Eggert 1

Shae, Eggert
Mr. King
English 1
28, April 2016

Love Wins
Platonic love is a close relationship between two people in which sexual desire is
nonexistent or has been suppressed. Platonic love is a flower in the field, which helps the bees
get nectar. Without the flower, the bees wouldnt be able to get the nectar, and the flower
wouldnt be to do pollination. An example of platonic love would be my best friend Alec and I.
Alec and I were both new in 8th grade, and soon became best friends. Its a type of relationship
because we love each other, and theres nothing more than friendship, so its platonic love.
According to www.thethinkingasexual.com, modern society interprets platonic love way
differently than Plato did back then. People today assume platonic love is a friendship where
theres no sexual relationship; but what if its more than that? You can have a romantic nonsexual
relationship, a non romantic sexual relationship and can have a nonromantic nonsexual
relationship. And technically, its all platonic love. According to the website, Of course, all three
types of relationships cant be called platonic if we go by the original, actual meaning of
platonic love. But because the term has already adopted its erroneous meaning on a
widespread level, we cant really go back to the true meaning either. Platonic probably got
hijacked to describe nonsexual love because its useful to have a qualifier for the word love..
Act 1, Scene 1, lines 20 and 21, the Nurse says about Juliet, She was too good for me, but as I
said, on Lammas Eve at night, she shall be fourteen its an example of platonic love because

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the Nurse basically mothered Juliet and loved her; but since the Nurse wasnt blood related to
Juliet, it wasnt familial love. Another example from Romeo and Juliet for platonic love would
be Act 1 Scene 1 Line 153 when Benvolio says, See, where he comes. So please you step aside;
Ill know his grievance, or much be denied. This is an example of platonic love because
Benvolio is caring for Romeo to make sure that everything is okay and that hes not depressed.
Benvolio is showing love for his friend, but not sexual love, which is platonic love.
My other type of love was romantic love, which is when the chemicals in your brain kick
in and you feel an emotional high, exhilaration, passion, and elation between you and your lover.
Romantic love is the butterflies you get in your stomach when youre around that special
someone; romantic love is an experiment. You have to make mistakes and choices to perfect
the relationship. If you dont pay attention to the experiment, or if you mess up, itll fail; just like
a relationship if you dont talk through your problems and communicate. My parents met in high
school through mutual friends, and although it was love at first sight for my dad; it wasnt for my
mom and she tried to friendzone him. My dad pursued his interest for my mom, and she finally
fell for him, kind of like the love you see in movies. According to
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21410275, There are signs that individuals are rejecting
the romantic myth. The number of people living on their own has risen by 50% since the mid1990s. Many report that singleness means they enjoy more freedom and have time for other
relationships, like friendship...There is a spiritual dimension to this romantic addiction too. The
philosopher Simon May has proposed that while many have given up on God in the West, we
still long for the unconditional love that God used to offer. Romantic love is slowly starting to
subside, and more people are finding love within friendships. This is completely different than
back then because nowadays its acceptable to not get married, while back then you got married

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even if you were unhappy in the relationship. In Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2, lines 34-36
Juliet says Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love and
Ill no longer be a Capulet. Juliet in this scene is proclaiming her love for Romeo, who has
already fallen in love with her, therefore its romantic love. Also in Romeo and Juliet says Art
thou so, love-lard, ay husband-friend? I must hear from thee every day in the hour, for in a
minute there are many days. This is showing romantic love because Juliet is telling Romeo to
make sure to write everyday, every minute, because shes so in love that she wants to talk to him
all the time.

Bibliography
"Platonic Love Is a Problematic Term." The Thinking Aro. N.p., 06 June 2012. Web. 28 Apr.
2016.
"Viewpoint: Down with Romantic Love." BBC News. N.p., 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.