Essay On Her Loving Two Equally By Aphr
Holly Hammond
Ms. Hicks
English 1102
29 September 2014
Different Relationships
Aphra Behn shows us that our conventional idea of love can sometimes be flawed in her poem “On Her Loving Two Equally.” Loving two people simultaneously is possible because we love our parents equally. What this poem says about love might make more sense and seem less strange if we think of other nonromantic kinds of love, like the love we share with our parents. When I look closely at this poem I believe it may mean a lot mean more than just loving two people equally. The differences in how Behn writes about the two men leads me to view her passion as not referring to two equal relationships. Instead of two equal relationships, I believe Behn writes about one stable and normal relationship, and one infuriating kind of relationship.
In the first stanza of the poem “On Her Loving Two Equally” we are introduced to the Damon and Alexis. She clearly has a passion for both of them because Behn writes “Damon had ne’er subdued my heart/Had not Alexis took his part;”(3-4). She is probably stating that Damon never would have caught her eye if something was not missing with Alexis. Behn then continues to write “Nor could Alexis powerful prove, / Without my Damon’s aid, to gain my love.”(5-6). Without Damon’s existence and love it probably would not have proved to her how much Alexis cared for her.
In the second stanza however, she is torn between the two men she loves, and time she spends with them. Behn goes on to write “When my Alexis is present is, / Then I for Damon sigh and morn;”(7-8). When Alexis is with her, she is disgusted by him and longs to be back with Damon. When she is with Damon she does not just simply say that she misses Alexis, she says “Damon gains nothing but my scorn.”(10). Which in return means to me that Damon could be her “bad boy”; her dream, her adventure. The man, who in reality would break her heart. As I continue to read further into the poem, I imagine the dilemma
Ms. Hicks
English 1102
29 September 2014
Different Relationships
Aphra Behn shows us that our conventional idea of love can sometimes be flawed in her poem “On Her Loving Two Equally.” Loving two people simultaneously is possible because we love our parents equally. What this poem says about love might make more sense and seem less strange if we think of other nonromantic kinds of love, like the love we share with our parents. When I look closely at this poem I believe it may mean a lot mean more than just loving two people equally. The differences in how Behn writes about the two men leads me to view her passion as not referring to two equal relationships. Instead of two equal relationships, I believe Behn writes about one stable and normal relationship, and one infuriating kind of relationship.
In the first stanza of the poem “On Her Loving Two Equally” we are introduced to the Damon and Alexis. She clearly has a passion for both of them because Behn writes “Damon had ne’er subdued my heart/Had not Alexis took his part;”(3-4). She is probably stating that Damon never would have caught her eye if something was not missing with Alexis. Behn then continues to write “Nor could Alexis powerful prove, / Without my Damon’s aid, to gain my love.”(5-6). Without Damon’s existence and love it probably would not have proved to her how much Alexis cared for her.
In the second stanza however, she is torn between the two men she loves, and time she spends with them. Behn goes on to write “When my Alexis is present is, / Then I for Damon sigh and morn;”(7-8). When Alexis is with her, she is disgusted by him and longs to be back with Damon. When she is with Damon she does not just simply say that she misses Alexis, she says “Damon gains nothing but my scorn.”(10). Which in return means to me that Damon could be her “bad boy”; her dream, her adventure. The man, who in reality would break her heart. As I continue to read further into the poem, I imagine the dilemma
Cited: Behn, Aphra. “On Her Loving Two Equally.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Kelly J. Mays. Portable 11th ed. New York: Norton, 2014. 467. Print.