from the escapades of Lysander , Demetrius , Hermia , and Helena in the forest, to the argument between Oberon and Titania , to the play about two lovelorn youths that Bottom and his friends perform at Duke Theseus's marriage to Hippolyta—are motivated by love. But A Midsummer Night's Dream is not a romance, in which the audience gets caught up in a passionate love affair between two characters. It's a comedy, and because it's clear from the outset that it's a comedy and that all will turn out happily, rather than try to overcome the audience with the exquisite and overwhelming passion of love, A Midsummer Night's Dream invites the audience to laugh at the way the passion of love can make people blind, foolish, inconstant, and desperate. At various times, the power and passion of love threatens to destroy friendships, turn men against men and women against women, and through the argument between Oberon and Titania throws nature itself into turmoil.

In A Midsummer Night's Dream , love is a force that characters cannot control, a point amplified by workings of the love potion, which literally makes people slaves to love. And yet, A Midsummer Night's Dream ends happily, with three marriages blessed by the reconciled fairy King and Queen. So even as A Midsummer Night's Dream makes fun of love's effects on both men and women and points out that when it comes to love there's nothing really new to say, its happy ending reaffirms loves importance, beauty, and timeless relevance.

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Read our detailed notes below on the essay “Of Love” by Francis Bacon. Our notes cover Of Love by Francis Bacon summary and explanation.

Of Love by Francis Bacon Summary

Bacon opens the essay by claiming that the love or romance shown on the stage, plays, and theatres is highly unrealistic, far from reality. On stage, love is portrayed as a noble trait leading to joy and excitement. It often brings tragedy and sorrow. However, in the real life, love does the real disasters by bringing dark and foreboding. History has a record that all the great, noble, and worthier man who has done something great in the life have refused this week passion and keep themselves and their business away from such things.

Bacon illustrates the example of Marcus Antonius, a member of Roman royalty who was given a chance to rule over 1/3rd of the empire, and Appius Claudius, the second member of royalty who was given the other 1/3rd of empire, to explain the destructing effects of love. The former was the man of ambition and power, however, amorous, impulsive, and restrained. He had little or no control over his heart and wandered in pursuit of love and lust. While Claudius was a sober, sage and wise man of great wisdom. He never brought himself disgrace while rushing towards quixotic desire.

Bacon quotes the Greek philosopher Epicurus who promoted self-control, self-discipline, and restraint in one’s life. He warned his followers against chasing the worldly desires and says that “we are sufficient for one another”. By this, he conveys a message that one must live his life fully, without indulging into conflicts with others. One should not avenge other and must restrain himself from other such misdeeds. He expresses his disproval for a man of great worth who bowed in front of a woman he loves and makes themselves small and miserable.

Bacon, furthermore, talks about the unfettered love that destroys the man. He says that such love devalues the man and make them insignificant in front of others. Moreover, Bacon argues about romantic poetry in which the writer exaggerates the beauty of his beloved unnecessary. To him, such exaggeration is only suitable for romance and writing; they are not applicable in practical life. A paramour who detriments his discriminating influence to transfer flattering words to his woman evidently negotiates with his intellect, and judging power. A proud man will never make his beloved to rule over him by pouring sugarcoated words on her. For Bacon, a wise man must not love as it is impossible to be wise and to love at the same time.

In an unrequited love, the praises and compliment of a man for his beloved woman appear to be a weakness of his character. Moreover, when her woman doesn’t feel responding the paramour, she treats his love as a pitiable weakness of his character. The love of man can result in two things: either the woman will respond to him in the same way or will create an inward feeling of insignificant in a woman for the man. So, Bacon warns, the man before falling in love should understand one thing that it doesn’t harm anything but man’s self-esteem.

Those who see the world as nothing but a place to fulfill their carnal desires destroy themselves. They losses both affluence and wisdom in search or sexual pleasures in the world. Bacon argues that such passions are overwhelmed in the period of prosperity than of adversity. Carnal pleasures get accentuated in the time of both happiness and distress and can be called as “child of folly”. However, these sensual pleasure when are uncontrolled can lead to the destruction of business, wealth, and health.

