William Shakespeare's Views of Love

Marcie Barnes

Comp and Modern English II

8 May 2009

Shakespeare expressed his feelings on love through nearly all of his literary works. Some of the examples of his work are…

*Romeo and Juliet

*Midsummer Nights Dream

*Antony and Cleopatra

*Alls Well, that Ends Well

*The Taming of the Shrew

*A Lover’s Complaint

Romeo and Juliet

During the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare writes of love in a way that shows recklessness caused by extreme lust. Romeo rashly makes the decision to marry Juliet upon seeing her. Their lust to have one another ultimately leads to their deaths.

Midsummer Nights Dream

This story is caused by the lust of one person towards another. Hermia is in love/lust with a man that her father disapproves of and the man he has chosen she doesn’t want to be with. Her best friend lusts for the man that Hermia does not want but is destined to be with from her fathers demands. All of this resulting in the comedic magic act put on to correct their hearts desires to concur with Hermia’s fathers wishes.

Antony and Cleopatra

Shakespeare expresses the hurt that love can cause an individual. Although Antony’s feelings towards Cleopatra seems brash and irrational he continues on with his desires to be with her. Their actions lead them to their untimely deaths.

Alls Well, that Ends Well

A lustful love has no boundaries. Helena is smitten with Bertram and goes through great lengths to attract him. When all else fails she tricks him into being with her. In the end he is pawned into marrying her.

The Taming of the Shrew

Bianca is lusted after by three men. She is well mannered and mild but her sister Katherine needs to be wed before the suitors have a chance with her. She is ill-tempered and rude but regardless of this one of the suitors friends comes in and marries Katherine for her fortune and tames her to be obedient and non-argumentative. Bianca, who marries one of the suitors, is discovered to be nothing of what they expected. This leaves Katherine to be the “better” of the two.

A Lover’s Complaint

Shakespeare expresses how naive one can be in love. In this poem a young women is severely hurt by her lover and she speaks of his hurtful acts and his dazzling charms. In the end she admits that she would go back to him again regardless of all of the hurt he caused her.

Shakespeare’s writings can be portrayed in various different ways. It can be seen as true love, honest love, even as pure lust. Love in his poems, sonnets, and plays all seem to have moments of irrationality, pain, and deceit…

…Whether or not his writings are a reflection of his personal feelings on love is unknown.