The Different Types Of Love In My Last Duchess, By Robert Browning

The third type of love is Ludus, which means "Game" in Greek. This is the idea of playful love, which often referred to the affection between young lovers or children. Flirting and teasing is the main focus in this love, and they see love as a desiring to have fun with each other, such as teasing indulge and playing harmless pranks on each other. A game is what they view of love. Ludic lovers are aiming to achieve as much fun as possible ("Chart of the Six Love Styles"). They do not care about feelings and consequences dueling to their action of love, especially if they think they can gain some kind of advantage over their partner. Their relationship with their lover is never stable, and it may often involves in more than one partner. Most

A resemble example for ludic and possessive love reveals in the poem "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. Just from the word "Last" could infer that the main character Duke of Ferara had more than one wife. However, his last duchess is the subject of the painting that he show to the visitors. In the poem, the Duke welcome a stranger to look at his painting of the last duchess, but every stranger when they saw the paint would be inspired by the passionate look on her cheek. The Duke then speaks: "Strangers like you that pictured countenance,/ The depth and passion of its earnest glance,/ But to myself they turned (since none puts by/ The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)/ And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,/ How such a glance came there; so, not the first/ Are you turn and ask thus" (7-13). The curtain symbolize Duke 's possessive love, which nothing but he is the only one who could pull off the curtain from her portrait in order to show others. This demonstrate a complete control over his wife by the Duke, and he believes that himself should be the only that that pleased by the "spot of joy into the Duchess ' cheek

She had/ A heart -- how shall I say? -- too soon made glad,/ Too easily impressed; she liked whate 'er/ She looked on, and her looks went everywhere" (19-24). She is too easy to be impressed, which she would be pleased by a very cheap painter with high paid. The Duke hated that beside himself, she acts the same courtesy with any other people. He is resented that he give her the name of nine hundred years old but in return with the smile and attention as the same as any other people. He put an end to it, "Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt,/ Whene 'er I passed her; but who passed without/ Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;/ Then all smiles stopped together" (43-46). This might means that the Duke kills his wife and smashes her spirit into a