The most famous love stories in history. Great love stories. Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier

The current shows, appearing on the TV screen by the hundreds, are no match for real life, even if these shows are called "reality". Their connection with reality is minimal, because real life surpasses everything that is artificially created for TV by an order of magnitude. In a series of articles about the most famous love stories, I propose to recall the happiest and at the same time unhappy people, known not only for wealth, power, the ability to do what others are incapable of, but also the ability to love like no other. This is the first part of the collection.

1. Cleopatra and Mark Antony

This is, without a doubt, the most famous love story, repeatedly beaten in plays and films. Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, was a very charismatic woman with a charming voice (contemporaries say nothing about her beauty). She constantly fought for the right to be considered the ruler of her country with her own relatives, and in order to finally establish herself as the queen of Egypt, she was forced to look for a patron, and found him in the person of 52-year-old Gaius Julius Caesar. 21-year-old Cleopatra was able to conquer the great conqueror, and became Caesar's mistress. He was already married, but this did not prevent him from taking Cleopatra with him to Rome, along with their common son Caesarion. The Romans were quite worried about the fact that it was Caesarion who could become the heir to the great Caesar. But it did not come to that - Caesar, as we all know, was stabbed to death at the next meeting of the Senate.

Cleopatra returned to Egypt, where she learned about the formation of the next ruler of Rome. She decided to seduce him, and in order to implement her plan, she sailed to Tarsus (present-day Turkey) on a special ship. In general, Mark Antony fell in love with Cleopatra, and shortly after they became lovers, Cleopatra gave Antony two twins.

The end of the relationship, as well as the lives of both lovers, was marked by the confrontation between Mark Antony and Octavian, Caesar's nephew (Antony, by the way, was married to Octavian's sister, but left her for Cleopatra). Mark Antony returned to Rome, quarreled with Octavian, and the war began, which ended in the complete defeat of the combined troops of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. After Octavian's troops entered Egypt, Cleopatra hid in a mausoleum, and Antony was owed that she committed suicide. Mark Antony, without hesitation, threw himself on the sword, and died in the arms of his beloved. Cleopatra killed herself after she learned that she would be carried through the streets of Rome in a cart, as a symbol of defeated Egypt.

2. Catherine the Great and Grigory Potemkin

In 1761, Catherine the Great was not yet Great, she was just the wife of the not very wise Tsar Peter III. Just a year later, he was deprived of power (not without the help of Catherine) and killed (maybe Catherine herself sent the killers, there is such an option). After that, a prominent military man, Grigory Potemkin, becomes the guardian of the life and peace of the queen.

She was never indifferent to male beauty and strong character, and fell in love with Potemkin without memory, showering him with money and honors. To the credit of the latter, Potemkin really began to faithfully serve his queen. Catherine, being a very strong-willed woman, loved Potemkin so much that she even wrote tender love letters to him, which she almost never did. Potemkin and Catherine, according to some sources, even got married, although the fact of the wedding is doubtful among many historians. The wedding took place in 1774 in the Church of the Ascension, which has not survived to our time.

Catherine and Potemkin eventually became just comrades-in-arms, but Catherine until the end of her days had very warm feelings for her secret husband. After his death at the age of 52, she lost heart and was almost permanently depressed.

3. Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine

In the autumn of 1795, Josephine, who has exchanged her fourth decade, meets with Napoleon, who has just turned 26 years old. She seemed to him a lady very elegant and graceful, noble and even somewhat proud. Perhaps the success was further reinforced by the fact that Josephine was able to perfectly play the role of the petitioner.

In general, Napoleon and Josephine got engaged, and they did it at a time when no one could yet suspect Napoleon's dizzying career. By the way, when he goes on long trips, she embarks on love adventures with her head.

Despite everything, Napoleon idolizes his wife, and only one fact overshadows his joy - Josephine cannot get pregnant in any way. In the end, Napoleon breaks the bonds of marriage, although he does not stop loving his Josephine. She was the only person to whom the prisoner of St. Helena addressed in his dying delirium. He did not see any flaws in his "goddess", and kept his love until his death.

4. Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna

The young Nicholas II, the future Tsar of Russia, fell in love with the German Princess Alexandra as soon as he saw her. Despite all the strict moral laws of that time, which were even more stringent in relation to royal persons, Nikolai and Alexandra began to often appear in public together.

