Thoughts of Francis Bacon About Love
Of Love The ‘Essays’ of Francis Bacon are the first in date of classics of English prose, in proper sense of the term. They are used as class-books almost as much of Shakespeare’s plays. No one in English literature has ever written a greater number of essays packed with striking formulas and loaded with practical wisdom. Bacon’s Essays’ are the fruit of his close observation of human life. They have been described to be the treasure house of wisdom. ‘Of Love’ is one of most famous essays of Francis Bacon. He discloses his philosophical thoughts on love.
This essay is bound to have a wide appeal because of the subject it deals with. But it is a matter of great sorrow that bacon’s treatment towards love is really disappointing. In the beginning of the essay Bacon clears his position and thought against love and its greater role. According to Bacon, Love plays a greater role in the theatre than in actual life of man. Through this kind of thought he wants to tell that love is a matter of enjoyment that can be best suited only in plays or dramas. Not only that, he says in actual or practical life of a man love can not contribute much.
According to Bacon, Love has always provided or rendered material for comic plays and sometime, for tragic plays. But in real life, love causes much mischief. Here Bacon clearly says that it is love which may wreck the career of a man. For example he mentioned the name of Antony and Othello who both were greatly troubled with the consequences of love. In this essay Bacon mainly deals with the disadvantages of love. Here Bacon speaks like a puritan moralist. He observes that no worthy person of ancient or modern time has been transformed to the mad of 3rddegree of love.
Bacon opines that we are created to ponder over noble and great objects of human life. He does not support of kneeling a man before a woman for the sake of love and for some sorts of sensuous pleasure. It is really strange to observe that the passion of love twist or distort a man’s judgment. It is love that bounds a man to be a flatterer and at the same time a lover becomes absurd in his use of extravagant words about his beloved. Therefore he has rightly said that one cannot love and be wise at the same time.
A lover does not like to lose his love in exchange of anything I getting Helen, Paris had to sacrifice both riches and wisdom though he finally lost Helen. Loving others is a Universal character in a man. If a man does not concentrate his love upon one or a few individuals, naturally his love will extend too many people. Thus he may become a kind hearted and Charitable if he grasps the opportunity of loving a large number of people In the last part of the essay, Bacon says that married love is beneficial to mankind but immoral love is really dangerous.
It is, indeed, very difficult to agree with Bacon in his remarks on the subjects of love. Here we don’t have impartial treatment of love. Bacon regards love as Child of folly. It may be wise policy to exercise love with in limkits and not to allow interrupt with business. It is very realistic and natural that a lover has to sacrifice for the sake of his beloved. But the fact is that love is something grand and sublime. It is one of the most inspring and ennobling passing of mankind. It often is able to bring out the best that is in man. Tennyson has rightly said that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
A man who has never loved has missed the opportunity of the greatest experience of life. The/ecstasy of love the golden dreams which ot gaves rise to, its thrills and excitement, are may be unknown to Bacon. Half the literature of the world deals with the joy and glory of love. Bacon would perhaps regard this literasy works as trash. It is indeed. Bacon sounds almost ridiculous while speaking of love. Francis Bacon is a Renaissance product and his essays reflect the Renaissance spirit. He may be called an eloquent prophet of new age of human thought and human activity initiated by the Renassance.
In spite of being a special kind of moralist, Bacon criticised ove in his essay “OF Love” When he takes his position against love, we the common people feel sorry for Bacon as he may not be justified with what he said against love. He has mentioned the fake of Aotonio and paris in this essay. According to him they both have lost their valuable position. But at the same time both of them have gained a eternal place in Human mind for their . We still remember and shed tears for Paris and Antorio but not for Bacon Who has outspoken against love which is an inborn god gifted quality of a human being.