The army men seem to have a special attraction for love as they have for the wine. Bacon discusses the men’s nature and argues that men have a special inclination towards love for other. He makes his love universal by expanding it towards everyone, no matter such love gentle and kind and people who have some spiritual and religious belonging have this kind of love. In the end, Bacon says that the love that arises from marriage is the root cause of mankind’s creation, while love in friendship makes it perfect but lust corrupts it and embarrass it.

Of Love by Francis Bacon Literary Analysis

The essay “Of Love” is an argumentative essay written by Sir Francis Bacon. Bacon in this essay argues about the various ills of falling in love. He particularly argues about the carnal pleasures and its consequences.

Sir Francis Bacon is a well-known English Essayist and philosopher. He devoted himself to writing along with scientific work and wrote sixty essays. This essay, Of Love, is regarding the love. Love, in today’s world, have influenced a large number of people. The objective of Bacon in this essay is to demonstrate the effect of love on all kinds of people. No matter who you are, you will fall in love with somebody and this love will definitely have an effect on you, and sometimes love makes one do senseless things.

Bacon then talks about the sensual love that drains one’s intelligence. For some people, love is nothing but a source of Carnal pleasure. However, such love if lasted long has hard consequences.

Bacon then talks about the noble and kind love the spiritual people possess. They don’t love a single person or group of people but the entire universe. They are more inclined towards every creation in the universe. Another kind of noble love that Bacon argues about is the love between husband and wife. This love is further dignified with the love of friends.

Conciseness, straightforwardness, wittiness, and compact opinions are the merits that Bacon’s essay cover. The methodical way of inscription makes his essay logical and rational. The subject matter that he argues about is taken from real life experiences and is a hot topic of discussion in every time. The readers find his essay more welcoming and pleasurable. The use of the Latin proverb in his essay shows his high knowledge regarding the Latin language, and it also adds colors to his writing.

More From Francis Bacon

• Of Adversity
• Of Ambition
• Of Discourse
• Of Followers and Friends
• Of Friendship
• Of Great Place
• Of Marriage and Single Life
• Of Nobility
• Of Parents and Children
• Of Simulation and Dissimulation
• Of Superstition
• Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature

Theme Of Love In Romeo And Juliet Essay

The Different Colors of Love: An Analysis of Romeo and Juliet Over time, the red rose has developed to become a symbol of love. It is common for people to give them to their loved ones as a token for their affection. A rose communicates that love, much like its appearance is beautiful and delicate. One similar aspect of love is also displayed in its red shades, a color of passion. However, many forget of a rose’s thorns, sharp and painful to the touch. The rose is similar to the love expressed in Romeo and Juliet, a play written by William Shakespeare.

The story follows a pair of star-crossed lovers who must deal with the various aspects of love. For Romeo, love produces feelings of pain, joy, and impulsiveness. Early on in the play, the audience is introduced to Romeo, grief stricken and in pain due to his unrequited love. His friend Benvolio comes to comfort and him and rid him of his troubles yet, Romeo speaks of his pain commenting how, “Love is a smoked raised with the fume of sighs” (1. 1. 197). Sighs are noises that are often made when one is distressed or sad. The smoke becomes a metaphor to the sighs that are produced by his feelings of love.

Smoke is produced by fire, often have the connotation of being destructive and powerful. Therefore, Romeo’s love is like the fire, damaging and painful. In his eyes, the pain is caused by his unrequited love from Rosaline for she does not love him back. In Romeo could have the thing he wants, he would be happy. Another example of Romeo’s pain due to love in the play is when he talks to Friar Lawrence about his punishment having slain Tybalt. Learning that is to be banished instead of execution does not bring joy to Romeo but only brings despair for he ould be without his Juliet. He described it as,” ‘Tis torture and not mercy,” and adds how, “And little mouse, every unworthy thing/ Live here in heaven and may look on her/ but Romeo may not” (3. 3. 29-34). Receiving banishment seems more favorable than to be executed. Knowing Juliet is around but being unable to be with her brings him more pain then death, not wanting to suffer with the knowledge of Juliet around. A mouse is described as a pest, dirty and a nuisance. Because they are disgusting, others do not enjoy having them around.

Heaven is regarded as a place or paradise where the angels reside. The mice, usually regarded as a vermin, are on the same status of angels. Romeo is not and so he believes he is less than the mice. Putting himself down would indicate that he is sad and in pain. Although love is a source of Romeo’s pain, it also becomes a source of his joy. Having fallen in love with Juliet, Romeo shows a change from pain to pleasure. In one example, when Romeo stares at Juliet in the balcony, he expresses saying, “O, speak again, bright angel” (2. . 26).