The future tsar and Alexandra Feodorovna were engaged in 1893. Shortly thereafter, Nicholas's father died, and, a couple of days later, Nicholas II became the king of all Russia. Their love continued until the idyll was broken by an uprising of workers and peasants, plus Grigory Rasputin appeared on the horizon.

Be that as it may, on July 16, 1918, the entire royal family was destroyed by the Bolsheviks. People died, but their love story remained.

5. Charles Lindbergh and Anna Spencer Morrow

Charles Lindbergh became famous in 1927 after he single-handedly crossed the Atlantic Ocean. A year later, while traveling in Latin America, he met his future wife, Anna Spencer Morrow, daughter of the US ambassador to Mexico.

Their relationship attracted the attention of the whole world, and just a year later, Charles Lindbergh and Anna Morrow became husband and wife. Shortly thereafter, Charles and Anna began to fly together, conquering the skies. They set a world speed record between Los Angeles and New York in 1930, with Anna already seven months pregnant.

Both were not only skilled pilots, but also wrote books, becoming the authors of as many as 13 books. Unfortunately, the bright life of both was overshadowed by the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh son in 1932. Despite everything, the Lindebergs are considered one of the most romantic couples who really lived in perfect harmony, as they say.

Incredible Facts

Do you believe in true love? What about love at first sight? Do you believe that love can last forever? Perhaps the love stories below will help you strengthen your faith in this feeling or renew your faith in it. These are the most famous love stories, they are immortal.

1. Romeo and Juliet

These are probably the most famous lovers in the whole world. This couple has become synonymous with love itself. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The story of two teenagers from two warring families who fall in love at first sight, then get married, and later risk everything for their love. The willingness to lay down one's life for a husband or wife is a sign of real feeling. Their premature departure united the feuding families.

2. Cleopatra and Mark Antony

The true love story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra is one of the most memorable and intriguing. The history of these two historical characters was subsequently recreated on the pages of the work of William Shakespeare, and filmed by famous directors more than once. The relationship between Mark Antony and Cleopatra is a real test of love. They fell in love with each other at first sight.

The relationship between these two influential people put Egypt in a very advantageous position. But their romance was extremely outraged by the Romans, who feared that as a result of it, the influence of the Egyptians would increase significantly. Despite all the threats, Mark Antony and Cleopatra got married. It is said that while in battle against the Romans, Mark received false news of Cleopatra's death. Feeling empty, he committed suicide. When Cleopatra learned of Antony's death, she was shocked and then also committed suicide. Great love requires great sacrifices.

3. Lancelot and Guinevere

The tragic love story of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere is probably one of the most famous of the Arthurian legends. Lancelot falls in love with Queen Guinevere, wife of King Arthur. Their love grew very slowly, as Guinevere did not let Lancelot close to her. In the end, however, passion and love overcame her, and they became lovers. One night, Sir Agravain and Sir Modred, King Arthur's nephew, at the head of a group of 12 knights, broke into the queen's room, where they found the lovers. Taken by surprise, they tried to escape, however, only Lancelot succeeded. The queen was captured and sentenced to death for adultery. However, a few days later, Lancelot returned to save his beloved. This whole sad story divided the Knights of the Round Table into two groups, thereby significantly weakening the kingdom of Arthur. As a result, poor Lancelot ended his days as a modest hermit, and Guinevere became a nun, and remained so for the rest of her life.

4. Tristan and Isolde

The tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde has been retold and rewritten numerous times. The action took place in the Middle Ages during the reign of King Arthur. Iseult was the daughter of the King of Ireland, and had just become engaged to King Mark of Cornwall. King Mark sent his nephew Tristan to Ireland to accompany his bride Iseult to Cornwall. During the journey, Tristan and Isolde fall in love with each other. Isolde still marries Mark, but the love affair continues after her marriage. When Mark finally found out about the betrayal, he forgave Iseult, but exiled Tristan forever from Cornwall.

Tristan went to Brittany. There he met Iseult of Brittany. He was drawn to her because she looked like his true love. He married her, but the marriage was not genuine because of his true love for another woman. After he fell ill, he sent for his beloved in the hope that she would come and be able to cure him. There was an agreement with the captain of the ship sent by him that if she agreed to come, then the sails of the ship would be white upon return, if not, then black. Tristan's wife, seeing the white sails, told him that the sails were black. He died of grief before his love could reach him, and shortly thereafter Iseult died of a broken heart.

