The Dark Side of Love
In Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe’s Faust (Part One) as well as in Gotthold Ephraim Lessing’s Nathan the Wise, love plays a vital role. Love is the reason that an individual strays from the path to enlightenment and begins to act in strange, unpredictable ways. It decreases an individual’s ability to reason and takes away any incentive he might have to seek enlightenment. Since love is based on faith, it goes against the ideals of enlightenment which stress individual thinking. Love brings about a sense of fulfillment, which also works against the ideals of enlightenment which advocate a constant struggle within the individual to find truth or reach a higher plain of thought. In the Age of Enlightenment, love is a temptation man must overcome to reach enlightenment.
Looking at Faust, we can draw an analogy between love and a disease. If a person has vulnerabilities, love can exploit them and manifest itself in that person. When Faust kisses Gretchen’s hand, she says “How can you kiss my hand? / It is so ugly and so rough! / So much I have to scour and scrub and sand” (139). This shows us that Gretchen has a very low self-esteem. The act of Faust kissing her coarse hands reminds her of her own poverty. Faust notices and takes advantage of this, engaging her in conversation and throwing out subtle hints of his interest in her – “She was an angel, if she was like you” (140). Gretchen is confused as to what Faust sees in her, and says that Faust must be bold to think that “So light a girl would give him all he wanted” (142). She cannot understand that her body gives her what her lack of sophistication does not. She gets caught up in the fact that Faust is vastly superior in social status. This is apparent in her ...
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... hampers one of the most important elements needed to reach enlightenment – Reason. People in love do irrational things without considering the consequences of their actions and how they may affect not only themselves, but others too. They are more concerned with instant gratification – whether for themselves or for the person whom they love. Love can also be thought of as being another temptation that is placed before man. It is a path that a man on the road to enlightenment should not take, no matter how great the benefits may seem. The individual must realize that love ultimately leads to the destruction of enlightenment. The most dangerous thing about love is that once an individual succumbs to it, it is extremely hard to turn back. For this reason love may be the most potent out of all the temptations and tests man must overcome to reach enlightenment.
When we think about the force that holds the world together and what makes humans different from animals, one answer comes to our minds - that humans can love. Love is a state of mind that cannot be defined easily but can be experienced by everyone. Love is very complicated. In fact it is so complicated that a person in love may be misunderstood to be acting in an extremely foolish manner by other people. The complexity of love is displayed in Rostand’s masterpiece drama Cyrano de Bergerac. This is accomplished by two characters that love the same woman and in the course neither one achieves love in utter perfection.
In Dryden's Lucretius, the speaker argues that (1) Love is a sickness, (2) Love's sickness enslaves, and (3) all attempts to remedy Love's sickness are vain and will only frustrate the lover. Just as Milton's Adam and Eve become enslaved to sin by disobeying God, so mankind becomes enslaved to Love when pierced with Cupid's "winged arrow". In Milton, there is redemption and freedom through Christ, but in Dryden, no salvation from love is possible. This poem leaves mankind in a hopeless, frustrated state, unable to break free from love's yoke. This essay will center on the last heroic couplet: "All wayes they try, successeless all they prove,/To cure the secret sore of lingering love".
The effects of love and sacrifice on one’s life can be shown through the character of Lucie Manette in the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The way Lucie applies warmth to her friends and family and sacrifices for them has a greater impact than anything else could possibly do. In fact, loving gestures have the power to do anything. They can brighten moods and ameliorate one’s day. Overall, Love is a powerful feeling. It can be defined in many ways, but is always an important emotion to have. Without it, humans are empty. It is a necessary part of living; with it, anything is possible.
...ause of their own free will. The theme of love is widely portrayed in the world. Love matters because it is what ties two people together through commitment and pain. However, there are those who pervert the idea of love and treat it as if it is filled with lust and pleasure-seeking opportunities. In society, young and reckless people “go out” with each other because they are desperate for excitement in their lives. Those who “go out” fail to realize that they shouldn’t be so committed to one another. Therefore, it is a waste of time at such a young age. Those who do should be paying attention to reality instead of their own fantasy. If adolescent people have love, it is only a hindrance from being who they want to be. In conclusion, love influences people to behave irrationally and to take chances that would otherwise seem irresponsible in the eyes of the mature.
Love is often misconstrued as an overwhelming force that characters have very little control over, but only because it is often mistaken for the sum of infatuation and greed. Love and greed tread a blurred line, with grey areas such as lust. In simplest terms, love is selfless and greed is selfish. From the agglomeration of mythological tales, people deduce that love overpowers characters, even that it drives them mad. However, they would be wrong as they would not have analyzed the instances in depth to discern whether or not the said instance revolves around true love. Alone, true love help characters to act with sound reasoning and logic, as shown by the tales of Zeus with his lovers Io and Europa in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.
