Love Stories of History...

Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Do you believe in soul mates?

The most famous lovers ever--Romeo and Juliet. Is there anything to learn from this famous couple? Two young teens meet and fall in love at first sight. Against the wishes of their feuding families, they marry. When they face losing one another they take their own life. Is this true love or has time molded it into a tragic love story?

Another famous love story--Antony and Cleopatra. Learning of Cleopatra's false death, Antony throws himself upon his sword. Shocked to learn that her husband is dead, Cleopatra soon follows with the aid of a poisonous asp. Not only does she die, but two of her aids who were dedicated to her also died. As she wished, she was buried along with Antony. Tragic or insane?

Many other love stories follow...Lancelot and Guinevere. Tristan and Isolde. Paris and Helena. Orpheus and Eurydice...the list goes on and on of love and its tragic loss. The tale is woven that each of these couples shared a love that many of us strive for.

Is it the tragic way these relationships came to an end that draw us to their stories? Or is it the deep, unconditional love that these stories are famous for? For a person who has ever loved deeply and has lost that love can relate to the torment of these lovers. No one can ever be sure how history has played a part in the glorified love story of couples like Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Antony and the others but I'm certain that most of us want to experience this forever love, even with all the risks and torment. Even with the possibility of a tragic ending. To love someone so deeply, so passionately, that they are the breath of our lungs, the life in our veins, the beating of our heart.

So I ask again...Is there such a thing as true love? Soul mates? For those of you who have loved, you will say yes, even if your story is tragic.