of Love, Marriage, and Single Life- Essay- Francis Bacon

Work introduction:

These essays were taken from the book "The Essays of Francis Bacon". There are many notable topics with nuances. He described the various stages of love, having so much time being single, and the pros and cons of marriage Life.

Work summary:

Bacon writes that the Love that is shown in the plays is an unrealistic and noble trait. And in reality, it can only bring tragedy and sorrow. History has a record that great people achieved incredible things as they stayed out of this weak passion. Here's an example, Once Marcus Antonius and Appius Claudius were given a chance to rule over ⅓ of the Roman Empire. As the former was restrained with the pursuit of lust, he lost it, but the latter got everything out of his great wisdom and didn't follow such weak passion.

● The Greek philosopher, Epicurus said that we are sufficient for one another so one can live his life fully without indulging in conflicts with others. A man loses his self-esteem once bowed in front of a woman he loves.

● The unfettered love devalues men and makes them insignificant. Romantic poetry exaggerates the beauty of his beloved, and that is, it’s suitable only for writing. A lover who pours sugar-coated words to his ladylove negotiates his intelligence. It's not possible to be wise and in love at the same time.

● In unrequited love, a man's praises seem like a weakness of his character to women. A wise man must not love. People who prioritize their carnal pleasures destroy themselves. Love is overwhelming only in happiness but not in a difficult situation. If we can't control our sensual pleasures it will destroy business, wealth, and health.

● The army men have a special attraction towards love as they have for wine. Men make their love universal like the people who have religious belongings. Love that arises after marriage is the root cause of mankind. Love in Friendship is perfect but lust corrupts the love and embraces it.

● In the essay on marriage and single life, Bacon differentiates a married man and a single one. A married man can't risk his money for noble purposes as he has a wife and children. The best works constantly come from single men. They devote their entire life to a public cause.

● Men who have children think about the future and have their own personal commitments regarding the future. But single men only think about themselves and are also account for the future. Some people think having children is an extra expenditure and others take pride in having no children. They believe that they will remain rich if they don't have children. However, most men choose to be single for the sake of liberty in that lifestyle. These men think of marriage as imprisonment.

● Single men make the best friends, the best masters, and the best servants. But they don't be a good citizen as they tend to run away from responsibilities. The single life suits the clergyman because he can give more charity as he doesn't have any need to satisfy.

● If judges and magistrates are corrupted, the servants will do worse than that. In the case of soldiers, the thought of wives and children on the battlefield would be his weakness. Bacon quotes an example here. The dislike of marriage among the Turks makes the vulgar soldiers even more so.

● Single men are more charitable because they have fewer expenses. But they also tend to be cruel, for they don't have a family.

● According to Bacon, for a young man, a wife serves as a mistress, in middle age, she is a companion and to the old man, she is a nurse. So it is for the man to decide the proper age for him to marry.

● Bacon said bad husbands often have good wives and it makes the husband's kindness more valuable or the wife takes pride in her patience in dealing with him. Bacon concludes that given the chance these bad husbands would make sure to connect their own mistakes.

Citation:

Bacon, Francis "The Essay of Francis Bacon". 2011