Faust’s one desire was to seek out to gain more knowledge out of life, and so he makes a pact with the devil or the “baron”,mestopheles and faust sets out from the long years in his study with mestopheles to seek and fulfill this desire in the outside world, by simply interacting with the everyday life. Faust shows no weakness towards the lustful drinking party in auerbachs cellar, on the contrary he openly says that he is “inclined to leave immediately.” (line: 2295) Here he holds on to his individuality which he had shown a clear part of it before entering the cellar when he said “I never was at ease with other people, they make me feel so small and continually embarrassed.” (lines: 2058-2060) the people around the individuals have the ability to make someone feel “small” or less fortunate than other; some individuals are effected and some or not. Those who are effected undergo what is called secondary socialization, where their personality is influenced and is changed and reformed according to these people. In fausts case; he shows no sign of weakness and does not try to fit in and so he clearly shows that he isn’t enjoying himself like the other men and so he wants to leave. This did not effect his personality but another temptation did, and that was the temptation of lust or love. His strong powerful personality seems to change in the blink of an eye when he looks into the mirror in the witch’s kitchen and sees the image of the lady; he seems to forget everything especially his aim to seek knowledge and his new aim becomes this woman and all he wants is to get to her.
As any romantic will assert, love is by far the most powerful force known to human hearts and minds. This sentiment is espoused throughout history, almost to the point of cliché. Everyone has heard the optimistic statement, “love conquers all,” and The Beatles are certain, however idyllic it may be, that “all you need is love.” Humanity is convinced that love is unique within human emotion, unequalled in its power to both lift the spirit up in throws of ecstasy, and cast it down in utter despair.
Faust suddenly starts taking interest when he lays eyes on Gretchen, a beautiful, poor, good, and modest young woman. Although Mephistopheles doesn't approve of pursuing the girl, he must do what Faust orders him to or he'll lose Faust's soul. So, Mephisto does what Faust says, although reluctantly. "Aren't you fed up with it by now, this mooning about? How can it still amuse you? You do it for a while, all right; but enough's enough, on to the new!" Mephisto says in lines 3310-3313. Throughout the rest of the play, Mephisto tries to talk Faust out of some ideas, but he always gives into him, so Faust doesn't call off the pact, and Mephistopheles doesn't lose his bet with God.
For the ancient Greek doctor and philosopher, Eryximachus, Love’s potential for health and destruction were rooted in its divine origins. Good love “stems from the Muse Celestia” and “Common Love,” from “Polymnia” (Symposium 22). He saw these two loves as at the center of human/divine communication: “all the ways in which gods and men communicate with one another—are solely concerned with the perpetuation or the cure of love” (Symposium 23). Love provided the link, then, between the mortal and immortal beings. It was a common project that both humans and gods could work on. Eryximachus further articulated, “It is (Love) who makes it possible for us to interact on good terms with one another and with our divine masters” (Symposium 23-4). It is the element of life that transcends the human realm, giving the people a taste of the divine in their own lives.
“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, "What's in it for me?”- Brian Tracy. Faust is illustrated to be an exceedingly sophisticated scholar and alchemist; a man of discontent, and is compelled to obtain a vast amount of the world’s knowledge that surrounds him. In spite of all his triumphs, Faust becomes strangely unsatisfied at his life accomplishments’, “Oh God, how hard I’ve slaved away, With what results? Poor foolish old man, I’m no whit wiser than when I began!”(Goethe Lines 121-20).
Love is one of the fundamental pillars of the human experience. All people have experienced love, and many of their actions are fueled by it. Although it is most commonly associated with positive things, it can also be a negative force. Authors Hermann Hesse and Shakespeare study this complex nature of love through their works; Hesse through his novel Siddhartha and Shakespeare through his play Macbeth. Siddhartha loves his son and sacrifices that love, while Lady Macbeth loves her husband and sacrifices her own womanhood.
Love is said to be one of the most desired things in life. People long for it, search for it, and crave it. It can come in the form of partners, friends, or just simply family. To some, love is something of a necessity in life, where some would rather turn a cold shoulder to it. Love can be the mixture of passion, need, lust, loyalty, and blood. Love can be extraordinary and breathtaking. Love being held so high can also be dangerous. Love can drive people to numerous mad things with it dangerously so full of craze and passion.
Love has been expressed since the beginning of time; since Adam and Eve. Each culture expresses its love in its own special way. Though out history, though, it’s aspect has always been the same. Love has been a major characteristic of literature also. One of the most famous works in literary history is, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This story deals with the love of a man and a woman who’s families have been sworn enemies. There love surpassed the hatred in which the families endured for generations. In the end they both ended up killing their selves, for one could not live without the other. This story is a perfect example of true love.
Although there are obstacles that people face in every relationship, love can undermine those adversities. Love is powerful because it lets me out of the darkness. It is shown through the simplest act of kindness. For this reason, the act of giving also demonstrates that someone cares, and the appreciation of the simple act fosters stronger relationships. Furthermore, love is facilitated in every social and cultural aspect of my life. In fact, my passion arises from the things and people I love. Love is important to my family because it gives us a sense of comfort and security. Since my family care for each other, we look out for our best interest. This is why my family is closely knit. However, love can also be found within my aspirations. Therefore, I have the motivation to achieve my career and life goals. Without love, I would have no motivation to live
“Get me that girl, do you hear, you must!” he tells Mephistopheles (ln 2410). He falls for Gretchen (also known as Margarete), who is pure and innocent. She ends up dying because of Faust because she starts making bad decisions after meeting him. Faust blames himself for her death.