Do you believe in true love? Do you believe in love at first sight? Do you believe in love lasting forever? I think that these love stories will renew or reinforce your faith in love... They are the most famous love stories in history and literature, they are immortal. The stories of lovers who believed in each other and their love even if the whole world was against them still inspire and often, make us sad. A closer investigation of the greatest love stories in history reveals that many of the most famous lovers met a tragic end. They did, however, show us that true love is stronger than anything else in the world. And it is the love that they had we are all hopping to find someday. Of course, with a happier ending...or not... Here I’ve collected the top 10 most famous love stories in history. Hope, you’ll like this collection. | |
10. Cleopatra and Marc Antony
The true love story of Antony and the Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra is one of the most memorable, intriguing and moving of all times. The story of these two historical characters had later been dramatized by William Shakespeare and is still staged all over the world. The relationship of Antony and Cleopatra is a true test of love. They fell in love at first sight. The relationship between these two powerful people put the country of Egypt in a powerful position. But their love affair outraged the Romans who were wary of the growing powers of the Egyptians. Despite all the threats, Anthony and Cleopatra got married. It is said that while fighting a battle against Romans, Antony got false news of Cleopatra's death. Shattered, he fell on his sword. When Cleopatra learned about Antony 's death, she was shocked. And she took her own life by inducing an asp to bite her. Cleopatra and Mark Antony are said to be buried together but the location of their tomb remains a mystery. Great love demands great sacrifices.
9. Tristan and Isolde
The tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde has been told and retold through various stories and manuscripts about the adulterous lovers but they all more or less follow the same outline. It is thought to be inspired by an older Celtic legend. It takes place during medieval times during the reign of King Arthur. Isolde of Ireland was the daughter of the King of Ireland. She was betrothed to King Mark of Cornwall, Tristan’s uncle. King Mark sent his nephew, Tristan, to Ireland to escort Isolde back to Cornwall. During the voyage, Isolde and Tristan fell forever in love. Isolde did marry Mark of Cornwall, but could not stop to love Tristan. The love affair continued after the marriage. When King Mark finally learned of the affair, he forgave Isolde, but Tristan was banned from Cornwall. Tristan went to Brittany. There he met Iseult of Brittany. He was attracted to her because of the similarity of her name to his true love. He married her, but did not consummate the marriage because of his love for the "true" Isolde. After falling ill, he sent for Isolde in hopes that she would be able to cure him. If she agreed to come, the returning ship's sails would be white, or the sails would be black if she did not agree. Iseult, seeing the white sails, lied to Tristan and told him that the sails were black. The story ends with Tristan dying of despair, convinced that Isolde does not want to come to him, while Isolde dies of grief after finding her lover dead.
8. Paris and Helen
Recounted in Homer's Iliad, the story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War is a Greek heroic legend, combining fact and fiction. According to Greek mythology, the love between Paris and Helen provoked the downfall of Troy. The story begins with the Trojan prince Paris being chosen to decide which of three goddesses – Hera, Athena and Aphrodite – is the fairest. He chose Aphrodite because in return she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. Helen of Troy is considered one the most beautiful women in all literature. She was married to Menelaus, king of Sparta. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, fell in love with Helen and abducted her, taking her back to Troy. The Greeks assembled a great army, led by Menelaus's brother, Agamemnon, to retrieve Helen. Troy was destroyed. Paris was mortally wounded during the fall of Troy, while Helen returned safely to Sparta, where she lived happily with Menelaus for the rest of her life.
7. Lancelot and Guinevere
The tragic love story of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere is a part of the Arthurian legend. Lancelot fall in love with Queen Guinevere, King Arthur's wife. Their love grew slowly, as Guinevere kept Lancelot away from her. Eventually, however, her love and passion overpowered her and the pair became lovers. One night, Sir Agravain and Sir Modred, King Arthur's nephew, led a band of 12 knights to Guinevere's chamber where they burst in upon the lovers. Discovered, Sir Lancelot made a fighting escape, but poor Guinevere was not so lucky. She was seized and condemned to burn to death for her adultery. Fear not. Sir Lancelot returned several days later to rescue his beloved Guinevere from the fire. This whole sad affair divided the Knights of the Round Table and weakened Arthur's kingdom. Poor Lancelot ended his days as a lowly hermit and Guinevere became a nun at Amesbury where she died.
6. Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus and Eurydice story is an ancient greek tale of desperate love. The ancient Greek mythological hero Orpheus is best known for his beautiful music which charmed everyone, even the stones and wild beasts. Orpheus fell deeply in love with and married Eurydice, a beautiful nymph. They were very in love and very happy together. Aristaeus, a Greek god of the land and agriculture, became quite fond of Eurydice, and actively pursued her. While fleeing from Aristaeus, Eurydice ran into a nest of snakes which bit her fatally on her legs. Distraught, Orpheus played such sad songs and sang so mournfully that all the nymphs and gods wept. On their advice, Orpheus traveled to the underworld and by his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone, who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. In his anxiety he forgot that both needed to be in the upper world, and he turned to look at her, and she vanished for the second time, disappeared back in the world of the dead, now forever.
