Tropes of Romantic Love

Since it’s February, I thought I’d talk a little about romance. Specifically, I want to talk about tropes relating to romantic love that, when done well, can elevate a story and make it far more memorable. Some are wholesome and cute. Others are funny, and some are great for more dramatic or tragic stories. I’ve already talked a little about the Enemies to Lovers trope, so here are twelve more tropes of romantic love I enjoy, listed in no particular order.

1. Fake Relationship

A good fake relationship trope is both hilarious and sweet. You start with the (usually contrived or ridiculous) setup between the characters that forces them to pretend like they are dating, Then, you get to watch as they slowly stop pretending. This trope also leads to several fun questions. Who knows the truth? Who doesn’t? Who finds out and how? Who will fall in love first? How long will it take for them to accept their true feelings? What sparks the genuine connection between them? Basically, when well utilized, this trope can do a lot.

2. Marriage of Convenience

The marriage of convenience trope typically has a more tragic start than the fake relationship trope. Sometimes, one or both of the people involved are depressed about their circumstances, too. That does not mean, however, that a tragic ending is inevitable. Watching two people who were forced together actually fall for each other, turning what they originally viewed as an unfortunate circumstance into a happy ending, can be so satisfying. Of course, this works best when you actually want the two of them to have a happy ending together. When this isn’t the case, marriages of convenience lend themselves more to drama or tragedy.

3. Friends to Lovers

If you want an adorable love story, the friends to lovers trope is a great choice. There are different dynamics to this trope, depending on when they start to fall for each other, but regardless, this requires one foundational thing to be successful: they must truly feel like best friends at the beginning of the story. Then, it only feels natural for them to fall in love. They’re soulmates. Who could they love more? Under the right circumstances, though, this trope can also lead to tragedy, such as when their romantic relationship ruins their friendship

4. First Love/ “One and Only”

Only ever falling in love with one person happens rarely in real life. Perhaps because it’s so unlikely, it feels special to see fictional couples live it. This trope won’t work in most stories, but when it does, it’s so sweet. You believe they are truly soulmates, and they were meant to be together. This trope becomes tragic, though, when one of them dies. They lost someone so important to them, and they’ll never find anyone else, often by choice.

5. True Love’s Kiss

True Love’s Kiss is a fun trope. It can be sweet, of course, but the main reason I love this trope is that you can’t cheat. It either works or it doesn’t, and even if the characters lie to others (or themselves) about their feelings, the magic reveals the truth. Because of that, finding out who can (and who can’t) use true love’s kiss to save someone can lead to some fun drama. This trope can work in different ways, too. Sometimes, it just takes someone who truly loves them to do it. Other times, both people have to truly love each other for it to work. Either way, the truth of people’s feelings is revealed, and the characters have to decide what to do with the information.

6. Red String of Fate

Fate can be kind, and fate can be cruel. This is a compelling trope regardless of how it is used. I enjoy watching how the characters’ lives are entwined as they fall in love. Perhaps they just keep meeting by chance far too often, or perhaps they met as children but don’t remember that until halfway through the story. Sometimes, this trope can even lead to a happy ending even when it originally seemed impossible. The lovers may be separated – permanently, it seems – but don’t worry. Fate will bring them together again someday, somehow. As long as the explanation isn’t too contrived, this can lead to a beautifully satisfying happy ending where an otherwise bittersweet or tragic ending was expected.

7. Reincarnation Romance

This, to me, is just an extension of the red string of fate trope. At its core, this trope involves lovers meeting again in another life. Sometimes, the setup is tragic, such as when the lovers die unfairly and they’re granted a second chance to be together. This naturally lends itself well to the idea of soulmates, but it doesn’t have to. This trope can lead to a lot of drama if one of the lovers chooses to be with someone else in their next life. Regardless of the implementation, this trope is great for emotional moments.

8. Even Evil Has Loved Ones

Villains vary because different stories need different villains. Some are a caricature of evil. Others are tragic. Some want to destroy the world. Others want to “improve” the world. This means that this trope won’t work for all stories, but seeing the villain truly love someone is chilling. Caricatures of evil are easy to understand. They are devoid of care and empathy. However, if someone is capable of care and empathy yet inflicts suffering anyway, that’s terrifying. This can also work as a great motivator for the villain if anything happens to the few people they care about. Watching them show grief and anger over their loss while taking the loved ones of others is painful. This trope can lead to a greater understanding of the villain and why they do what they do, but it can also relate to trope 10 on this list, especially if the heroes aren’t paragons of justice – instead willing to do whatever it takes to stop the villain.

9. Star-crossed Lovers

This trope is tragic, but if done incorrectly, it’s just frustrating. It may feel too contrived, or if the couple lacked chemistry, you might roll your eyes as the story laments their separation. When done correctly, however, this can add a beautiful layer of tragedy and drama to a story, especially if their separation was an intentional sacrifice they made. If their parting feels inevitable and their chemistry is high, then knowing they’re alive and well–just separated–will still be devastating.

10. Love is a Weakness

This is, perhaps, the saddest trope related to romantic love. There are also multiple implementations of it. It can show devotion, if someone chooses to love another anyway, knowing it makes them more vulnerable, but it doesn’t feel sweet. Just sad. It does, however, lend itself well to so many character and world-building related questions. Why does the character feel that love is weakness? Given their world, are they correct? Does showing love make you too vulnerable? For heroes, this can also lead to great moral dilemmas if their loved one is in danger but rescuing them would put others in more danger.

11. I Want My Beloved to be Happy

This trope is bittersweet. When a character prioritizes their beloved’s happiness, even when it means they can’t be together, that illustrates just how much they truly care about that person. Unfortunately, it still feels a little bitter, because their love will never be reciprocated and all they can do is try to move on. Usually, no one did anything wrong either. They simply weren’t meant to be, and because the character wants their beloved to be happy, they accept it. Sometimes, it’s not about watching their beloved be with someone else, though. Sometimes, it’s about making a sacrifice to ensure their beloved is okay. When this is done secretly, it’s tragic. When it’s done openly, it often leads to trope 12.

12. Love is Worth Anything

A character is faced with a choice: live a good life or suffer with your beloved. In this trope, they choose the latter, often with little hesitation. Sometimes, their beloved tries to spare them from the pain (as in trope 11), but they declare that their beloved is worth whatever nightmare they’ll experience. Caring so much about someone that you’d suffer alongside them, even if it’s just to keep them from being alone, shows a tragic type of deep love. This trope can take another turn if the character starts to regret their decision. Finally, depending on the story, it can make you wonder. What would I suffer to be with my beloved? How much should I sacrifice for them?