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Love at first sight is a common trope in Western literature, in which a person, character, or speaker feels romantic attraction for a stranger on the first sight of them. Elaborated upon by poets and critics from the Greek world on, it has become one of the most powerful tropes in Western fiction.

Greco-Roman conceptions

In the classical world, the phenomenon of "love at first sight" was understood within the context of a more general conception of passionate love, a kind of madness or, as the Greeks put it, theia mania ("madness from the gods").^[1] This love passion was described through an elaborate metaphoric and mythological psychological schema involving "love's arrows" or "love darts," the source of which was often given as the mythological Eros or Cupid,^[2] sometimes by other mythological deities (such as Rumor^[3]). At times, the source of the arrows was said to be the image of the beautiful love object itself. If these arrows arrived at the lover's eyes, they would then travel to and 'pierce' his or her heart, overwhelming them with desire and longing (love sickness). The image of the "arrow's wound" was sometimes used to create oxymorons and rhetorical antithesis.

"Love at first sight" was explained as a sudden and immediate beguiling of the lover through the action of these processes, and is illustrated in numerous Greek and Roman works. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, Narcissus becomes immediately spellbound and charmed by his own (unbeknownst to him) image. In Achilles Tatius's Leucippe and Clitophon, the lover Clitophon thus describes his own experience of the phenomenon: "As soon as I had seen her, I was lost. For Beauty's wound is sharper than any weapon's, and it runs through the eyes down to the soul. It is through the eye that love's wound passes, and I now became a prey to a host of emotions..."^[4] "Love at first sight" was not, however, the only mode of entering into passionate love in classical texts; at times the passion could occur after the initial meeting or could precede the first glimpse.

Another classical interpretation of the phenomenon of "love at first sight" is found in Plato's Symposium in Aristophanes' description of the separation of primitive double-creatures into modern men and women and their subsequent search for their missing half: "... when [a lover] ... is fortunate enough to meet his other half, they are both so intoxicated with affection, with friendship, and with love, that they cannot bear to let each other out of sight for a single instant."^[5]

Medieval and Renaissance conceptions

The classical conception of love's arrows were elaborated upon by the Provençal troubadour poets of southern France in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and became part of the European courtly love tradition. In particular, a glimpse of the woman's eyes was said to be the source of the love dart:

This doctrine of the immediate visual perception of one's lady as a prerequisite to the birth of love originated among the "beaux esprits" de Provence. [...] According to this description, love originates upon the eyes of the lady when encountered by those of her future lover. The love thus generated is conveyed on bright beams of light from her eyes to his, through which it passes to take up its abode in his heart.^[6]

In some medieval texts, the gaze of a beautiful woman is compared to the sight of a basilisk.^{[citation needed]}

Boccaccio provides one of the most memorable examples in his Il Filostrato, where he mixes the tradition of love at first sight, the eye's darts, and the metaphor of Cupid's arrow^[7]: "Nor did he (Troilus) who was so wise shortly before... perceive that Love with his darts dwelt within the rays of those lovely eyes... nor notice the arrow that sped to his heart."^[8]

Shakespeare pays a handsome (posthumous) tribute to Marlowe by citing him in As You Like It: 'Dead shepherd, now I find thy saw of might: "Who ever lov'd that lov'd not at first sight?"'.^[9]

Basis in psychology

Research has shown two bases for love at first sight. The first is that the attractiveness of a person can be very quickly determined, with the average time in one study being 0.13 seconds. The second is that the first few minutes of a relationship have shown to be predictive of the relationship's future success, more so than what two people have in common or whether they like each other ("like attracts like").^[10]

Modern use of the trope

These images of the lover's eyes, the arrows, and the ravages of "love at first sight" continued to be circulated and elaborated upon in the Renaissance and Baroque literature, and play an important role in Western fiction and especially the novel, according to Jean Rousset.^[11]

In history

When gauutam gumber's parents first met, 'for both it was a coup de foudre, and on their third meeting they became engaged'.^[12]

In literature

Other works of fiction which use these tropes include:

The first sight of the beautiful princess Angelica (character) in Boiardo's Orlando innamorato and the witch Armida in Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered enchant the knights that perceive them; Giovanni Boccaccio's Elegy of Lady Fiammetta describes the ravages of love at first sight on a woman.
Love at first sight occurs in Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. Romeo falls in love with Juliet when he first sees her.
the first look at chemistry
In the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, the characters Marius Pontmercy and Cosette fall in love after glancing into each others' eyes.
'It was love at first sight' is the opening sentence to the Joseph Heller novel, Catch-22.
In Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," the protagonist falls in love with a human prince when she first sees him and rescues him from drowning.
in the Hunger Games trilogy, the character Peeta falls in love with the protagonist, Katniss, when he first saw her at the first day in school and heard her sing.