5. Paris and Helena

Told in the Homeric Iliad, the story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War is a Greek heroic legend that is half fiction. Helena of Troy is considered one of the most beautiful women in all of literature. She married Menelaus, king of Sparta. Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy, fell in love with Helen and kidnapped her, taking her to Troy. The Greeks gathered a huge army, led by Menelaus' brother, Agamemnon, to bring Helen back. Troy was destroyed, Helen returned safely to Sparta, where she lived happily throughout her life with Menelaus.

6. Orpheus and Eurydice

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is an ancient Greek myth about desperate love. Orpheus fell deeply in love and married Eurydice, a beautiful nymph. They loved each other very much and were happy. Aristaeus, the Greek god of land and agriculture, became infatuated with Eurydice and actively pursued her. Fleeing from Aristaeus, Eurydice fell into a nest of snakes, one of which fatally bit her on the leg. The distraught Orpheus played such sad music and sang so sadly that all the nymphs and gods wept. On their advice, he went to the underworld, and his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone (he was the only person who dared to take such a step), who agreed to the return of Eurydice to earth, but on one condition: upon reaching the earth, Orpheus would not must look back and look at her. Being extremely alarmed, the lover did not fulfill the conditions, turned around to look at Eurydice, and she disappeared a second time, now forever.

7. Napoleon and Josephine

Having married her by calculation at the age of 26, Napoleon clearly knew whom he was taking as his wife. Josephine was older than him, a wealthy and prominent woman. However, over time, he fell deeply in love with her, and she loved him, however, this did not stop both of them from cheating. But mutual respect kept them together, all the burning passion in its path did not fade away and was genuine. Yet, in the end, they broke up, because Josephine could not give him what he so wanted - an heir. Unfortunately, their paths diverged, however, throughout their lives they kept love and passion for each other in their hearts.

8. Odysseus and Penelope

Few couples understand the essence of sacrifice in a relationship, however, it was this Greek couple who understood it best. After they were separated, it took a long 20 years before the reunion. Shortly after marrying Penelope, war demanded that Odysseus leave his new wife. Although she had very little hope of his return, Penelope still resisted 108 suitors who sought to replace her husband. Odysseus also loved his wife very much and refused the sorceress who offered him eternal love and eternal youth. Thus, he was able to return home to his wife and son. So believe Homer who said true love is worth the wait.

9. Paolo and Francesca

Paolo and Francesca are the heroes of Dante's famous masterpiece The Divine Comedy. This is a true story: Francesca was married to a terrible man, Gianciotto Malatesta. However, his brother, Paolo, was the exact opposite, Francesca fell in love with him and they became lovers. The love between them became even stronger when (according to Dante) they read together the story of Lancelot and Guinevere. When their connection was revealed, Francesca's husband killed both.

10. Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler

"Gone with the Wind" is one of the immortal literary works. Margaret Mitchell's iconic creation is laced with love and hate in Scarlett and Rhett Butler's relationship. Proving that timing is everything, Scarlett and Rhett never seemed to stop "fighting" each other. Throughout this epic story, this tempestuous passion and their turbulent marriage took place against the backdrop of the events of the civil war. Flirtatious, fickle and constantly pursued by fans, Scarlett cannot decide among the many contenders for her attention. When she finally decides to settle for Retta, her mercurial nature pushes him away from her. Hope finally dies when their romance is never rekindled, with Scarlett saying at the end, "Tomorrow is a new day."

11. Jane Eyre and Rochester

In Charlotte Bronte's famous novel, loneliness finds its cure in solitude by keeping each other company. Jane is an orphan who took a job as a governess in the home of the very wealthy Edward Rochester. The couple bonded very quickly, as Rochester had a tender heart underneath his rough exterior. However, he does not reveal his penchant for polygamy, and on their wedding day, Jane discovers that he is already married. A heartbroken Jane escapes, but then returns after a fire destroyed Rochester's house, killed his wife, and left him blind. Love triumphs, lovers reunite and live out their days in each other's company.

