Tropes: The Love Triangle
Since the dawn of time (my teenage years), there is one trope that can be counted on to generate buzz among passionate people. (I was going to say young adults here, but I found that to be exclusive of people like me who are very opinionated and often convinced they are correct.) The love triangle will always be a tried and true classic of the romance genre. You will be hard-pressed to find someone unwilling to take a stand on some potential couple or another. For instance, are you, the person reading this: "Team Edward or Team Jacob? (Correct answer: Edward)", "Team Gale or Team Peeta? (Correct answer: Peeta – if you said Gale, I am worried for you.)" "Team Damon or Team Stefan? (Correct answer: Damon)" or, and this may be the most controversial at the moment, "Team Gwyn or Team Elain? (Correct answer: Gwyn. – this is why I chose not to say young adults earlier because I would willingly write a thesis on the reasons behind my choice as well as fight anyone who disagrees with me.)" Those are just four of the more well-known love triangles. If you aren't familiar with any of them, I would be willing to bet you could still offer up another.
Books, movies and television shows abound with this beloved game of choice. Usually, the differences between the potential love interests are stark. One is brooding, while the other is amicable. If the first is protective, the second is empowering. That way, there is someone each and every viewer will naturally gravitate toward due to their personal tastes.
But, no matter the size or the personalities that make up the hero or heroine's roster, tension is guaranteed. Audiences stay interested in the story because they want to know if the person they would choose is the one the protagonist will. The amount of back and forth an author or screenwriter chooses to employ depends entirely on the length and circumstance of the story. If the top of our triangle waivers repeatedly among their options, the game will grow stale. If their reasoning for choosing one character over the other isn't believable, the time spent rooting for the outcome has no reward.
Reminder: There is always a “right” choice. ;)
In my very humble opinion, a love triangle is very hard to get right. Readers and viewers won't get caught up in them if the "endgame" is obvious. The key to a great iteration of this trope is that each and every option is truly compatible with the protagonist in one way or another or at one point in time or another. One brother may not be my favorite, but that does not mean I won't be able to sympathize with a heroine's feelings if she finds comfort in his arms (as long as it's temporary).
The love triangle's overwhelming popularity means that to keep the trope from feeling overused, storytellers have begun to alter it. Some stories still stick to the original iteration, while others have chosen to morph the traditional three-pronged affair into shapes resembling dodecahedrons (I'm looking at you, K-dramas.). My favorite more recent adaptation is the one that I have dubbed the "misleading love triangle," a feat made popular by none other than Mrs. Sarah J. Maas. If you are unfamiliar with SJM's novels, a word of advice: try not to get attached to the first love interest. It may leave you feeling betrayed and/or morally wronged (but at least you'll empathize with the protagonist.)
As is the case for many people of my generation, the first story that made me fully engage with this trope was Twilight. The question of whether Bella belonged with Edward or Jacob was a point of contention in high school hallways and online forums around the world. T-shirts were worn like sports team jerseys in the declaration of one's loyalty. There were pros and cons to both sides. The final answer to the question dragged on due to Stephanie Meyer's genius idea to have Edward be MIA for most of the saga's second story. Reading the books as an adult, I can tell that there really was no other ending for Ms. Swan, but as a teenager, I gave Jacob a fair shot. That's the wonderful thing about love triangles: depending on when in your life you consume a story, your allegiances can change.
After the beloved vampire vs. werewolf, love triangles became a regular part of my life. I've found them between the pages of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Is this really a Triangle though?), The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and more. I've consumed them through a screen via Stranger Things, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and Jane The Virgin, just to name a few. I can say with absolute certainty that there will be much more of this trope in my future because I love it. I love the room it makes for social discourse (and I love it when the person I choose prevails, AKA: I love being right.)
