FRANCIS BACON’SOF LOVE

19TH JULY 2011I MAIV HOURSPIC HALLBYS. NEHRU

FRANCIS BACON

AS A PHILOSOPHER BACON IS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF MODERN SYSTEMATIC THOUGHT

HIS ESSAYS IS AN APPENDIX TO HIS LONGER WORKS, ESPECIALLY THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING

HIS ESSAYS PROVIDE A PRACTICAL EVERYDAY PHILOSOPHY OF THE LIFE OF HIS OWN WORLD

IN ITS THREE VERSIONS THE WORK SHOWS THE DEVELOPMENT OF BACON’S ENGLISH STYLE

FRANCIS BACON

IN THE FIRST EDITION THE STYLE IS CRISP, DETACHED AND EPIGRAMMATIC , CONVEYING THE IMPRESSION THAT EACH ESSAY HAS ARISEN FROM SOME HAPPY THOUGHT OR PHRASE, AROUND WHICH OTHER PITHY STATEMENTS ARE AGGLOMERATED

FRANCIS BACON

IN THE LATER EDITIONS THE IDEAS ARE EXPANDED, THE EXPRESSION LOSES ITS SPIKY POINTEDNESS

IN THE END THERE IS AN APPROACH TO A FREER MIDDLE STYLE

IN CHOICE OF SUBJECT AND APPROACH THEY REVEAL HIS BREADTH OF INTELLECT, HIS WORLDLY WISDOM, HIS CONCERN WITH PUBLIC AND MATERIAL ADVANCEMENT

FRANCIS BACON

THEY ARE IMPERSONAL, OBJECTIVE, AND ORDERLY IN THOUGHT, AND REFLECT A COOL, SCIENTIFIC DETACHMENT

THEY ARE WRITTEN IN THE LANGUAGE OF ORDINARY MEN, AND THE IMAGERY IS THAT OF EVERYDAY LIFE

THE ESSAYS ARE BRIEF AND FULL OF CONDENSED, WEIGHTY AUTHENTICAL SENTENCES, WHICH HAVE THE QUALITIES OF PROVERBIAL EXPRESSIONS

FRANCIS BACON

EXPRESSIONS ARE NOTABLE FOR THEIR PRECISION AND CLARITY OF PHRASING

MANY HAVE STRIKING OPENINGS

OF LOVE

Bacon presents the merits and demerits of love in his essay, “Of Love”.

Love plays rather a great role in stage than in real life

Having love as a theme many plays were produced mostly comedies and also few tragedies

OF LOVE

But love causes more trouble in real life Love may drive a man away from his

career as it happened in the case of Antony

Love can also drive a man mad with jealousy as in the case of Othello

In real life none has lost his mental balance for the sake of love

OF LOVE

There were exceptions like Antony and Claudius (Wiseman of Rome)

Bacon says that it is foolish to kneel before a lady for the sake of love

He says that there are more mysteries to be unravelled about mankind

OF LOVE

Love distorts men’s judgement of things Men indulge in flattery once they fall in love Their flattery would be worse than that of

self-flattery. One cannot love and one cannot be wise at

the same time Man should keep vigil against the passion

of love . A lover may not only lose other things for

the sake of love but also loses love

OF LOVE

In spite of all the sacrifice it may defeat its own object

Paris lost everything for Helen but finally he lost Helen

Love is directly proportional to both prosperity and adversity

Love is the child of folly If it cannot be resisted that should be

kept within limits It may ruin one’s life

OF LOVE

For soldiers drinking and loving are the

same because it is an alibi for dangers which they are exposed

A man becomes kind hearted if he loves a large number of people

Married love is good Love of friends is great Immoral love only debases human value