Love+and+Virtue

Love is true virtue, and his end's delight, His flames are joys, his bands true lover's might.

The last lines of this poem are very interesting to me because of how Wroth describes virtue. Virtue is moral righteousness and a kind quixotic quality given to those who are well respected because of honorable examples they may set. This is partially the foundation of Wroth's main argument throughout this particular sonnet. Wroth believes that love should be based off of virtue and respectability. In this line Wroth is saying that love is true virtue. Basically, she is saying the true ever lasting love is founded off of characteristics such as honesty and respectability, and true love is not found between lust and sex.

After she mentions that true love is found in virtue she continues to say that in the end he will be delighted with the outcome. This is to say that if they were to work through a chaste and honest relationship, the hard work refraining from the lust that plagues every relationship will pay off in the end. In the end their love will be all the more stronger because it was based off of qualities such as virtue, rather than lust and sex.

In the poem the band's of true lovers are not their hand cuffs, chaining them together unwillingly, but rather their love is their bond between one another that allows them to be inseparable and withstand all trials. This is also symbolized by the wedding ring. The ring is almost a miniature shackle, but signifies the love and bond that you share with another person, allowing them to be part of you, body and soul.