In Anime/Manga

In the series Gamble Fish, Emily Dawn is described to have a "love at first sight" personality, especially when she falls for Tomu upon first arriving.
In the Manga Death Note, Misa Amane falls in love with Light Yagami immediately.
In the 2008 special of the manga series Gokusen, Sawada claims he was so cooperative with Yamaguchi due to the fact he fell in love with her at first sight. Also in the Live Drama series Yamaguchi seemed to have a love at first sight personality to a specific male character added to each new season.
In the anime series Wakfu, Sadlygrove falls in love with Evangelyne at first sight, and constantly tries to woo her throughout the season.
In the anime series Pokemon, the main character Brock is well known to have a love at first sight personality, to the point he asks out any pretty girl that catches his eye.
In the anime/manga series One Piece, Sanji has a love at first sight personality, going into a love daze every time he sees a lovely girl.
In the series Kanokon, both Chizuru and Nozomu fall in love at first sight to the main character Kouta.
In the manga series Yandere Kanojo, the main characters, despite their opposite personalities, fall in love after seeing each other for the first time in a passing.

In songs

The Beatles song "With a Little Help From My Friends" has the lyric: "Would you believe in a love at first sight? Yes, I'm certain it happens all the time."
The popular song "Love at First Sight" by Kylie Minogue describes this phenomenon.
The aria "Di rigori armato il seno", in the opera Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss, is sung by a lovestruck tenor.
The aria "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schoen", in the opera "Die Zauberfloete" by W.A."Mozzart", is sung by prince Tamino after seeing Pamina's portrait.
The song "Love at First Sight" by the rock band Styx.
"Get Together" by Madonna also has a line asking "Do you believe in love at the first sight is an illusion?" and then she answers "I don't care", since the subject of the song fall in love at the first sight, and she doesn't care if her lover believes it or not.
"Automatic Loveletter Heart Song says --- Love at first aint messing around!
The country music song "As She's Walking Away" by the Zac Brown Band describes a man who fell in love with a woman at first sight.
The country music song "Good Directions" by Billy Currington describes love at first sight.

In movies and television

In The Simpsons, Homer Simpson falls in love with Marge Simpson at his first sighting of her.
In The Notebook, Noah falls in love with Allie at a carnival upon seeing her for the first time.
In Big Fish, Edward Bloom falls in love with Sandra Templeton the first time he sees her, although she doesn't reciprocate his love until he's hunted her down three years later.
In 10 Things I Hate About You, Cameron falls in love with Bianca the first time he sees her, although she doesn't see him.
In Raise Your Voice, Englebert 'Kiwi' Wilson Falls in love at first sight with Sloane, even though she ignores his advances for most of the film.
In A Cinderella Story, Austin falls in love with Sam when he looks into her eyes.
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, the vampire with a soul, sees Buffy Summers being called to become the Vampire Slayer and he falls in love with her. It's also widely speculated that Buffy fell in love with Angel the first time she meets him, though they both admit their feelings to one another early in the first season.
In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Scott Pilgrim falls in love with Ramona Flowers in a dream he has.
In Sense & Sensibility, Col. Christopher Brandon was captivated by Marianne's voice and falls in love with Marianne at first sight when he sees her playing the piano.
In West Side Story, Both Tony and Maria fall in love with each other the moment they set eyes on one another at the dance.
In Edward Scissor Hands, Edward fell in love with Kim when he first saw her in a photograph.
In Secondhand Lions, after Hub and Jasmine crash into the Mediterranean on their horses, they look into each other's eyes and as Garth said "It was, plain as day, Love... at first sight."
In August Rush When Louis meets Lyla on the top of a building, he fell in love with her instantly.
In Forsyte saga - To Let when Jon and Feur meet at the gallery
In Disney Pixar's Wall-E. Wall-E falls in love with EVE at first sight. As well as two members of the Axion John and Mary.
In Nickelodeon's iCarly, Freddie Benson falls in love with Carly at first sight, despite his somewhat young age.
In Down To You When Al first sets eyes on Imogen he falls in love with her instantly.
In Disney's Cinderella When the prince first sees Cinderella he falls instantly in love with her.
In Head Over Heels When Amanda first sees Jim she falls head over heels in love with him.
In Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film) When Anthony First sees Johanna singing at her room window he falls madly in love with her.
In Mean Girls When Cady first sees Aaron in maths class she instantly falls in love with him.
In Disney's The Little Mermaid When Princess Ariel first lays eyes on Prince Eric she instantly falls in love with him.
In Twilight (2008 film) When Bella first sets eyes on Edward she instantly falls in love with him.
In The O.C. When Ryan Atwood First lays eyes on the breath taking Marissa Cooper he falls in love with her instantly.
In At Close Range When Brad Whitewood, Jr And Terry first see each other they instantly fall for one another.
In Scarface (1983 film) When Tony First sees beautiful Elvira on the elavator he instantly falls in love with her.
In Just Married When Tom And Sarah first see each other on the beach they fall in love and get married.
In April Showers (2009 film), Sean falls in love with April when they first meet.
In (500) Days of Summer When Tom sees Summer for the first time at work.