Desiring her to do something again would mean he enjoys it. He is happy to hear her speak. He also compares her to that of an angel. Angels are religious figures known as a messenger of god, someone holy. Holy beings are regarded as being pure and precious. People are delighted when they are presented with something that is precious to them. Love is joyful because he is in the presence of Juliet, someone who is valuable to him. In another scene, Romeo discusses the prospect of having the Friar marry him and Juliet.

Hesitant to marry the two, Romeo anxiously tries to convince him sharing that “What sorrow can/ It cannot countervail the exchange of joy/ That one short minute gives me in her sight” (2. 6. 3-5). A minute is a relatively short amount of time. Romeo brings up sorrow in a general term, referring to any feeling of sadness. For Romeo, a quick glance has more impact on his life than any act of misfortune that may strike. Events that last over long periods of time tend to have more meaning because there is more time for things to happen.

The glance must be more significant for it to surpass the importance of any bad event. This shows that the happiness Romeo he receives from loving Juliet is very strong. Due to his newfound love for Juliet, Romeo’s strong feeling make him impulsive, giving no real thought to the results of his actions. A scene that shows Romeo’s impulsiveness is when is eager to marry Juliet while the Friar is skeptical of their decision. The Friar offers advice and reminds him, “Wisely and slowly. They stumble that run fast” (2. 3. 101).

Things that are done slowly are done in a more careful manner. Something done carefully is often done better than something that was rushed because there is more time to consider and review. More mistakes tend to rise when it is done quickly. The Friar offers this advice towards Romeo’s impulsiveness towards love. He advises him to not be hasty in your actions for they may lead to mistakes or misfortune. Finally, nearing the end of the play, Romeo’s impulsiveness leads him astray. Hearing about Juliet’s death, Romeo plans to kill himself.

He speaks, “Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on/ The dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark/ here’s to my love” (5. 3. 117-119). A desperate situation is one that is serious and critical. Someone who is desperate is someone who is in need. Romeo is like the desperate pilot where his needing to be by Juliet’s side is an urgent situation. And urgent situation must be dealt with quickly. It is also mentioned that the pilot must run and one who runs is one who is in a hurry. In a hurry, one has a limited amount of time to think for it must be done as soon as possible.

The action is done without thought, therefore making it impulsive, meaning more errors. Because of his love for Juliet, it blinds him from making a ration decision but instead, one done in a rush. This leads to Romeo’s misfortune because it was done without thought, all on an impulse. For Romeo, love is not only beautiful and joyful for him but causes him to be impulsive and be in pain. This may be a reason the play has become such a popular play. The characters must struggle to fight for their love, creating sympathy and evoke emotions that many people can relate to.

However, stories such as Romeo and Juliet often bring about questions on their love. Do they reflect a problem society faces today, too quick to fall in love? High rates of divorce often become a point that is brought up, bring up doubt in the legitimacy of love. Some suggest that arranged marriage is the solution to this problem, bringing together people who share similar ideals and backgrounds. Sadly, some find it restricting, not meeting up with their standards of finding love. One thing people will agree on is that love is hard, not easily earned but worth every penny.

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Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”: Theme of Love

• Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”: Theme of…

In the play “Twelfth Night,” Shakespeare explores and illustrates the emotion of love with precise detail. According to “Webster’s New World Dictionary,” love is defined as “a strong affection or liking for someone.” Throughout the play, Shakespeare examines three different types of love: true love, self-love and friendship.

“Twelfth Night” consists of many love triangles, however many of the characters who are tangled up in the web of love are blind to see that their emotions and feelings toward other characters are untrue. They are being deceived by themselves and/or the others around them.

There are certain instances in the play where the emotion of love is true, and the two people involved feel very strongly toward one another. Viola’s love for Orsino is a great example of true love. Although she is pretending to be a man and is virtually unknown in Illyria, she hopes to win the Duke’s heart. In act 1, scene 4, Viola lets out her true feelings for Cesario, “yet a barful strife! Whoe’er I woo, myself would be his wife (1).”

