Contrasting Attitudes to Erotic Love Presented in Marlowe’s Hero and Leander and How They Contribute to the Overall Effect of the Poem.

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In Hero and Leander there are many contrasting attitudes to the concept of erotic love. The two manners toward erotic love are as such: One is to stress on the physical act of sex. The other is the defiance to erotic love and preference toward virginity. At first glance Leander seems to favour the former and tries to promote physical love, but throughout the text he shows a kind of humorous naïve-ness. Hero, who is a nun and supports chastity, in general, can be seen being quite forward. The apparent contradiction of erotic love can be seen throughout the whole of the poem. According to the narrator Cupid “imagin'd Hero was his mother” (Hero and Leander line 40). Here the Narrator implies that Hero has a great similarity to Venus, the goddess of love and sex. This suggests the presence of sexual content later in the text while also drawing attention to the erotic being of Hero’s appearance although she is a nun vowing chastity. There are many other examples where contradicting erotic love is emphasized in Hero and Leander. The most noticeable and elaborate emphasis on physical love was shown in Leander’s dialogue. Leander, while persuading Hero, uses many points to draw attention to the reason for erotic love. First, he points out Hero’s beauty that surpasses that of Venus, saying to Hero, “Doth testify that you exceed her far,” (Hero and Leander line 211). He points out that because of this reason it is illogical to work as Venus’ nun. Then, Leander point out that “Nor heaven, nor thou, were made to gaze upon;” (Hero and Leander line 223). Leander also points out that “Like untun'd golden strings all women are, Which long time lie untouch'd, will harshly jar.” (Hero and Leander lines 229 - 230), metaphorically promoting sex by referring to unused goods as wasteful. Next, Leander asks Hero; whether she has tried both, for virginity and marriage are very different,

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