5. Napoleon and Josephine
The relationship between Napoleon and Josephine, a six years older widow with two children was turbulent from the very start. Only two days after their wedding day, Napoleon left on a military campaign in Italy. Josephine who stayed behind in Paris soon started an affair with lieutenant Hippolyte Charles. Napoleon was infuriated when he found out about his wife’s infidelity and soon started an affair on his own. No further Josephine’s affairs have been recorded but Napoleon’s love for Josephine was no longer the same. And when it became clear that Josephine is unable to have children, Napoleon decided to divorce her. He thereafter married Marie-Louise of Austria who gave birth to the long-awaited heir. Sadly they parted ways, both bearing the love and passion in their hearts, for all eternity. But despite Josephine’s infidelity, divorce and remarriage, Napoleon’s last words are said to be “France, the Army, the Head of the Army, Josephine.”
4. Romeo and Juliet
Probably the most famous love story of all was written by the celebrated English poet and playwright William Shakespeare sometime in the 1590s. It’s the story about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare’s most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Romeo and Juliet belongs to an ancient tradition of tragic romances. The story is based on an Italian tale “The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet” by Arthur Brooke in 1562 and retold in prose in “Palace of Pleasure” by William Painter in 1567. This couple has become a synonym for love itself.
Romeo and Juliet, the youngest members from two families who greatly despised each other, fell in love without knowing the other’s name. Upon discovery that their true love was also their greatest enemy, they enlisted the help of Friar Laurence to get married and convince their families that was for the best. Sadly, messages were not received in time when Juliet had fallen into a deep sleep to prevent her arranged marriage, and Romeo assumed she had died. Knowing he could not live with her, he killed himself with poison. Later, Juliet waked and only found her beloved dead beside her, she totally lost desire to live and stabbed herself to death.
Romeo and Juliet, the youngest members from two families who greatly despised each other, fell in love without knowing the other’s name. Upon discovery that their true love was also their greatest enemy, they enlisted the help of Friar Laurence to get married and convince their families that was for the best. Sadly, messages were not received in time when Juliet had fallen into a deep sleep to prevent her arranged marriage, and Romeo assumed she had died. Knowing he could not live with her, he killed himself with poison. Later, Juliet waked and only found her beloved dead beside her, she totally lost desire to live and stabbed herself to death.
3. Odysseus and Penelope
Few couples understand sacrifice quite like this Greek pair. After being torn apart, they wait twenty long years to be reunited. War takes Odysseus away shortly after his marriage to Penelope. Although she has little hope of his return, she resists the 108 suitors who are anxious to replace her husband. Odysseus is equally devoted, refusing a beautiful sorceress's offer of everlasting love and eternal youth, so that he might return home to his wife and son. This Valentine's Day, take a cue from Homer, and remember that true love is worth waiting for.
2. Heloise and Abelard
This is a story of a monk and a nun whose love letters became world famous. Around 1100, Peter Abelard went to Paris to study at the school of Notre Dame. He gained a reputation as an outstanding philosopher. Fulbert, the canon of Notre Dame, hired Abelard to tutor his niece, Heloise. Abelard and the scholarly Heloise fell deeply in love, conceived a child, and were secretly married. But Fulbert was furious, so Abelard sent Heloise to safety in a convent. Thinking that he intended to abandon Heloise, Fulbert had his servants castrate Abelard while he slept. Abelard became a monk and devoted his life to learning. The heartbroken Heloise became a nun. Despite their separations and tribulations, Abelard and Heloise remained in love. Their poignant love letters were later published.
1. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
This love story is about English royalty who mourned her husband's death for 40 years. Victoria was a lively, cheerful girl, fond of drawing and painting. She ascended the throne of England in 1837 after the death of her uncle, King William IV. In 1840, she married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. While at first Prince Albert was unpopular in some circles because he was German, he came to be admired for his honesty, diligence, and his devotion to his family. The couple had nine children. Victoria loved her husband deeply. She relied on his advice in matters of state, especially in diplomacy. When Albert died in 1861, Victoria was devastated. She did not appear in public for three years. Her extended seclusion generated considerable public criticism. Several attempts were made on Victoria's life. However, under the influence of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, Victoria resumed public life, opening Parliament in 1866. But Victoria never stopped mourning her beloved prince, wearing black until her death in 1901. During her reign, the longest in English history, Britain became a world power on which "the sun never set."