What Thing Is Love? by George Peele: Summary, Analysis & Themes
"What Thing Is Love?" by George Peele is a playful and lyrical exploration of love's paradoxical nature. Peele, a poet and playwright of the late 16th century, captures love's duality as both delightful and painful. The poem reflects Renaissance ideals, blending mythological allusions with a whimsical tone, making it a timeless meditation on the power and mystery of love.
What Thing Is Love? by George Peele
What thing is love? for sure love is a thing.
It is a prick, it is a sting,
It is a pretty, pretty thing;
It is a fire, it is a coal,
Whose flame creeps in at every hole;
And as my wit doth best devise,
Love's dwelling is in ladies' eyes,
From whence do glance love's piercing darts,
That make such holes into our hearts;
And all the world herein accord,
Love is a great and mighty lord;
And when he list to mount so high,
With Venus he in heaven doth lie,
And evermore hath been a god,
Since Mars and she played even and odd. Summary of What Thing Is Love? …