That statement becomes true when Viola reveals her true identity. Viola and Orsino had a very good friendship, and making the switch to husband and wife was easy. Viola was caught up in another true love scenario, only this time she was on the receiving end, and things didn’t work out so smoothly. During her attempts to court Olivia for Orsino, Olivia grew to love Cesario. Viola was now caught in a terrible situation and there was only one way out, but that would jeopardize her chances with Orsino.

It’s amazing that Olivia could fall for a woman dressed as a man, but because Viola knew what women like to hear, her words won Olivia’s heart. The next case of true love is on a less intimate and romantic scale, and more family-oriented. Viola and Sebastian’s love for one another is a bond felt by all siblings. Through their times of sorrow and mourning for each of their apparent deaths they still loved each other. They believed deep down that maybe in some way or by some miracle that each of them was still alive and well.

Many people, even in today’s society, love themselves more than anything else. “Twelfth Night” addresses the issue of self-love and how it affects peoples’ lives. Malvolio is the easiest to identify with the problem of self-love. He sees himself as a handsome and nobleman.

Malvolio believes many women would love to be with him. He likes to see things one way only, and he deceives himself just to suit his outlook on the situation. For example, in the play, he twists Olivia’s words around to make it sound like she admires his yellow cross-gartered stockings when she really despises them. Both Sir Toby and Olivia show signs of self-love but it is not as big an issue. Sir Toby only cares about himself and no one else, not even his friends.

He ignores Maria’s warnings about drinking into the night, and he continues to push Sir Andrew to court Olivia. Although he believes Sir Andrew doesn’t have a chance. Olivia cares about the people around her, but she also believes that no man is worthy of her beauty. She thinks she is “all that,” and that no one can match her.

Friendship is the third type of love expressed in “Twelfth Night.” The biggest and closest friendship would have to be between Orsino and Cesario. They barely knew each other at first, and before long Orsino was telling Cesario his inner love for Olivia. He even had Cesario running his love messages to Olivia.

The second friendship between Viola and the Sea Captain was not mentioned a lot, but they had a very deep bond between one them. They survived the shipwreck together and the Sea Captain promised to keep Viola’s idea about pretending to be a man a secret. If he had opened his mouth the entire play would have changed.

The third friendship, and definitely the strangest, is between Sir Toby and Sir Andrew Aguecheek. They are close friends but sometimes Sir Toby doesn’t show it. He sets Sir Andrew up and likes to get him into trouble. An example is persuading Sir Andrew to challenge Cesario to a dual, even though he is not a great swordsman and is unaware of Cesario’s ability. On the other hand, Sir Andrew appreciates Sir Toby’s company because he always lifts his spirits and makes him feel like a true knight.

Love plays a major role in “Twelfth Night,” and Shakespeare addresses true love, self-love, and friendship in a very compelling and interesting way. Love is great to read about because everyone deserves a little love. “Twelfth Night” is the true definition of love, and Shakespeare does a great job of explaining a somewhat difficult topic.

Related Posts

• Hermann Hesse Narcissus and Goldmund: "Love" Theme
• Twelfth Night: Malvolio Character Analysis
• Merchant of Venice Act II: Theme of Love
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• Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Deception & Disguises

Author:  William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team)

Tutor and Freelance Writer. Science Teacher and Lover of Essays. Article last reviewed: 2022 | St. Rosemary Institution © 2010-2024 | Creative Commons 4.0

How does Shakespeare explore the theme of Love in Twelfth Night?

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — A View From The Bridge — Explore How the Theme of Love is Portrayed in “A View from the Bridge”.

Explore How The Theme of Love is Portrayed in "A View from The Bridge".

• Categories: A View From The Bridge American Literature Arthur Miller Bridge

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4 Themes in Lausanne’s ‘State of the Great Commission’

More by trevin.

This September, 5,000 participants from every region of the world will gather in South Korea for the Fourth International Congress on World Evangelization , hosted by the Lausanne Movement . (Thousands more will engage the Congress through satellite sites .)

This will be the 50th anniversary of the First Lausanne Congress , which saw the release of The Lausanne Covenant with John Stott as the chief architect. That document remains a rallying cry for evangelicals around the world. (See my selection of some of the best quotes.)

State of the Great Commission

This week, the Lausanne Movement released “The State of the Great Commission,” a compendium of dozens of charts, graphs, and essays from more than 100 contributors around the globe, looking at world Christianity in light of current trends, with an eye to enhancing evangelical mission efforts in both declaring and displaying Christ in the world.

