shakespeare

Shakespeare is known to have written numerous romantic plays as well as romantic poems . Examples of these would be Hamlet , Venus and Adonis and The Sonnets . All three talk about love all in different situations and in different manners however the concept behind the kind of love that is expressed in these three works are all the same . As far as these three works are concerned , all refer to love as merely sexual and physical This implies that Shakespeare 's philosophy of love is very sexual

In Hamlet , sexual love is most apparent

between the love of Hamlet with Ophelia as well as Gertrude and Claudius . In the scene where King Hamlet 's ghost speaks to Young Hamlet he specifically states that his brother Claudius desired his wife Gertrude for sometime already which was one more motivation for killing the King . With witchcraft of his wit , with traitorous gifts - O wicked wit and gifts , that have the power so to seduce ! - won to his shameful lust the will of my most seeming virtuous queen (Shakespeare , Scene 5 . The sexual love has been shown by Hamlet himself when he wrote a letter to Ophelia . In her excellent white bosom .I have not art to reckon my groans (Scene II , 116

In Venus and Adonis , the whole poem talks about sexual love , from beginning to end . From the moment Venus kidnapped Adonis , she was red and hot as coals of glowing fire , He red for shame but frosty in desire (Shakespeare , 35-36 ) This line already sets the pace as to Venus ' desire and Adonis ' rejection . However , the whole poem continues on with Venus ' attempt to bed Adonis . The poem goes so far as artfully hiding sexual innuendos and describing actual acts of sex in its line An example of this would be in starting from line 229 to 234 , when Venus said "Fondling " she saith "since I have hemm 'd thee here Within the circuit of this ivory pale , I 'll be a park , and thou shalt be my deer Feed where thou wilt , on mountain or in dale : Graze on my lips and if those hills be dry , Stray lower , where the pleasant fountains lie

This whole stanza refers to Venus ' invitation for Adonis to kiss her lips , then her breasts all the way down to her groin

The Sonnets have their share of physical love although , unlike Venus and Adonis , touches upon the other aspects of love as well . Once again Shakespeare begins his sonnets with From fairest creatures we desire increase (Shakespeare , I ) once again referring to physical desire and ends his sonnets with And so the general of hot desire was sleeping by a virgin . Love 's fire heats water , water cools not love (CLIV . This last line of the Sonnets summarizes Shakespeare 's philosophy of love . For him , copulation is the most important aspect of love for to him , based on his writings , it is the ultimate expression and act of love

Some may believe that...