A Critique Of Love And Lust On Three Classic Renaissance Poems

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(A Critique of Love and Lust on Three Classic Renaissance Poems) The world is full of inspiration: towering waterfalls, unexplored forests, and sprawling night skies seem to have been created for the specific purpose of providing a muse for writers. Yet, despite all the wonders the world provides, mankind tends to focus on one thing in the vast majority of literature - romance. In the modern era, a piece of media cannot seem to exist unless it contains some sort of romantic plot or subplot or both. “In other words, American culture values connection and intimacy above all else. Because this culture’s greatest fear is being alone — according to the media in which Americans are constantly immersed” (Kircher). This idea of love as the ultimate muse is not a new one, of course. It spans back as long as literature has existed. The time period of the Renaissance is no exception to this rule. Many have said that the greatest love stories of all time arose from this period of enlightenment and rebirth. Of course, some argue that the true theme of these famous works are not love at all, but are in fact poems of lust. The distinction between love and lust can be made through the examination of the poems Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, To His Coy Mistress, and To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time. Valediction: Forbidding Mourning is a poem concerning the true nature of love. A woman is upset because her husband has to go on a journey. The response of