As with most multicontributor projects, this one is a mixed bag—some essays are fantastic, others do a dutiful job in summing up current thinking without breaking new ground, and a handful make unqualified statements or veer into disputable theological territory among those who affirm the Lausanne Covenant.

Reading through this volume , I noticed four major themes that kept resurfacing—four aspects of mission in the modern world worthy of consideration.

1. Polycentric Mission

This graph from the World Christian Encyclopedia floored me—the shift from 1900 to 2050 in the regional distribution of Christianity.

Christianity’s growth in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and its fading in Europe and North America is no secret (it has been pointed out by Mark Noll, Philip Jenkins, and others), but this graph captures the significance of the shift. By 2050, Africa is projected to have the highest percentage of Christians globally.

What does this mean for cross-cultural mission? An essay from Décio de Carvalho, Larry and Stephanie Kraft, and Stephen and Rosemary Mbogo, “Polycentric Global Missions,” builds on Allen Yeh’s important work in showing mission endeavors now are “from everyone to everywhere.” More and more, we’re seeing collaboration in evangelism and social ministry that upends traditional geographical categories.

We see this development on display in several essays, including “Rise of Asia” by Bong Rin Ro, Babu Karimkuttickal Verghese, and Fenggang Yang on cross-cultural missionaries in the same country. One example: over 60 percent of India’s missionaries work within the country, reaching out to other ethnic groups with different languages and cultures. The upshot is that, around the world, we see a deepening of relational and financial collaboration in getting the gospel to all peoples.

2. Institutional Rebuilding

Another theme running through the essays is the decline of institutional trust (including among religious organizations) in the Global North, a development that often hinders evangelistic effectiveness.

Andrew Love, Kevin Muriithi Ndereba, and Mary Jo Sharp lay out the challenges of religious pluralism to the gospel’s objective truth claims, and their fine essay is then followed by Manfred Kohl, Lazarus Phiri, and Efraim Tender, who lift up integrity as a crucial component of discipleship. Lamenting the hypocrisy of many church leaders and the corruption of some churches and organizations, these authors point out how “our failures to exhibit integrity—or consistency between our whole life and the teachings of Jesus—do make the gospel seem less credible.”

We must aspire to pierce through the clouds of moral relativism with the gospel’s truth claims, and our witness must be backed up by healthy institutions and by individuals who live in light of Jesus Christ crucified and raised. I appreciate this report’s emphasis on institutional health and rebuilding after a season in which much rot has been revealed.

3. Demographic Shifts

The demographic shifts in the this report’s charts show not only the movement of Christianity from North to South but also other trends in world population: migration rates around the world, displaced peoples, diaspora missions, and more. Likewise, we see a rising middle class in India, a stagnating middle class in China, and a noticeable decline in subsistence-level poverty worldwide.

Most interesting to me is the unprecedented arrival of predominantly aging populations now affecting every region of the world, as birth rates fall and life expectancy increases. The church must reckon with a very young Africa (in comparison with the rest of the world) and an increasingly older Europe, North America, and Asia.

These demographic shifts are snapshots in time—a look at the mission fields in which we’re called to be faithful followers of Jesus. They provide food for thought and give us wisdom in planning for the future as we continue our gospel work.

4. Anthropology and the Digital World

The big theological challenge for our times is anthropology: What does it mean to be human? This report grapples with the question of humanity in light of new technologies, assumed identities, sexual behavior, and medical interventions. Several essays focus on topics such as transhumanism, artificial intelligence, gender and sexuality, and biotechnology and gene editing.

As a natural follow-up to the anthropological challenges, we find a section about the digital life—reflections on recent developments in online connection, social media algorithms, and how the digitalization of human self-perception and “digital communities” affects the church and our mission. Most of these essays identify the challenges and opportunities, recognizing the ingenuity of humanity alongside our idolatrous bent in terms of how we create and use tools. They’ll serve as conversation starters for some of the most pressing issues of our time.

My takeaway is that ministry in a digital age—increasing Scripture engagement, discipleship efforts, gathering as the church, and the like—must flow from a robust, holistic understanding of the Bible’s portrait of humanity, not from the reductionist, materialist, technological flattening of humanity all too often on display in the world today.

