"He who is in love is wise and is becoming wiser, sees newly every time he looks at the object beloved, drawing from it with his eyes and his mind those virtues which it possesses," stated Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1841. Love is simply a conundrum solved differently by each person. For some it is caring and long-lasting, and for others it is miserable and apprehensive. Shakespeare describes this "puzzle" of love the best in Sonnet 116. He wagers his reputation as a writer that if his views are incorrect, then he should not be writing. Although Shakespeare differs greatly with many other love poets such as Marlowe, Herrick, or Marvell. Each has a different, unique quality they express about love which together describe love perfectly.

             Robert Herrick explains that life is too short to wait for perfection. He believes love should be a reflection of carpe diem, seize what you can now for soon you will be to old for love. Shakespeare"s sonnet directly opposes this thought of living for the moment with love. It says "Love"s not Time"s fool.," which implies that love knows no boundaries on time, it is everlasting. Another argument is proposed by Christopher Marlowe in his poem The Passionate Shepherd to his love. He attempts to mask the harsh reality of marriage by stating that all day it will be like a romantic dream on the countryside. Shakespeare again differs from this falsehood stating in Sonnet 116 indirectly that love comes with hardships and endures past them. Shakespeare"s views are again opposed in Andrew Marvell"s To His Coy Mistress. Marvell describes love as a sexual adventure which must be found and taken advantage of as soon as possible. Shakespeare implies a more mature, growing love which endures time and grief, which basically is more of a marriage situation. The most prominent difference between Shakespeare"s ideas of love and the other poets is the issue of time.