Abstract
This paper examines the nature of love in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet in terms of Greek philosopher Plato's definitions of love. This paper argues that Romeo and Juliet does indeed exemplify the types of ideal love that Plato talks about and gives examples including sexual desire, willingness to risk death, madness, divinity of the lover and other.

From the Paper
"The nature of love has been speculated upon by humans for thousands of years, perhaps since long before humans have been able to give it conscious thought. Some of the most wise and thought-provoking insights into the nature of love have passed down to us from the Greek writer and philosopher, Plato. Plato is responsible for our knowledge of the philosophies of Socrates, but he also wrote down many of his own thoughts and opinions, especially those on the nature of human conditions. Plato's ideal form of love is exemplified in the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, as we will see. Plato describes various types of love through his dialogues including the Symposium and Phaedrus, which give some of the clearest vision of his ideals on the subject."

Tags:love, romeo, juliet

Abstract
Three different approaches to philosophy are the Sophist (speculation about subjects such as law, morality, ethics, politics and human rights), Platonic (on issues such love, the soul, virtue, justice, ethics and politics) and Aristotelian (an in-depth and scientific understanding of reality) approaches. By considering these three approaches in turn, this paper shows how they differ and how they show a trend in philosophical thinking. This overview of the three approaches are concluded by a consideration of which of these views most closely resembles the author's own approach to philosophical thought.

From the Paper
"Comparing these three theories shows one significant trend that occurs with the philosophical approaches. The earliest theory of Aristotle is based on a scientific and theoretical approach that attempts to determine the underlying principles of philosophy. Plato's philosophies combine this theoretical approach with a focus on considering more meaningful issues in real life, such as love and ethics. The Sophist view then continues the trend actually rejecting the theoretical and scientific view and focusing directly on those issues that have a direct relevance to human life."

Tags:Plato, Aristotle, Sophism, ethics, Greek, morality

Abstract
The essay explains the different aspects of romantic love through an explication of Sonnets 116, 130 and 138. According to the author, the three types of love are, respectively, real love, ideal love, and lying love. The poems emphasize different aspects of love, but all three kinds are required for love to stand the test of time.

From the Paper
"In Sonnet 116, Shakespeare makes several claims about ideal love. As described in this poem, ideal love is permanent. If someone is truly in love with another, his love will never end. Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,/ But bears it out even to the edge of doom (ln. 10-11). This love, according to Shakespeare will never wither away or be broken down by any obstacle (ln. 6). Nothing can stand in the way of this feeling, true and strong. Ideal love will also never change, even as the possessors do. As they change, they will still love each other just as strongly, or even more so (ln. 2-3). This is the most important and most difficult aspect of reaching ideal love. Though many believe they have achieved it, they fall short as they come to realize that as they learn more about each other, they drift apart."

Tags:lies, beauty, false, comparison, flattery

Abstract
This paper compares the different conceptions of love in Ancient Greek society as exhibited by Plato and Socrates in "Symposium" and "Phaedrus". It contends that in spite of different concepts of love, both conceptions include desire, god, beauty and wisdom.

From the Paper
"The views of Plato on a variety of topics are typically illustrated for readers through the dialectic method, a dialogue that represents a series of questions and replies aimed at logical ..."

Tags:love, virtue, beauty, wisdom, philosopher, dialogue, reason, passion, desire, eros, platonic love

Abstract
This paper discusses the theme of idealism as reflected in the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare. In particular, the paper examines Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" and Shakespeare's Sonnets 18, 116 and 130. The discussion and analysis demonstrates how both authors' works illustrate the prevalence of their ideals: for Chaucer, his ideals on what religion and expression of faith should be, and for Shakespeare, how love is and should be.

From the Paper
"Influenced by the ideology of idealism during his time, Chaucer reflected his ideals of Christianity and its followers through The Pardoner's Tale of "The Canterbury Tales." Like the other tales in "Canterbury," the Pardoner's tale is a satire meant to criticize the society that Chaucer lived in during his period. While in some of the tales, Chaucer did not explicitly expressed his disagreement with and criticism of the rampant corruption and hypocrisy within the Church and among its elements (the clergy and the lay), in the Pardoner's tale, these issues were addressed and made explicit through the persona of the Pardoner."

