Skip to content
    English Literature A-Level

    Unrequited love

    What Unrequited love means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for OCR, Pearson Edexcel.

    Definitions of Unrequited love

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    Check what you remember

    Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Unrequited love in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.

    Reference: OCR

    The speaker refuses to accept blame for John's unrequited feelings, offering a pragmatic friendship instead of romance.
    OCR · 5c. Component 01 – Drama and poetry pre-1900 selected poems - Christina Rossetti – Selected Poems
    The agony of rejected love, whose destructive psychological impact the speaker feels as he seeks solace in the garden.
    Pearson Edexcel · Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – Metaphysical Poetry – John Donne Selected Poems (Penguin Classics, 2006) (study guide)
    Unfulfilled passion and unrequited love, part of the personal lamentation from which the text shifts dramatically.
    Pearson Edexcel · Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Romantic Period – English Romantic Verse, editor David Wright (Penguin Classics, 1973) (study guide)
    The speaker's love is rejected, and the final stanza turns to defiance and revenge against her rejection.
    Pearson Edexcel · Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – Metaphysical Poetry – John Donne Selected Poems (Penguin Classics, 2006) (study guide)
    His unrequited love for Sara Hutchinson, the 'Lady' addressed in the poem.
    OCR · 5c. Component 01 – Drama and poetry pre-1900 selected poems - Samuel Taylor Coleridge – Selected Poems

    Topics that use Unrequited love

    Related terms

    Using Unrequited love in the exam

    Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.

    Practise English Literature questions

    Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.

    Start free

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    All English Literature A-Level terms