Love's Three Forms

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The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return (Moulin Rouge, scene 1). When most people think of love they think of a young couple kissing, sex, a child, or even a beloved pet. Love is according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, strong affection, warm attachment, a beloved person (436). The definition is correct, but so vague it does not mention the different types of love that exist. Most people don’t know that there are three. What are they? They are unconditional love, romantic love, and passion or lust. Great examples of love can be found throughout literature or movies, CDs and all of Shakespeare’s plays. The most famous, Romeo and Juliet, demonstrates all the different types of love although not in the manner we’d expect.

The first type of love is unconditional, Dictionary.com does a great job clearing out the air directly defining it as affection with no limits or condition; complete love. However Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines it as a passion, devotion or tenderness that is not limited or conditioned (707, 1284). Both seem to be great definitions. easy to understand I can think of an example from the top of my head taken from the New King James Version Bible:

My command is this: Love each other as I loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:12-13).

That is a perfect example of unconditional love it doesn’t need to be your friend it could be your neighbor, brother, sister, etc. And you don’t really need to give your life, but this definition of love requires you to show acts of selflessness. Another example of this is the love from a mother to a child and child to mother. Linda Marin exemplifies in her essay: Mothe...

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...t is demonstrating tenderness or devotion. Great examples of love can be found throughout literature, movies, CDs and all of Shakespeare’s plays. I can conclude love is very important to many, since our birth we search to be loved and return that love, from our parent’s siblings and from our spouses.

Works Cited

Dictionary.com word search: Love, romance, unconditional love www.dictionary.com

Lindholm, Charles, Etnofer Periodical Journal: Article: Romantic Love Amsterdam Netherlands

Luhrmann, Baz,Writers: Luhrmann, Baz, Pearce, Craig Moulin Rouge! Twentieth Century Fox,

2001 USA

Merriam, Webster, Merriam- Webster Dictionary. 1994 Merriam-Webster, Inc. Springfield Ma.,

USA.

Merriam,Webster, Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1983, Merriam-Webster Inc.

Springfield Ma. USA.

New Kings James Version, Bible, 1975

Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

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