It has always been questionable whether there is a difference between love and passion. Moreover, psychologists tend to question whether passion love has a positive influence on the well-being of an individual (Reynaud et al. 261).
Passion is often referred to as the inability to control the flow of the emotions and react adequately to the actions of the ‘loved’ one. However, different kinds of passion might lead to positive and negative outcomes (Vallerand, 34).
The love is filled with care and respect for the loved person (Moseley par. 21). Consequently, I believe that differences between passion and love have a tendency to exist, as passion is the uncontrolled actions to show affection, and love is the act of the understanding of the behavior of the loved one.
The analysis of the behavior of Othello from Othello by Shakespeare, Angela, and Vicario brothers from Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Marquez help underline my understanding of love and passion and emphasize that passion is hard to understand regarding the reflection of the emotions.
Shakespeare has a tendency to portray feelings such as love and passion realistically and display the tragedy, which surrounds both of these feelings in the plays such as Twelfth Night (Schalkwyk 99). It is evident that the tragedy of love is also portrayed in Othello.
Firstly, it is apparent that Othello’s love turned into a passion, and his jealousy ruined the pure feeling. According to the plot, Othello murders Desdemona and understands the cruelty of this act in the end (Shakespeare 23). In this case, passion is the fundamental driver of his actions, as he is unable to control his rage and emotional arousal.
Othello’s emotional instability emphasizes the difference between passion and love tend to exist, as the passion drives Othello to commit the murder without evaluating the possible future consequences. In this instance, it is evident that the loving person cannot kill someone he/she loves due to jealousy.
As for the Iago, his actions are also driven by passion, and Iago determines Othello’s disgraceful actions and makes Othello a tragic character. This example reveals that passion is the feeling that it is hard to control and understand, as the actions of the person are defined by the instant emotional arousal.
In the book, Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Marquez, the complicated relationships between the Vicario brothers and Angela, and Angela and Bayardo are displayed. Firstly, the relationship between Angela and her twin brothers has to be discussed. It might seem that the actions of the brothers are driven by love and care for the sister.
However, their passion for the wealth and the restoration of the honor of the family cannot be unnoticed (Pelayo 113). It could be said that these aspects are substantial drivers of their actions. In the end, the passion for the maintenance of the social status outweighs the significance of their sister’s feelings. Their positive intentions cannot be controlled and have negative consequences on their lives. In this instance, they do not love their sister, as they care more for the honor of the family.
In turn, as for the relationship between Angela and Bayardo, Angela does not experience any romantic feelings to Bayardo at first, but after that, she starts to feel love for the man. However, her obsession leads to mistakes, and she devotes a significant share of her free time to writing letters to Bayardo. Bayardo also does not love Angela, but he is scared of spending the rest of his life alone, and these aspects underline the necessity of marriage in this case (Pelayo 113).
However, in the end, Angela’s letters cause Bayardo to return, but his intentions are entirely different, as he does not have any romantic feelings for Angela. It could be said that the fuss, which was generated by the brothers, was the primary creator of the tragic love, as they try to solve the problem cruelly without considering the opinions of the others.
In conclusion, the difference has a tendency to exist, as passion and love have the same nature of origin but different intentions. The analysis of the examples such as Othello and Desdemona, Vicario Brothers and Angela, and, Angela and Bayardo help see the difference between these two feelings.
The passion is hard to understand and maintain, and it might be a reason for the negative consequences. Nonetheless, it was revealed that some other motives might exist, which determine the reasons, as a passion has different origins.
Works Cited
Moseley, Alexander. n.d. Philosophy of Love. n.d. Web.
Pelayo, Ruben. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A Critical Companion. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001. Print.
Reynaud, Michel, Laurent Karila, Lisa Blecha, and Amine Benyamina. “Is Love Passion an Additive Disorder?” The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 36.5 (2010): 261-267. Print.
Schalkwyk, David. “Is Love an Emotion? Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Anthony and Cleopatra.” Symploke 18.1/2 (2011): 99. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
Vallerand, Robert. The Psychology of Passion: A Dualistic Model. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. Print.