I look forward to seeing the fruit of collaboration as we draw nearer to the historic gathering of evangelicals from around the world this September in Seoul. May the Father of all good gifts grant us wisdom from above, and may the Spirit fill us with passion and compassion, as we seek to obey the commands of King Jesus.

If you would like my future articles sent to your email, as well as a curated list of books, podcasts, and helpful links I find online,  enter your address .

Trevin Wax is vice president of research and resource development at the North American Mission Board and a visiting professor at Cedarville University. A former missionary to Romania, Trevin is a regular columnist at The Gospel Coalition and has contributed to The Washington Post , Religion News Service , World , and Christianity Today . He has taught courses on mission and ministry at Wheaton College and has lectured on Christianity and culture at Oxford University. He is a founding editor of The Gospel Project, has served as publisher for the Christian Standard Bible, and is the author of multiple books, including The Thrill of Orthodoxy , The Multi-Directional Leader , Rethink Your Self , This Is Our Time , and Gospel Centered Teaching . His podcast is Reconstructing Faith . He and his wife, Corina, have three children. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook , or receive his columns via email .

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Love, Loss, and Hope – Themes Explored in Long May You Run

In the heartwarming novel Long May You Run by T. Patrick Graves, readers explore life's complexities. Here, love, loss, and hope blend to create a narrative that inspires readers to overcome life's challenges. This article reveals the themes explored in Graves's novel.

A Tale of Human Experience

In Long May You Run , Graves masterfully portrays the complexities of human emotions and relationships. From the very first page, the reader is drawn into Patrick Williams' world, experiencing the depths of his love for his family and friends. These genuine connections resonate deeply, reminding us of the universal importance of love in our lives. Yet, "Long May You Run" doesn't shy away from the harsh realities. As Patrick confronts a life-altering illness, the theme of loss emerges potently. We witness the protagonist grapple with the loss of his health, dreams, and the life he envisioned. It's a poignant portrayal that evokes empathy and compels us to contemplate our own vulnerabilities.

A Story of Love

Despite the darkness, Graves doesn't leave the reader adrift in despair. Through Patrick's struggle, we witness the indomitable human spirit in action. His unwavering resilience in the face of hardship serves as a powerful testament to the strength we possess within. This resilience is further augmented by the unwavering hope that permeates the narrative. Even in the darkest moments, Patrick clings to a flicker of optimism, a belief in a brighter tomorrow. This message of hope is a beacon of sentimentality that illuminates the path forward, inspiring readers to face their own challenges with courage. Loss and Resilience

As Patrick faces the challenges of his illness, the theme of loss emerges as a central motif in the story. From the loss of his health to the loss of his dreams and aspirations, Patrick grapples with the profound impact of adversity on his life and the lives of those around him. Yet, amidst the darkness, there is resilience. Through Patrick's struggle, readers witness the indomitable human spirit that perseveres in the face of hardship, offering inspiration in even the most challenging circumstances.

The Triumph of Hope

Despite the trials and tribulations that Patrick encounters, Long May You Run is ultimately a story of hope. It portrays the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of optimism in tough times. Through Patrick's belief in hope and determination, readers are reminded that even in the darkest times, a flicker of hope always lights the way forward. This sense of hope motivates Patrick and those around him, propelling them forward and inspiring readers to believe in the possibility of a brighter tomorrow.

A Message of Inspiration

Through its unique storytelling and heartfelt prose, Long May You Run delivers a powerful message of inspiration to readers worldwide. It reminds us that no matter what trials and tribulations life may throw our way, love, loss, and hope are universal experiences that unite us all. Ultimately, our ability to persevere and find hope in challenging times defines us as human beings.

In a Nutshell

Long May You Run is a novel that has created a buzz in the literary world by portraying the themes of love, loss, and hope. Through its compelling narrative and richly drawn characters, the book offers readers an insightful exploration of the complexities of life. It highlights the enduring power of the human spirit to overcome even the greatest of challenges. While reading T. Patrick Graves' novel, readers are reminded of the transformative power of love and the resilience of the human spirit. It highlights the unwavering hope that lights the way forward.

"Long May You Run" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. If you're seeking a story that explores the depths of human experience with a message of hope and resilience at its core, then this book is a must-read.