A Woman Killed with Kindness

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A Woman Killed with Kindness What is true love? How or when do you realize that the person you love is only leading you on? Well, in 1603, poet Thomas Heywood published a poem called, “A Woman Killed with Kindness” and in this poem, Heywood wrote about a love tragedy, married woman’s fatal affair. She commits adultery but realizes the love for her husband cannot decease. He presents the tension of love vs. infatuation and love vs. insanity. In “A Woman Killed with Kindness”, a married woman tries to deal with the fact that she has performed a state of infidelity. Even though she has realized what she has done, her outside lover will not accept her choice of continuing to pursue her marriage. So, it is as if she is torn between love and lust. Because of such an act, the woman draws up a tension of love vs. infatuation. Love is an emotion of a strong affection and personal attachment. Infatuation is an intense but short-lived and irrational passion for somebody or something. I think the woman will always love her husband, but she is also infatuated with her outside lover. Even though she has feelings for the other partner, she is still willing to leave her husband to be with him. For instance, she quotes, “Perchance in rage, he’ll kill me, I care not, twas for you. Say I incur The general name of villain through the world, of traitor to my friend; I care not, I” In this quote, the woman is telling her lover that she doesn’t care for him and that if she was to be with him, she will be labeled as a villain. Clearly, the secret lover had fallen in love with the married woman, but he was only a temporary spark for her. Not only does the poem provide the audience with tension between love and infatuation, but love vs. insanity as well. Insanity is the lack of reason or good sense. The fact that the lover was not willing to let love waist, he expresses insane

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