Idealised Love Flashcards
(2 cards)
Idealised love- main points
Sonnet 116- both show the delusion of how true love will prevail no matter what. However we see in Gatsby how this delusion is broken due to the tragic ending of Gatsby showing the dangers of obsessing over idealised love
She walks in beauty- Both corrupt their definition of idealised love as holding the woman they desire as trophies . With she walks in beauty focusing on how she presents herself which links contextually as women were treated with respect on there appearances rather than who they are. In Gatsby we see how he holds Daisy as a trophy for being old money.
Both poems- both silence the female perspective and detach emotionally in their perspective of love. Both have a more innocent and pure idea of love.
Idealised Love — Sonnet 116, She Walks in Beauty, The Great Gatsby
“Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds”
— Sonnet 116
Theme: Idealised Love
Explanation: Shakespeare presents true love as unwavering and eternal, unaffected by time or change.
“She walks in beauty, like the night / Of cloudless climes and starry skies”
— She Walks in Beauty
Theme: Idealised Love
Explanation: Byron romanticises the woman’s beauty, comparing her to nature; she’s idealised and almost divine.
“He looked at her the way all women want to be looked at by a man”
— The Great Gatsby
Theme: Idealised Love
Explanation: Gatsby’s gaze reflects his obsession and romanticisation of Daisy, placing her on a pedestal.
