LeAnn Rimes has a song that begins with, “Some say love it is a river” as well as many other comparisons to love. These lyrics are a perfect example of how love does not have one definite meaning; it can be interpreted in different ways by each individual person. Love is very unpredictable and it is difficult to know what the outcome of love will be for every person. Joan Crawford said it best when she said, “Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell.” Sonnet 116, written by William Shakespeare, identifies the different concepts that love has and does not have. In the first quatrain, the poet identifies situations describing what love “is not.” Shakespeare makes the point that love does not change even when there is a change in circumstances. Michael Seidel, in “Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds (Sonnet 116)” says, “Shakespeare depicts love as an unchangeable thing, unaffected by time” (1). The poet, in lines 3-4, describes how love stands firm regardless of the obstacles two lovers face, such as being unfaithful. He sees love as very black and white, stating clearly what he believes love does and does not involve. The second quatrain discusses the matter in which “love is”. The poet infers that love is steadfast and cannot be altered by any form of destruction. The love that Shakespeare discusses in this poem seems unrealistic and almost impossible to obtain. Michael Seidel states, “This unchanging love is idealized love. Many critics have argued that it is a love that does not exist and cannot be attained” (1). Finally, line 8 alludes to how love cannot be determined with a value. The third quatrain, beginning with the turn in line 9, becomes a description on how time does not affect love whatsoever. The main purpose of these four lines is to make the point that true love endures forever. Although physical beauty fades, true love will re