Innocence Interrupted: Shakespeare’s ‘Lover’ Stage And The Dark Reality Of Sexual Violence In Today’s Youth
- IJLLR Journal
- May 1
- 2 min read
Amritha Nair, BA LLB, Army Institute of Law, Mohali
Introduction
"These violent delights have violent ends..."
Shakespeare’s “The Lover” stage reflects the idealism of youth, yet today’s reality, illustrated by horrific incidents like the Kolkata rape-murder show how today's reality frequently differs greatly, exposing young people to a world poisonous ideas take precedence over empathy, respect, and permission. This article explores these modern challenges, examining sexual violence, consent, peer pressure, and the need for male allyship, envisioning a future where youth can experience love with respect and safety.
Shakespeare’s Third Stage: The Lover
In As You Like It, Shakespeare famously describes seven stages of life. The third stage, “the lover,” depicts a phase defined by youthful passion, heightened emotions. Here, young people begin to experience romantic and sexual emotions, developing complex feelings about intimacy, self-worth, and relationships. Shakespeare portrays the lover as a figure “sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad / Made to his mistress’ eyebrow,” embodying the intense emotions that arise in adolescence and early adulthood. This image suggests not only the joys of young love but also its inherent vulnerability—a sentiment that resonates powerfully even today.
Contemporary Implications of Shakespeare's Lover Stage
In today’s world, the lover stage is more than a poetic metaphor—it is a critical phase in life where individuals are exceptionally vulnerable to the perils of sexual violence. Modern adolescent experiences are often amplified by social media, online dating, and the hypervisibility of relationships, where public perceptions, peer influences, and digital interactions shape personal identity and relational dynamics. In this phase, young people frequently seek validation through relationships, sometimes at the cost of personal safety, due to a desire to conform to societal expectations or achieve a certain social status.
