Enslaving Nature of Love Exposed in Lucretius Essay -- Lucretius Essay

Enslaving Nature of Love Exposed in Lucretius    In Drydens Lucretius, the speaker argues that (1) Love is a sickness, (2) Loves sickness enslaves, and (3) all attempts to improve Loves sickness ar vain and will only frustrate the contendr. exclusively as Miltons Adam and Eve become enslaved to sin by disobeying God, so mankind becomes enslaved to Love when pierced with Cupids winged arrow. In Milton, thither is redemption and freedom through Christ, but in Dryden, no buyback from love is possible. This poem leaves mankind in a hopeless, frustrated state, unable(p) to break free from loves yoke.  This bear witness will center on the exsert heroic couplet All wayes they try, successeless all they prove,/To redress the secret fond of lingering love.             In order to prove the first premise, this essay will begin by examining the last line of the couplet which argues that the lovers are trying to cure the se cret bare-ass. This line prompts the idea that love is a sore that needs a cure, but it also raises dickens questions (1) why does the speaker call love a secret sore? And (2) how does the speaker use this imagery in the rest of the poem? In the poems mythology, love is a sore left by Loves arrow (which plausibly alludes to Cupids handy-work) as described in the first line of the poem he who feels the Fiery dart/ Of strong desire transfix his amorous meat. The secret sore can also refer to the idea that Loves appall is concealed (as an internal injury), and thus cannot be helped by external/ sensible remedies.  The speaker argues that even sex proves unprofitable in trying to cure love Our hands pull nothing from the parts they strain,/But wande... ...ess liking.  It seems as though the speaker is trying to frustrate the lover by offering impossible remedies. The speaker amplifies frustration by using an heart and soul rhyme to finish the poem. This doesnt show Dryde ns lack of skill, but rather a way to frustrate a readers rhyme.    The last heroic couplet provides no hope and leaves only frustrating thoughts for the lover All wayes they try, successeless all they prove,/To cure the secret sore of lingering love.  The speaker even argues that though Nature provides satisfaction for physical urges (e.g. hunger and thirst), Nature does not endue Love the same satisfaction. The speaker describes a lover as a type of Sisyphus, enslaved in a vicious cycle of trying to give the task (of fulfilling loves desires), only to have the problem roll back crush and having to start over again.