LOVE 201: The World’s Greatest Love Stories

Who cares about the world’s greatest love stories?

We do!

Whether they’re real or fictional, we want to know everything about them. How did they meet? Was it love at first sight? When did they first kiss? What did they do to keep their love alive?

This week, I saw an adorable news story on Channel 7's Eyewitness News about couples who renewed their vows — after 50 years of marriage. One happy bride and groom were tying the not again after 67 years. Wow! As divorce rates continue to rise, I watched these couples in amazement, even though I recognized they were raised in different times with different values and expectations.

But, we've learned that marriage isn’t synonymous with love, and love often has nothing to do with marriage.

Last summer, I shared my thoughts and declared myself an authority on love in LOVE 101. Now, I'm asking who are the greatest lovers of all time. Maybe we can a learn a thing or two from them, too.

Who should make it to our list of greatest love stories?

Romeo and Juliet — William Shakespeare’s young and passionate lovers who try to break free from prejudice and family control. Unfortunately, their story doesn’t end well.

June Carter and Johnny Cash — Wow! What a great real-life, modern-day love story. They meet. He’s immediately taken by her. They’re both married. They run into each other often on the music circuit. He wants her. She wants none of that. He wants her. He really, really wants her. They become famous. He has problems with drugs and alcohol. She helps him. Their love grows. He wants to marry her. He asks her again and again. She refuses. Then, one day, he professes his love to her and proposes during a performance. The rest was history. (If you haven’t seen Walk The Line yet, you’re missing out. Great story. Great performances.)

Cleopatra and Mark Antony — Another case of passionate love at first sight. They wed against others’ wishes. Unfortunately, their fate was similar to Romeo and Juliet’s when Antony heard false reports of Cleopatra’s death and took his own life, only to be followed by her inevitable suicide.

Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman — This relationship is often called Hollywood’s longest and most romantic. They married after his divorce from his first wife and were married for 50 years. In an interview with Hello! Magazine several months before his death, Mr. Newman talked about love, “Joanne has always given me unconditional support in all my choices and endeavors, and that includes my race car driving, which she deplores. To me, that’s love.”

Elinor Dashwood and Edward Ferrars — Jane Austen’s not-so-young, duty-bound lovers, who met after he was engaged to another in Sense and Sensibility. Lucky for them, the other woman released him from his commitment, when she realized he would not inherit the family fortune and ended up marrying his younger brother. Elinor and Edward were free to marry and spend the rest of their lives together.

Rachel and Jacob — (Yes, from The Bible.) Another story of love at first sight, but with a twist and, most importantly, a happy ending. When Jacob asked Rachel’s father to marry his daughter, he was told he needed to work for him for seven years. Jacob agreed, but on his wedding night was tricked into marrying Rachel’s older sister, Leah. After realizing how upset Jacob was, his father-in-law agreed to allow him to marry Rachel after working another seven years. What man today would work for his future father-in-law for seven years to get married?

Thanks to Rachel and Jacob’s love story and some underhanded trickery, during Jewish wedding ceremonies, grooms check under their brides’ veils to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy — Perhaps Jane Austen’s most famous love story — Pride and Prejudice — is about an intelligent, witty young woman of modest means and an arrogant, aristocrat from a prestigious family. He takes to her early on, but he fights his love for her and keeps it a secret. By the time he declares it, she despises him. But, with the many twists and turns of their lives, Miss Bennett learns of his kind nature and warm heart. She, too, falls deeply in love, and they live happily ever after. (I certainly like to think so.)

So . . . What’s your favorite love story?