Love rectangle
Love rectangle is a somewhat facetious term to describe a romantic relationship that involves four people. It was almost certainly named in analogy to a love triangle. Many people use this term for a romantic relationship between two people that is complicated by the romantic attentions of two other people, but it is more frequently reserved for relationships where there are more connections. Minimally, both male characters usually have some current or past association with both female characters. These relationships need not be sexual; they can be friendships or familial relations. Both males and/or both females can also be friends, family members (frequently siblings) or sworn enemies. The addition of bisexual or homosexual characters can add romantic and/or sexual complexity.
The term "love rectangle" almost always implies that the arrangement is unsuitable to one or more of the people involved. A similar arrangement that is agreed upon by all parties is sometimes called polyamory.
The world "love" can be added to the front of other shapes to reflect romantic relationships involving more people, e.g. "love pentagon", etc.
Examples
- In William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, there is a love rectangle between the characters Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia. Demetrius is granted Hermia's hand in marriage by her father, but Hermia loves Lysander, and the two flee, intending to elope. Demetrius pursues the couple, and Helena pursues Demetrius, whom she has always loved. The fairy Puck, in trying to use magic to resolve the situation, temporarily transfers both mens' affections to Helena. Further tampering restores Lysander's love for Hermia. Demetrius, now in love with Helena, withdraws his claim on Hermia, and both couples are wed.
- In the anime Marmalade Boy, Miki (female), Yuu (male), Ginta (male), and Arimi (female) form one of the show's many love rectangles. Miki and Yuu become step-siblings, and begin to fall in love. Their budding relationship is noticed by Yuu's ex-girlfriend Arimi, and Miki's friend Ginta. Ginta had harbored feelings for Miki for a long time, but accidentally missed his chance to express those feelings when Miki's love note fell into the hands of his friends, and Ginta denied he had feelings for her. Arimi hatches a plot to make the couple jealous by pretenting to date Ginta, but Arimi and Ginta soon develop real feelings for each other. Miki's and Yuu's parents also form a love rectangle, as Miki and Yuu are actually double step-siblings; the original couples met on vacation, decided to divorce and swap partners, and eventually marry each other.
- The movie Closer (film) contains a love rectangle. The characters played by Natalie Portman and Jude Law start romantically involved with each other, then Law's character falls for Julia Roberts's character, who is married to Clive Owen's character, who later seeks out Portman's character.