Love's Vocabulary By Diane Ackerman

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Love is a complex idea that can turn hate into love. Enemies can become friends because love can change the feelings of how one views another person. Romeo and Juliet become lovers even though their families are enemies and hatred is turned into love. In Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare agrees with the idea of love shown in “Love’s Vocabulary” by Diane Ackerman, “A Handbook for Love” by Barry Newton, and I Corinthians 13:4-8a. Shakespeare’s idea of love is similar because he writes about love that has may emotions and many cause a strong sensual passion and is not easily angered. Shakespeare and Diane Ackerman both agree that love is a combination

In “A Handbook for Love”, Newton uses one example, called eros, which is similar to Shakespeare’s idea of love. Newton writes, “Eros is probably what most people mean when they announce with a smile, ‘I’m in love.’ This type of love covers everything from queasy stomachs and warm fuzzy feelings to strong sensual passion” (1-2). Newton’s example of eros love causes a strong sensual passion that is shown in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. When Romeo and Juliet first meet, they experience similar feelings, “ Romeo. Have not saint lips, and holy palmers too?/ Juliet. Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer./ Romeo. O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do!/ They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair./ Juliet. Saints do not move, though grant for prayer’s sake./ Romeo. Then move out while my prayer’s effect I take./ Thus from my lips, by thine my sin is purged./ [kisses her]” (I, v, 99-106). The love shown between Romeo and Juliet causes a strong feeling between them that is similar to Newton’s idea of eros love. Both texts show a similar type of love that causes

I Corinthians 13:4-8a describes the basics of love in the text, “It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered…” (5). Love does not cause one to be angered at a loved one easily. In Romeo & Juliet, Juliet does not get angry at Romeo for killing her cousin because she loves him. Shakespeare writes, “Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband?/ Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name/ When I, thy three-hours’ wife, have mangled it?/ But wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin?/ That villain cousin would have killed my husband” (III, ii, 97-101). Juliet forgives Romeo easily because she is in love with him. She gets angry at her dead cousin instead and starts to worry about what will happen to Romeo. Juliet’s love for Romeo is similar to I Corinthians 13:4-8a because she is not angered about Romeo killing a family member of hers. This shows true love between Romeo and Juliet because Shakespeare shows their love as not easily angered. Shakespeare and I Corinthians 13:4-8a both show their idea of love one has towards another as not easily