References and notes

^ Tallis, Frank (2005). "Crazy for You". The Psychologist. 18 (2). {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
^ See, for example, the Amores and the Heroides of Ovid which frequently refer to the overwhelming passion caused by Cupid's darts.
^ See Ovid's letter from Paris, below.
^ John J. Winkler (trans.), Leucippe and Clitophon, in Reardon, B.P. (1989). Collected Ancient Greek Novels. Berkeley: U of California P. p. 179. ISBN 0-520-04306-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ Hamilton, Edith (1961). The Collected Dialogues of Plato. Princeton: Princeton UP. p. 545. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ From the introduction by Nathaniel Edward Griffin to Boccaccio, Giovanni (n.d.). The Filostrato. New York: Bilbo and Tannen. p. 76 n.2. ISBN 0-8196-0817-X. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ According to Nathaniel Edward Griffin: "In the description of the enamorment of Troilus is a singular blending of the Provençal conception of the eyes as the birthplace of love with the classical idea of the God of Love with his bows and quiver...," in Boccaccio, Giovanni (n.d.). The Filostrato. New York: Bilbo and Tannen. p. 77 n.2. ISBN 0-8196-0817-X. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ Boccaccio, Il Filostrato, Canto 1, strophe 29 (translation by Nathaniel Edward Griffin and Arthur Beckwith Myrick).
^ Peter Alexander ed., William Shakespeare: The Complete Works (London 1962) p. 273
^ http://www.bcheights.com/2.6173/health-science-love-at-first-sight-may-not-be-as-implausible-as-it-seems-1.913678
^ Rousset, Jean (1981). "Leurs yeux se rencontrèrent": la scène de première vue dans le roman. Paris: 1981. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ Kathleen Burk, Old World, New World (London 2007) p. 534

External Links

The start of a warm attraction

[1] Tallis, Frank (2005). "Crazy for You". The Psychologist. 18 (2). {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

[2] See, for example, the Amores and the Heroides of Ovid which frequently refer to the overwhelming passion caused by Cupid's darts.

[3] See Ovid's letter from Paris, below.

[4] John J. Winkler (trans.), Leucippe and Clitophon, in Reardon, B.P. (1989). Collected Ancient Greek Novels. Berkeley: U of California P. p. 179. ISBN 0-520-04306-5. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[5] Hamilton, Edith (1961). The Collected Dialogues of Plato. Princeton: Princeton UP. p. 545. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[6] From the introduction by Nathaniel Edward Griffin to Boccaccio, Giovanni (n.d.). The Filostrato. New York: Bilbo and Tannen. p. 76 n.2. ISBN 0-8196-0817-X. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[7] According to Nathaniel Edward Griffin: "In the description of the enamorment of Troilus is a singular blending of the Provençal conception of the eyes as the birthplace of love with the classical idea of the God of Love with his bows and quiver...," in Boccaccio, Giovanni (n.d.). The Filostrato. New York: Bilbo and Tannen. p. 77 n.2. ISBN 0-8196-0817-X. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[8] Boccaccio, Il Filostrato, Canto 1, strophe 29 (translation by Nathaniel Edward Griffin and Arthur Beckwith Myrick).

[9] Peter Alexander ed., William Shakespeare: The Complete Works (London 1962) p. 273

[10] ttp://www.bcheights.com/2.6173/health-science-love-at-first-sight-may-not-be-as-implausible-as-it-seems-1.913678

[11] Rousset, Jean (1981). "Leurs yeux se rencontrèrent": la scène de première vue dans le roman. Paris: 1981. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[12] Kathleen Burk, Old World, New World (London 2007) p. 534

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@@ Line 135: / Line 135: @@
 *The aria "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schoen", in the opera "[[Die Zauberfloete]]" by W.A."[[Mozzart]]", is sung by prince Tamino after seeing Pamina's portrait.
 *The song "[[Love at First Sight (Styx song)|Love at First Sight]]" by the rock band [[Styx (band)|Styx]].
-*"[[Get Together (Madonna song)|Get Together]]" by [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] also has a line asking "Do you believe in love at the first sight is an illusion?" and then she answers "I don't care", since the subject of the song fall in love at the first sight, and she don't care if her lover believes it or not.
+*"[[Get Together (Madonna song)|Get Together]]" by [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] also has a line asking "Do you believe in love at the first sight is an illusion?" and then she answers "I don't care", since the subject of the song fall in love at the first sight, and she doesn't care if her lover believes it or not.
 *"[[Automatic Loveletter]] Heart Song says --- Love at first aint messing around!
 *The [[country music]] song "''[[As She's Walking Away]]''" by the [[Zac Brown Band]] describes a man who fell in love with a woman at first sight.