Of late I have been hearing too many stories of triangle love. It is a very common spice for our favorite fictions but it happens in real lives in a big way and therefore finds a great reflection in films, operas, soaps too. So today I sought to research a bit on the internet. This is what my research revealed.

A love triangle refers to a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two. The relationships can be friendships, romantic, familial (often siblings), or even pre-existing hatred between rivals. Addition of bisexual or homosexual characters adds many possible combinations of sexes, and of romantic and sexual interactions.

The term "love triangle" almost always implies that the arrangement is unsuitable to one or more of the people involved. A similar arrangement that is agreed upon by all parties is sometimes called polyamory, although polyamory usually implies sexual relations. Within the context of monogamy, love triangles are inherently unstable. Unrequited love and jealousy are common themes in love triangles. Though rare, love triangles have been known to lead to murder or suicide committed by the rejected lover in real life.

Love triangles are an extremely popular theme in entertainment, especially romantic fiction, including opera, romance novels, soap operas, romantic comedies, Japanese comics and popular music.


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Characteristics of love triangles

In television shows, a love triangle is often prolonged for a lengthy amount of time, delaying any final declarations of love between the main character and his or her suitors that may prematurely end this dynamic or displease fans. Similarly, romance films must also sustain this set-up until near the film's end, although they tend to establish a more clear-cut conclusion to the romantic entanglements than in long-running TV shows.

A common love triangle is one in which the hero or heroine is torn between two suitors of radically contrasting personalities; one of a girl next door or nice guy type, and the other as a physically attractive but potentially dangerous person. Alternatively, the hero or heroine has a choice between a seemingly perfect lover and an imperfect but endearing person. In this case, the "too-good-to-be-true" person is often revealed to have a significant flaw, such as hidden insensitivity or lecherousness, causing the other person to become the more desirable partner.
Love triangles can either be relatively balanced, in which the two candidates each have a fair chance of ending up with the protagonist, or they can be lopsided, in which the hero or heroine has an obvious romantic interest in one of the candidates, and considers the other candidate as "just a friend," but withholds a confession of love to avoid hurting his or her feelings.

A less permanent love triangle can also occur when a former lover of the main character makes an unexpected appearance to win back his or her heart, provoking feelings of jealousy from the main character's steady partner. However, this situation is usually not considered an actual love triangle since there is little possibility of the main character breaking up with his or her longtime partner to pursue a just-introduced character, and it is often used as only a test of the true depth of the main character's devotion to his or her partner.


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Usually, a love triangle will end with the hero or heroine confiding his or her feelings in the suitor he or she feels is the most virtuous or have the most interest in him or her, and the chosen one reciprocating his or her love. The other suitor usually will step aside to allow the couple to be happy, or come to terms with his or her feelings, often claiming that he or she could not love the main character as much as his or her rival does. Sometimes he or she will be written out of the love equation entirely by falling in love with someone else, or being killed off or otherwise eliminated. While love triangles can be accused of being cliché, if done well, they can provide insight into the complexity of love and what is best to pursue in a romantic relationship.
A love triangle should not be confused with a ménage à trois, a three-way relationship in which all members are romantically involved with each other instead of being in conflict over one person.

Examples of love triangles in fiction

Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo in the Star Wars trilogy

Christine Daaé, Erik, and Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera

Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, and Veronica Lodge in Archie Comics

Ilsa Lund, Rick Blaine, and Victor Laszlo in Casablanca

Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine in X-men

Kairi, Sora, and Riku in Kingdom Hearts

Aerith Gainsborough, Tifa Lockheart, and Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII

Lorelai Gilmore, Luke Danes, and Christopher Hayden in Gilmore Girls

Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Kurt Angle in the WWF.

Seth Cohen and his on-off girlfriend Summer Roberts, have had love triangles with Anna Stern, Zach Stevens, Taylor Townsend and Che (though he is not romantically involved with either) on The O.C..

Vasily Zaitsev, Tanya Chernova and Commissar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates

Noodles, Max and Deborah in Once Upon a Time in America

King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot in the legend King Arthur

Lucas Scott, Brooke Davis, and Peyton Sawyer on one tree hill

Dylan McKay, Brenda Walsh, and Kelly Taylor on Beverly Hills 90210

Rory Gilmore, Jess Mariano, and Dean Forester on Gilmore Girls

Inuyasha, Kikyo, and Kagome on Inuyasha