Essay Sample on Love Stories

Love stories have a way of making someone understand the sense of self-sacrifice and self-preservation. In my entire life, I have read, seen, heard, and watched a myriad of love stories but none of them has been more impressive than the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In a classical love story, there are emotions, attraction, familiarity, similarity, repeated exposure to each other, and physical beauty.

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Romeo and Juliet is a tragic and interesting love story written by William Shakespeare. The plot revolves around the two love birds and the theme of romantic love that exceeds all emotions, devotions, and standards. The attraction between Romeo and Juliet is evident. Emotions of love are presented in the play. According to Reis, Caprariello, Maniaci, Eastwick, and Finkel (2011), attraction, either sexual or non-sexual evoke the emotions of love. As the authors added, people reveal their degree of emotional expression to others. In the play, the love story comes in when Romeo and Juliet express their love as boundless and infinite. Romeo describes his love for Juliet as a liberating force that gives him the power to overcome any limitations.

In the love story of Romeo and Juliet, the attraction between the two is stronger because of their proximity to each other. Their families, which feud live in proximity to each other and Romeo and Juliet see each other occasionally. Reis et al. (2011) asserted that proximity, a factor in attraction, predicts more liking, which eventually creates familiarity. In Romeo and Juliet, the two are familiar with each other since their families are enemies. However, despite the enmity between their families, the two get to know each other and ultimately fall in love. Romeo and Juliet's proximity allowed them to interact with each other. Their first meet at the masquerade ball party creates attraction. After several meet-ups, Romeo and Juliet become familiar with each other and vow to love each other no matter the circumstances. Romeo is mesmerized with Juliet's Physical beauty at the party. Gupta, Jaeger, and Etcoff (2015) noted that physical beauty creates attraction. At the party, when Romeo spotted Juliet, he immediately pursued her and wanted to know more about her.

In the love story of Romeo and Juliet, repeated exposure plays a part in their attraction. O'Connor (2017) affirmed that being exposed to something many times can change attitudes towards something. In Romeo and Juliet, the two see each other more often, which creates attraction. After the masquerade ball party, the two kiss in the great hall of the Capulets. Romeo and Juliet meet each other many times and express their love for each other to the extent they plan to get married. Another factor that plays a role in the attraction between Romeo and Juliet is similarity. Repeated exposure has a direct effect on similarity. Similarity influences how people form relationships. Morry, Kito, and Ortiz (2010) discuss the similarity-attraction effect, which develops when quality relationships emerge. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet can be described as quality. Despite their family's hatred for each other, the unconditional love between them is unimaginable and they decide to defy all odds and be together.

Love gives life meaning whether it is sexual or non-sexual. Romeo and Juliet is a classical love story loved by many. The play gives readers love lessons that they can apply in their life. As described in the paper, the attraction between Romeo and Juliet factored with concepts such as emotion, proximity, repeated exposure, similarity, physical beauty, and familiarity makes Romeo and Juliet closer.

References

Datta Gupta, Nabanita & Etcoff, Nancy & Jaeger, Mads. (2015). Beauty in Mind: The Effects of Physical Attractiveness on Psychological Well-Being and Distress. Journal of Happiness Studies. 10.1007/s10902-015-9644-6.

Morry, M., Kito, M., & Ortiz, L. (2010). The attraction-similarity model and dating couples: Projection, perceived similarity, and psychological benefits. Personal Relationships. 18. 125 - 143. 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01293.x.

O'Connor, K. (2017). Attitudes Exposed: How Repeated Exposure Leads to Attraction. Socialpsychonline. Retrieved from http://socialpsychonline.com/2017/01/attraction-psychology-mere-exposure/

Reis, H., Maniaci, M., Caprariello, P., Eastwick, P., & Finkel, E. (2011). Familiarity Does Indeed Promote Attraction in Live Interaction. Journal of personality and social psychology. 101. 557-70. 10.1037/a0022885.