The beauty of language.
The beauty of language.
Ray Bradbury’s most famous novel and one of the most important books of the 20th century has been analyzed several times already. Now, the most interesting facts about the book are included i…
There is a certain sadness about love, especially love which remains unfulfilled.Yet, tragic love stories have their own charm, after all, what is love without tragedy?We have all cried over some or the other romance novel where the lovers don't meet, or they meet under dire circumstances or someone ends up dead.© PinterestReading about the love between Romeo and Juliet or the troubles of Heer Ranjha only adds to the sad beauty of love.The scorching passion between Guinevere and Lancelot or Heloise and Abelard; their disregard for society and convention is enthralling, what does society matter when you love someone?© PinterestA tragic love story always seems more agreeable than a happy one, doesn't it? The melancholy, the doom, the want, encompasses us to feel the true power of love.Like Kate Winslet once said, “You can't choose who you fall in love with, you know?” Though it might be fascinating to read about star-crossed lovers and their trials and tribulations, at the end of the day they are inspired from us, the real people who live and breathe and make wrong decisions.When have you not fallen for a person who isn't yours? A lot of times. You can't help being attracted to someone. Whether you act upon it or not is completely your decision and your axe to grind but it drives home the fact that love is beyond reason.No one is immune to the guiles of Cupid; love has led to the demolition of many a dynasty, changed the course of history, brought about the total annihilation of clans, the formation of nations.We all fall prey to the ever-compelling power of love.History has had its own share of romances, most of which are sadly doomed and others which lead to the happiness the people involved craved.Often, things don't work out the way we want them to, even great people, people who can do no wrong give in to their human natures and cross the line; but who decides where the line lies? Is it better to be unhappy and be stuck in a loveless relationship or make a clean break? Or carry on with a secret rendezvous?History is marred with affairs between people who weren't meant to be together, of clandestine romances, of liaisons between two people who stepped out of societal norms for love.Unfortunately, on closer inspection, the lion's share is taken by doomed romances.Here are five such doomed romances in history which changed the World and the fates of the people involved forever:1. Marc Antony and Cleopatra: A romance which changed history© PinterestShe was the epitome of charm and grace, one of the most famous female rulers of all time. He was one of the most celebrated politicians of Rome.Cleopatra and Antony were just as famous and intriguing a couple as any celebrity romance today could ever hope to be.Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt, she was a shrewd stateswoman and a trailblazer in her own right. Marc Antony was Julius Caesar's trusted confidant and one of his best friends, and also a force which changed the Roman empire from being an oligarchy to an autocratic one.Ironically, Cleopatra was Julius Caesar's mistress and they had quite the affair until his assassination.When Antony invited Cleopatra to Tarsus (modern day Turkey) to set up an alliance with Egypt, little did he know that it was going to change his life forever. Instantly smitten by Cleopatra's beguiling charm and wit, Antony started a passionate affair with her which resulted in three children.But it was not meant to be. Enraged at Antony's move to Egypt and his cavalier dismissal of his wife, Octavia, her brother Octavian, the grandnephew of Caesar and the reigning Roman Emperor, declared war on the two: the temptress and her social climber lover.This hatred led into the Battle of Actium in Greece in 31 B.C. which prompted the couple to flee to Egypt when the Octavian navy crushed their resisting military.Octavian wasn't going to let go so soon and he successfully invaded Egypt and that was the start of the doom for Antony and Cleopatra.Fearing that Octavian might do something more drastic, and not wanting to give in easily, Cleopatra hid in a tomb and sent a false message to Antony of her apparent suicide. This, however, did not have the desired effect as Antony became so heartbroken that he stabbed himself in the stomach and died.A dying Antony was transported to her place of hiding where he said his last words to his dearest.Cleopatra was forced out of her tomb and taken prisoner. She was accorded the task of burying her beloved.Seeing no more reason to live and not wanting to be the prize of any other man, she committed suicide, apparently by an intentional snake bite from a snake she had smuggled in.Octavius was furious but let her be buried alongside Antony where they remained, united at last.2. Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend: A love which came in the path of duty© PinterestPrincess Margaret was a force of nature. Dramatically different than her royal sister, Queen Elizabeth II, she was the vivacious and fun-loving royal and had quite the reputation for being a fashion icon. An unequivocal media darling, it did not help matters when she fell in love with her father's equerry, the handsome and dashing Peter Townsend.Apart from the fact that he was sixteen years her senior, what was even more dismal was that he was divorced, with two children; a nose-wrinkling element for the family. The affair carried on without the knowledge of the common people until one day a stray piece of fluff disclosed the forbidden romance; she was photographed flicking a piece of fluff from Peter's jacket.Though the people were in favour of the couple to be married, Queen Elizabeth II could not let the romance to carry on to fruition because the Church of England frowned upon divorce, as it conflicted with her role as Head of the Church. Furthermore, the British Parliament wasn't keen on the bubbling romance as well.Making things more difficult was the fact that Margaret. being under the age of 25, needed the Queen's approval for her marriage.Margaret and Peter carried on with their romance, were said to be engaged but the royal decorum came first. Peter Townsend was shipped off to Brussels on “assignment” leaving Margaret heartbroken and when he returned after two years, their relationship had soured a bit. Margaret, now 25, was given a choice: get married and be stripped of her royal status or stay a royal and forget about Peter.Thoroughly miserable, she finally chose honour and duty over love and ended her relationship with Peter who went on to get married sometime later. Princess Margaret found love with Antony Armstrong-Jones in a whirlwind romance but sadly, her marriage ended in divorce.3. Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII: A love which set an example of the ultimate sacrifice© PinterestWhat is the greatest sacrifice you have made for love?I think it can hardly compare to the one Edward VIII made for Wallis Simpson: Abdicating the English Throne.Perhaps the British Royal Family is made for having doomed romances.In 1936, the British nation shook because their beloved king had decided to abdicate the throne for the woman he loved, as he proclaimed in his famous speech: "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love."The bone of contention in the entire affair was that Wallis Simpson was a divorcee (two times over) and to further complicate matters was American. And we are all aware that there is no love lost when it comes to these two nations.The socialite was notorious for her affairs and her ambition to become Queen (which didn't work out eventually). All this led to what is now famously called the “Abdication Crisis”. The years following up to it were backed up by a scorching affair between the then-married Simpson and King Edward. Funnily enough, it was Edward's previous mistress, who had introduced the two.Scandal was rife and the British Parliament was cross, not to mention the hurt pride of the Royal Family. All this did not deter Edward from marrying the woman he loved, and he gave up his kingship along with all its added perks of being a royal. He was said to be besotted by her irreverence to his royal status and her ambitious, domineering personality.They moved to France after the wedding, all familial ties were broken; not a single member from Edward's family was present at the wedding.All seemed to be well until their romance's crowning glory came in the form of a photograph: they were pictured smiling with Adolf Hitler while he shook Wallis' hand, on a visit to Germany before the Second World War. The media went ballistic with the picture, accusing them to be Nazi sympathizers and the royal family's name was dragged through the mud.The Duchess and Duke of Windsor then moved out of public limelight.4. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten: A romance which wasn't meant to be© PinterestPerhaps the most volatile relationship to star on this list, Edwina Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru were said to have a torrid affair in a newly-independent India.He was the Prime Minister of India, she was the last Vicereine of India and they seemed to share an intense love for each other, documented through a lengthy letter correspondence which, in fact, lay near Lady Mountbatten on her deathbed.Edwina was beautiful, accomplished and modern and Mr Nehru was quite the gallant gentleman; it doesn't take long for attraction to come into the picture.Lord Mountbatten was quite aware of his wife's nature and had given into fate: they both had little in common and he was inured of the fact that Edwina had a string of lovers, thanks to her relaxed nature and charming disposition.Mountbatten is said to have remarked, "She and Jawaharlal are so sweet together, they really dote on each other."Some reports believe political machinations were a reason for this relationship; there are novels and movies galore which hint at this.Speculations are rampant over the nature of their relationship; whether it was consummated or not is best known to the two people involved, but Lady Mountbatten's daughter Pamela Hicks writes in her memoir that there was nothing sexual about their affair.They were two people, lonely in their own way, who found each other riveting and desirable, and presumably loved each other with passion. Although, their entire relationship was based on mutual admiration and platonic understanding. They laughed with each other oblivious to the people around them, she even visited India time to time to meet him and he visited England, they had forged a friendship which seemed to be the censure of all eyes.But it was hopeless from the beginning: she was married, and he was a political figure. Love, if there was any, could not come before their individual duties.5. Charles Dickens and Ellen Ternan: A love which birthed a literary masterpiece© PinterestOne of the most prolific authors of all times, known for his ingenuity and homespun stories, Charles Dickens, also seems to have given in to the thrill of a salacious, forbidden romance.No one seems to be able to thwart love, right? Even if it is cause for censure and they are one of the greatest literary giants of all time!Married, and a father of ten children, Charles Dickens was the living embodiment of domesticity, a domesticity that his novels seem to echo.Nothing could be farther away from the truth; Mr Dickens was unhappily married, he had numerous affairs. The one which stood the test of time is the extramarital affair with a teenager, Ellen “Nelly” Ternan, who was just 18 to his 45 (A mid-life crisis?).Nelly was an average actress, but Charles was smitten by her youth and beauty, so much that he separated from his wife, Catherine, which was scandalous and unheard of in the Victorian age. He then cast her in many of his plays, replacing other actresses, including his own daughter, in favour of Ellen.Charles was appreciative of Ellen's intelligence and vivacity, her literary inclinations, something his wife lacked. Ellen liked the calm of Charles' nature and his wisdom; who wouldn't be thrilled to be the object of affection of the era's best author?Being an author of such immense popularity, it was difficult for Charles to keep his affair hidden but he steadfastly and meticulously worked to keep it under wraps, for 13 long years.He burned all correspondence from her, they were never seen together in public. She was shielded from all prying eyes, though rumours started circulating and the most public proof came in the form of a train accident: the Staplehurst rail crash in 1865. Charles made it a point to not appear for the investigation so that he be spared the rumours and the scandal of travelling with another woman.Nelly stood beside him through this time and is said to have inspired a lot of his works, most notably Great Expectations; Estella is thought to have been conceived from Nelly's image.He made it a point to not let the people get whiff of an affair brewing and took stringent measure to enforce the same, even feigning ignorance in front of other people. She took different aliases to safeguard her reputation while travelling and staying with him so that it would save her from notoriety.Even their supposed child, born in seclusion who apparently died in its infancy is a mystery in itself.When Mr Dickens died in 1870, he left Nelly with quite a large amount of money and a trust fund so that she could support herself; a testament to the love they shared.She then went on to marry an unsuspecting gentleman, George Robinson, who was twelve years her junior and lied about her age. The couple had a son and she carried on with her life until cancer snatched her away.To be the mistress of a famous person comes with its restrictions and unhappiness. To never be able to acknowledge the love you have for someone, there isn't anything sadder than that.All said and done, they truly loved each other, who else will go to such lengths to save the one they love? Perhaps, in today's world, Charles and Ellen would have been understood better.
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