LOVE MATRIX - IS LOVE SEXUAL OR ASEXUAL; MORAL OR AMORAL

LOVE MATRIX - DONNE VS. BACON

John Donne (British poet 1572-1631) wrote love and metaphysical poetry. In his poems "Canonization", "Good-morrow", "Valediction of my name in the Window" elevated love to Platonic heights.

"And by these hymns, all shall approve
Us canonized for love ;" - (Donne in Canonization).

Donne considered lovers as saints.

Francis Bacon (British writer 1562-1626) wrote critical essays. "Of love" is one of them. According to it,

"there is not one, that hath been transported to the mad degree of love: which shows that great spirits, and great business, do keep out this weak passion."

According to this wise persons need not give much value to passion.

[Notes: Personal lives of Donne and Bacon may have their own skeletons in the cupboard. A biographer of Donne described him as young rake (immoral person). Bacon was accused of sodomy. We are looking only to literary side.]

Now, here is a graph which shows the sexual-asexual moral-amoral ends of LOVE.

Platonic Love : Deals with non-sexual relationships. Usually between one aged and one young person.

Passionate Love : Deals more with sexual aspects, often found in newly found couples. When the age advances far, only Platonic love may be left.

Gopika Love : This love is described in the Epic Maha Bhagavata. Thousands of gopikas are milk maid women. In their love towards Lord Krishna, they leave their husbands in the midnight and reach the river Yamuna. There is nothing sexual in this. Whether the love is moral or amoral is a question of interpretation.

Adultery and paid sex work: There is much of body work and little of exchange of hearts.

Same couple may be in different states of love depending on the psychological situations they place themselves in.

(To be revised. Comments are welcome.).