What is Love

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments; love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds

Or bends with the remover to remove

O, no, it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken

It is the star to every wand’ring bark

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

Love’s is not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come,

Love alters not with his relief hours and weeks,

But bear it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error, and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

In this sonnet, Shakespeare expressed his understanding of true love. True love can bear the test of time and hardship. It requires lovers share joys and sorrows, stand together through storms and stress.  Having experienced the emotional ups and downs, two lovers can still stay together, that is they really love each other. Time passing by and beauty fading, but love reminds as before. Capricious and unreliable cannot be the features of true love. The course of true love never did run smooth.

 True love surpasses all: beauty, power, and money. As Shakespeare wrote in another sonnet: “my mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun… I love to hear her speak; yet I know that music hath a far more pleasing sound…” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One lover is the most gorgeous in the eyes of the other. True love touches the soul. Romeo and Juliet’s true love melt the generational family hatred; Othello and the Sidimengnuo’s true love was beyond time and space limitation; Antonio and Cleopatra’s true love tarnished the shine of being the king. Shakespeare once sigh with emotion: for the sweet love remembered such wealth brings that then I scorn to change my state with king. The joy and happiness brought by love makes lovers so ecstasy and crazy that they would rather to give up the throne for it. From the tragedy of Antonio, we deeply sigh with regret because such a great hero declines just for a lover, while he himself maybe not--the sweet love is much better than the king power. As bystanders, we cannot fully sympathy their love. But we must admit the amazing power of love while criticizing the negative impact of falling in love.

People in love are always positive and lovely. Lovers have no another identification except for itself. No matter a cleaner, a maid, a prisoner or a knight, everyone is supposed to enjoy love. Falling in love, a depressed person can become enthusiastic and high-spirit; a humble man will forget his situation and fully enjoy the wonderfulness of love; a selfish person prefers to care about others due to love. True love rejuvenates people and brings inspiring strength, hope and courage. In sonnet 29th, Shakespeare wrote: “when in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state… yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, haply I think on thee, and then my state, like to the lark at break of day arising…” This great poetry sang the song of great love power.

 True love leads to tolerance and forgiveness, because they will not give up this wonderful relationship due to a stupid mistake. The modern famous writer once said: it is normal for human to be physically tempted by sex attraction, which may lead to the breakup of a wonderful family. In this case, if the couple really loves each other, they should give another a chance by forgiving his occasionally stupid mistake. Shakespeare once wrote in his 33th sonnet: “…yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth; suns of the world may stain when heaven’s sun staineth.” Man will not distain his lover when is betrayed may be because of the fear of lose, but indeed, true love leads to tolerance and forgiveness.

True love, however, makes people blind. Lovers see nothing but lovers. There will be fewer tragedies if lovers are a little more rational. Just as in cases of Romeo and Juliet and Antonio and Cleopatra, death can be escaped if they can calm down. Love has its deadly weakness—it won’t allow betray, which is nearly impossible. Love is essentially a spiritual need for beauty. People cannot avoid meeting others after falling in love. New meeting may bring about new appreciation, as artists can love many different styles of paintings. Another feature of love is that it, especially sweet love, often disappears in marriage. The ones who keep the sweet love forever are only few lucky ones. Fortunately, love becomes affection in marriage.

Love is an essential need for human being. A sweet relationship will be the most wonderful experience and memory. Marriage is the promise of lovers to each other who want to continue their love. However, in modern society, there are more and more people preferring to be single out of financial consideration and freedom desire.

As to Zhou Guoping’s viewpoint, this idea is very undesirable; it deprives the chance of enjoying the most beautiful thing in life. It should be a shame for a woman or man not to experience the magical power of gender attraction. In China, we say: you cannot stop eating just because you are afraid of choking on your food. That is it.