Tags:William, Shakespeare, love, sonnets, Geoffrey, Chaucer, The, Canterbury, Tales

Abstract
This paper discusses the assertion that 'Courtly Love' is an idealized and hardly realized fantasy play of a misguided and inaccurate morality, quite opposed to the deep idealism of Sir Gawain. Throughout this essay, it is demonstrated that Capellanus' Treatise and Gawain's unfaltering nature are conflicts of human behavior and human ideals, the concept of the "perfect" for which to aim in ones own life, and rarely achieve.

From the Paper
"Courtly love is, in general form, a structured form of male / female interaction which was infused with a poetic, heroic, romantic idealism about the virtue of both the man and the woman. The core idea of Courtly Love, as defined by Capellanus, is that the woman (or Lady) should be worshiped, ardently pursued, and intensely desired. She is to receive this attention and devotion not because of an intrinsic beauty and nobility (read: only the members of the upper class were capable of Courtly love), but because she capable of endowing the male with virtue and honor because of and through her acceptance and faith in him. The Lady, then, is to judge her suitor upon the basis of his character, his noble deeds of gentleness and courtesy, his degree of chivalry, not his incidental qualities. In this dynamic, the Lady is obligated through her social responsibility, to accept the suitor if he can exhibit his worthiness. While Capellanus wrote his Treatise on Love in the 12th century, the fact that few major advances in social structure, politics, or religion had occurred in the three centuries previous or would for the next two centuries, it stands as a relatively accurate guideline of courtly love that persisted over those years. When the standards of Courtly love are applied to an interpretation of Sir Gawain and the Green Night, it is clear that this legend and the rather heroic requirements of Courtly love are indeed overlapped. Gawain is both a man and a Christ-figure, he is the ultimately honorable chivalrous man worth of the love of any Lady."

Tags:human, behavior, ideals, perfection, relationship, male, female, romance, social

Abstract
This paper compares Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and Raymond Carver's "Popular Mechanics" and in particular, looks at the ways in which both stories go against the modern love ideal.

From the Paper
"The modern love ideal basically encompasses the concept of a voluntary union. It is a union between two people in which they share tenderness and protect each other from the harsh realities of the outside world. The modern love ideal is also ..."

Tags:love, marriage, couples, relationships, death, ideals, illusions

Abstract
This essay analyzes Shakespeare's comedy 'Much Ado About Nothing' to demonstrate what might be Shakespeare's ideal view of love and how it pertains to trust or lack of trust and the institution of marriage. The analysis maintains the more mature relationship of Beatrice and Benedick represents the author's ideal view of love, compared to the immature relationship between Claudio and Hero.

From the Paper
"The title of William Shakespeare's play revolving around the love relationships of two couples 'Much Ado About Nothing' primarily spells out the fact that the incidents and episodes in the play including infidelity, deception, mistrust and a fake death are much ado about nothing. This is because despite the contretemps between Beatrice and Benedick and Hero and Claudio, the respective couples genuinely are in love. Despite their genuine love for each other these couples engage in much ado over nothing because..."

Tags:trust, honor, reputation, deception, wit, genuine love, jealousy, anger, equality

Abstract
The Robots in Karel Capek's classic science fiction story R.U.R. are mass-produced in great numbers in order to provide efficient labor for all of human society, but that society is deeply flawed and dysfunctional because the importance of love has been forgotten and the meaning of life has thus been lost. Reading and analyzing this compelling story reveals that the vital importance of love is the ultimate theme of R.U.R., for the absence of love destroys human society and demonstrates that love must be the foundation of the new Robot society. This moral lesson is emphasized in a memorable final scene, for when two Robots, Primus and Helena, fall in love and are christened Adam and Eve by the last survivor of the human race, the foundational role, meaning, and power of love are rediscovered and acknowledged, and love is established as the basis of Robot society.

From the Paper
The Role of Love in Rossum's Universal Robots: An Analysis The Robots in Karel Capek's classic science fiction story R.U.R. are mass-produced in great numbers in order to provide efficient labor for all of human society, but that society is deeply flawed and dysfunctional because the importance of love has been forgotten and the meaning of life has thus been lost. Reading and analyzing this compelling story reveals that the vital importance of love is the ultimate theme of R.U.R., for the absence

Tags:love, in, r.u.r.