1. Introduction
Lyric poetry is one of the four main genres of literature, reflecting individual feelings and emotions. “In lyric poetry, the central focus is the expression of the poet’s individual feelings, and the concept of emotion and individuality must be considered in its broadest sense” (Shafiei-Kadkani, 1352: 12; see also Farshidvard, 1363: 65). Fakhr al-Din As‘ad Gurgani’s verse romance Veys and Ramin is one of the most prominent love works in Persian literature. Ramin is an important lover-character. Robert J. Sternberg’s triangular theory of love explains love on the basis of three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment (see Sternberg, 1396: 27). The present study examines Ramin’s love character on the basis of this theory and asks how the three components of love are manifested in his relationship with Veys and which pattern of love their combined presence corresponds to.
2. Research Method
This research was conducted using the library research method and a descriptive-analytical approach. Ramin’s behavior, speech, and emotional actions in the verse romance Veys and Ramin were examined in relation to the three components of Sternberg’s triangular theory of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment. Ten clusters of intimacy, including the beloved’s well-being, respect, mutual understanding, and emotional support, formed the basis of the analysis (see Sternberg, 1396: 34, 134).
3. Discussion
The findings show that Ramin’s love possesses intimacy, but not all of its elements are fully manifested in his behavior. Happiness in Veys’s company, mutual understanding, emotional communication, sharing a life, and emotional support are among the manifestations of intimacy in their relationship. Veys and Ramin regard love as a determining force and accept suffering and hardship in order to attain union; therefore, mutual understanding exists between them. Nevertheless, sustained concern for Veys’s well-being, respect for her, and reliability when she is in need are not fully evident in Ramin’s behavior. His insistence on a secret relationship, disregard for Veys’s social position and feelings, and marriage to Gol indicate the limitations of his intimacy. Ramin’s respectful behaviors are mostly occasional, whereas his disrespectful behaviors damage Veys’s social dignity and mental health. Furthermore, because of Veys’s social constraints and the secret nature of the relationship, Ramin cannot always rely on providing her with practical support. Therefore, intimacy exists in Ramin’s love, but it does not possess complete stability.
With regard to the component of passion and emotion, Ramin’s intense infatuation, desire for union, and restlessness during separation are prominent. This component plays a central role in his behavior and decisions and is stronger than the other two components (see Sternberg, 1396: 78). Commitment, too, is evident in Ramin’s words and efforts to preserve the relationship; however, his promises are not always accompanied by consistent behavior. His separation from Veys, marriage to Gol, and return to Veys once again indicate the instability of his commitment. Consequently, Ramin’s commitment is more emotional and verbal than stable and rational. In the structure of his love, passion and emotion prevail over intimacy and commitment.
4. Conclusion
The findings showed that Ramin’s love encompasses all three components of intimacy, passion, and commitment, but their degrees of presence are not equal. In terms of intimacy, happiness in the beloved’s company, mutual understanding, emotional communication, emotional support, and sharing a life can be observed; nevertheless, sustained concern for the beloved’s well-being, consistent respect, and reliability when she is in need are not fully manifested. Ramin’s commitment also lacks the necessary stability. By contrast, passion and emotion are the most prominent components of his love. Therefore, Ramin’s love most closely corresponds to the “Infatuated Love” pattern in Sternberg’s theory, because passion and emotion predominate in it, while intimacy and commitment have not fully and simultaneously taken shape. Nevertheless, these two components are present in his relationship, but, compared with passion and emotion, they are less prominent and less stable. The findings are consistent with Sternberg’s theoretical model and show that the combination of the three components of love can be used to explain the emotional structure of characters in classical literary works.