# Love and Unsatisfied Desire in Poetry

> Theme guide for Poetry by T. S. Eliot.

Romantic and sexual longing is portrayed as ultimately futile or tormenting, whether in Prufrock's paralyzed yearning, the failed relationships in Portrait of a Lady, or the 'love unsatisfied' and 'love satisfied' as equal torments in Ash-Wednesday.

## Where it surfaces

- [The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock): Prufrock's longing for romantic connection is thwarted by his fear of rejection and miscommunication, as seen in his imagined dialogue where the woman says 'That is not what I meant at all.'
- [Portrait of a Lady](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/portrait-of-a-lady): The lady's longing for emotional intimacy and the speaker's inability to respond create a pervasive sense of unfulfilled desire.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/i): The atmosphere of 'Juliet’s tomb' and the emphasis on things 'left unsaid' suggest a longing for connection that remains unfulfilled.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/ii): The woman's longing for connection and the speaker's emotional distance underscore unfulfilled desire.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/iii): The conversation reveals unfulfilled romantic expectations and the failure of feelings to develop into friendship.
- [Hysteria](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/hysteria): The narrator's intense focus on the woman's body suggests a desire that is both consuming and ultimately unfulfilled.
- [Conversation Galante](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/conversation-galante): The flirtatious yet defensive exchange between the speakers suggests a longing for connection that remains unfulfilled, masked by wit and deflection.
- [La Figlia Che Piange](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/la-figlia-che-piange): The imagined parting and the speaker's longing for a simple, faithless farewell reflect unfulfilled romantic desire and the pain of separation.
- [Sweeney Erect](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/sweeney-erect): The sexual encounter is depicted as mechanical and devoid of genuine connection, with the woman's hysteria and the ladies' gossip underscoring the unsatisfying nature of desire.
- [A Cooking Egg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/a-cooking-egg): The contrast between Pipit's mundane companionship and the imagined heavenly brides (Lucretia Borgia, Piccarda de Donati) highlights unsatisfied longing.
- [Whispers of Immortality](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/whispers-of-immortality): Grishkin's sensual appeal is acknowledged but ultimately unfulfilling, as the speaker's lot 'crawls between dry ribs' to keep metaphysics warm.
- [The Waste Land](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/the-waste-land): The failed relationships in 'A Game of Chess' and the typist's mechanical encounter with the young man carbuncular illustrate the emptiness of modern love.
- [II: A Game of Chess](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/ii-a-game-of-chess): Both the wealthy woman's frantic need for communication and Lil's pragmatic marriage reflect unfulfilled emotional and physical desires.
- [III: The Fire Sermon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/iii-the-fire-sermon): The typist's encounter is devoid of passion or connection, reduced to a 'patronising kiss' and a half-formed thought of relief, reflecting the failure of love in the modern world.
- [Ash-Wednesday](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/ash-wednesday): The Lady and the 'Rose' symbolize a love that transcends earthly desire, yet the speaker wrestles with the torment of both unsatisfied and satisfied love.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/ii): The bones sing of love unsatisfied and love satisfied as torment, highlighting the theme of unfulfilled desire.
- [Juvenilia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/juvenilia): Poems like 'Song' and 'The Moonflower Opens to the Moth' express longing for love that remains unfulfilled or fleeting.
- [A Lyric](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/a-lyric): The speaker implores to live while love is free and to pluck anew despite the withering of flowers, suggesting a longing for love that is both urgent and precarious.
- [Song: The Moonflower Opens to the Moth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/song-the-moonflower-opens-to-the-moth): The speaker's plea for 'brighter tropic flowers' underscores a yearning unmet by the beloved's pale offerings.
- [Nocturne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/nocturne): The poem mocks the idealized, eternal love of Romeo and Juliet, reducing it to a banal performance that ends in a contrived tragedy.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/themes/love_and_unsatisfied_desire
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_21_se/themes