What is a Lover Archetype?
The lover archetype characters are people having an obsession with love to the point of taking risks and sacrificing their lives for it. Both men and women could be lover archetypes. However, this love is not confined to male-female love affairs or obsession. It could be love with the work, public, profession, or even surroundings and nature. Most of such archetype characters hold the motto of love for life dear to them and demonstrate it when the occasions arise.
Types Lover Archetype Characters
A lover archetype character could be of any type. He could be a father who is the lover of his family, or he could be a friend who is the lover of another friend. He could be a spiritual person or a romantic by nature. Such lover archetypes include a parental lover, friend lover, spiritual lover, and romantic lover. Some of the best types of lover archetype characters are as follows.
- Partner
- Harmonizer
- Aesthete
- Bon Vivant
Character Traits of Lover Archetype Characters
Although lover archetypes, as the title shows, have intense passions to demonstrate love for somebody, they are very intuitive and understand the feelings and emotions of their partners. They have passions for life, enthusiasm, and excitement and demonstrate these emotions quite openly. Interestingly, they are not only forgiving but also highly thankful when somebody extends love to them. They have high dreams and vast imaginations and do not limit their abilities to love only. They, however, live a life full of passions, self-esteem, and quality relations.
Negative Traits of Lover Archetype Characters
Unfortunately, despite having great positive attributes, lover archetype characters also have some negative qualities that do not let them join the ranks of heroes. They are sometimes highly weak and seem fragile when their love is not fulfilled, and their emotions stay un-responded. They also seem isolated when they do not find their lovers or beloveds and express this isolation in strong emotional outbursts to the point of experiencing mental fits. Other than these, they are good lovers.
Lover Archetype Character Examples in Literature
Example #1
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Although some deities have the status of lover archetypes in Greek mythology, Romeo and Juliet is the first such lover archetype couple in which both Romeo as well as Juliet present themselves not only as emotional and passionate lovers, but also as kind and caring for others. They demonstrate how a lover should behave when in love and show a perfect couple mired in the love for each other. Therefore, both are the best lover archetype examples in literature.
Example #2
Elinor and Edward in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
The characters of Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars are another lover archetype couple that falls in this category of archetypes. Both of them love each other though it is Elinor who takes the lead and falls in love with Edward Ferrars, an unambitious young man. However, his good-heartedness, sincerity, and passion match that of Elinor, and both become good lover archetype character examples to be quoted as such.
Example #3
Tess of d’Urberville by Thomas Hardy
Although in the beginning, it does not seem that Tess could be the example of a lover archetype, when she starts loving Angel Clare and he convinces her about his best intentions of loving and marrying her, she loves him and marries him. It is, however, another thing that all of her dreams to win his love end up in smoke as he also becomes a traditional young man, leaving her when he comes to know about her past. Therefore, she also is a lover archetype example in some ways.
Example #4
Buttercup and Westley in The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Published in 1973, this novel by William Goldman presents the duo of Westley and Buttercup falling in love with each other and demonstrating almost all the character traits of the lover archetype characters. When Buttercup starts abusing Westley after she finds him serving her, his responses of “As you wish” translate into love, and both fall in love with each other. Despite her worst moments, she does not forget Westley, she demonstrates her passionate love for her. Therefore, she, as well as Westley, demonstrates all character traits of lover archetype characters.