Love triangle
From Free net encyclopedia
A love triangle refers to a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two. The relationships can be friendships, romantic, familial (often siblings), or even pre-existing hatred between rivals. Addition of bisexual or homosexual characters adds many possible combinations of sexes, and of romantic and sexual interactions.
The term "love triangle" almost always implies that the arrangement is unsuitable to one or more of the people involved. A similar arrangement that is agreed upon by all parties is sometimes called polyamory, although polyamory usually implies sexual relations. Within the context of monogamy, love triangles are inherently unstable. Unrequited love and jealousy are common themes in love triangles.
A love triangle should not be confused with a ménage à trois, which refers to a sexual act involving three people.
Love triangles are an extremely popular theme in entertainment, especially romantic fiction, including opera, romance novels, soap operas, romantic comedies, Japanese comics and popular music.
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Examples
- The most famous example of a love triangle in English-language literature is likely that of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the Knight of the Round Table Sir Lancelot du Lac. Lancelot came from France to join Arthur's court, and due to his great prowess soon became a close ally and friend of Arthur. However, Lancelot's attraction to Guinevere grew, and Guinevere, while truly fond of Arthur, could not seem to help but respond in kind. Because infidelity in a queen is considered treason, this liaison ripped Camelot and the country of England apart.
Additional examples from various media
Music
Television shows
- Marge Simpson - Homer Simpson - Artie Ziff from The Simpsons
- Marge Simpson - Homer Simpson - Moe Szyslak from The Simpsons
- Glen Quagmire - Cleveland Brown - Loretta Brown from Family Guy
- Reducto - Norlisa - Black Vulcan from Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
- Dawson Leery - Joey Potter - Jen Lindley from Dawson's Creek
- Seth Cohen - Summer Roberts - Anna Stern from The OC
- Marissa Cooper - Ryan Atwood - Luke Ward from The OC
Books
- Erik from The Phantom of the Opera - Christine Daae - Raoul de Chagny
- Éowyn - Faramir - Gríma Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings
- Ethan Frome - Zenobia (Zeena) Frome - Mattie Silver from Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
- Esmerelda - Quasimodo - Phebus from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
- Phuong - Fowler - Pyle from The Quiet American
- Helen - Paris - Menelaus "The Iliad" by Homer
- Charles Darnay - Lucie Manette - Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities
Comics
- Archie Andrews - Betty Cooper - Veronica Lodge from Archie Comics
- Spider-Man/Peter Parker - Black Cat/Felicia Hardy - Mary Jane Watson from "Spider-Man"
- Jean Grey - Cyclops - Wolverine from X-Men
Anime / Manga
- Robotech: Rick Hunter - Lynn Minmay - Lisa Hayes
- Tenchi Muyo!: Tenchi Masaki - Ayeka Jurai - Ryoko
- Howdy/Maido - Dexter/Megane - Pashmina/Mafura from Hamtaro
- Joey Wheeler (Katsuya Jonouchi in the manga and Japanese versions) - Mai Valentine (Mai Kujaku) - Valon from Yu-Gi-Oh! second series anime (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters)
- Ichigo Momomiya (Zoey Hanson) - Kish (Dren) - Masaya Aoyama (Mark) from Tokyo Mew Mew (Mew Mew Power)
- InuYasha - Kagome Higurashi - Kikyo from InuYasha
- InuYasha - Kagome Higurashi - Koga from InuYasha
- Keitaro Urashima - Naru Narusegawa - Mutsumi Otohime from Love Hina
- Tristan Taylor (Hiroto Honda) - Duke Devlin (Ryuji Otogi) - Serenity Wheeler (Shizuka Kawai) from Yu-Gi-Oh! second series anime (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters)
- Yugi Mutou - Dark Yugi (Yami Yugi in the English anime) - Anzu Mazaki (Téa Gardner) from the Yu-Gi-Oh! series
- Takeru "T.K. Takaishi (Takeru Takaishi) - Hikari "Kari" Kamiya (Hikari Yagami) - Davis Motomiya (Daisuke Motomiya) from Digimon
- Van - Hitomi - Allen from Vision of Escaflowne
- Mai Tokiha - Yuuichi Tate - Natsuki Kuga from Mai-HiME
- Kimagure Orange Road - Kyosuke Kasuga - Madoka Ayukawa - Hikaru Hiyama.
Video games
- Cloud Strife - Aerith Gainsborough - Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII
- Sora - Riku - Kairi from Kingdom Hearts
- Cecil Harvey - Rosa Farrell - Kain Highwind from Final Fantasy IV