12. Layli and Majnun

A famous classic of Persian poetry and one of the most famous poets of the medieval East, who supplemented Persian epic poetry with colloquial speech and realistic style, Nizami of Ganja became famous after he wrote his romantic poem "Layli and Majnun". Inspired by an Arabic legend, Layli and Majnun is a tragic tale of unattainable love. For many centuries, it was told and retold, and the main characters were depicted on ceramics and written about them in manuscripts. Leyli and Kais fell in love with each other while studying at school. Noticing their love, they were forbidden to communicate and see each other. Kais then decides to go into the desert to live among the animals. He is often malnourished and becomes very emaciated. Due to his eccentric behavior, he becomes known as Majnun (crazy). In the desert, he meets an elderly Bedouin who promises him to win back his Layla.

The plan fails to materialize, and Layla's father continues to refuse to be together with the lovers due to Majnun's insane behavior. Soon he marries her to another. After the death of Leyla's husband, the old Bedouin facilitates her meeting with Majnun, however, they could not fully be on the same wavelength and understand each other. After their death, they were buried next to each other. The story is often interpreted as an allegory for the soul's desire to connect with the divine.

13. Eloise and Abelard

This is the story of a monk and a nun whose love letters have become world famous. Around 1100, Pierre Abelard traveled to Paris to study at the school of Notre Dame. There he acquired a reputation as an outstanding philosopher. Fulbert, a high-ranking official, hired Abelard as a tutor to his niece, Heloise. Abelard and Heloise fell in love with each other, conceived a child and secretly married. However, Fulbert was furious, so Abelard hid Eloise in a safe place in the monastery. Believing that Abelard had decided to abandon Heloise, Fulbert had him castrated while he slept. Heartbroken, Eloise became a nun. Despite all the troubles and hardships, the couple continued to love each other. Their emotional love letters were published.

14. Pyramus and Thisbe

A very touching love story that will not leave indifferent anyone who reads it. Their love was selfless, and they were sure that even in death they would be together. Pyramus was a very handsome man, and from childhood he was friends with Thisbe, a beautiful maiden from Babylonia. They lived in neighboring houses, and fell in love with each other as they grew up. However, their parents were strongly opposed to their marriage. One night, just before dawn, while everyone was sleeping, they decided to sneak out of the house and meet in a nearby field near a mulberry tree. Thisbe came first. While she was waiting under a tree, she saw a lion approaching a spring located near the tree to quench his thirst, his jaw was covered in blood.

Seeing this terrifying sight, Thisbe rushed to run to hide in the depths of the forest from a lion, but on the way she dropped her handkerchief. The lion followed her and came across a handkerchief, which he decided to taste. At this time, Pyramus approached the place, and seeing a lion with bloodied jaws and with a scarf of his beloved, he lost the meaning of life. At that moment, he pierces himself with his own sword. Unaware of what had just happened, Thisbe continued to hide. After a while, she came out of hiding, and discovered what Pyramus had done to himself. Realizing that she has no reason to live, she takes the sword of her beloved and also kills herself.

15. Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy

In fact, Jane Austen embodied the two attributes of human nature, pride and prejudice, in her characters Darcy and Elizabeth. Darcy belongs to high society, he is a typical educated representative of the aristocracy. On the other hand, Elizabeth is the second daughter of a gentleman with very limited means. Mr. Bennet is the father of five daughters who were given the right to grow up as they wanted, who did not receive a school education and were not brought up by a governess.

Elizabeth's very indulgent mother and irresponsible father never thought about their daughters' future, taking it for granted that they would do well. "All is well" in the understanding of the mother of girls meant to marry a rich and prosperous man. For a man of Mr. Darcy's social status, the shortcomings of the Elizabeth family were very serious, and absolutely unacceptable to his polished and refined mind. He falls in love with Elizabeth, however she turns him down, but she later realizes that she cannot love anyone but Darcy. The story of their union and the birth of love is very interesting.

16. Salim and Anarkali

Every lover knows the story of Salim and Anarkali. The son of the great Mughal emperor Akbar, Salim, fell in love with an ordinary but very beautiful courtesan Anarkali. He was fascinated by her beauty, so it was love at first sight. However, the emperor could not accept the fact that his son fell in love with a courtesan. He began to put pressure on Anarkali, using all sorts of tactics to make her fall in the eyes of the prince in love. When Salim found out about this, he declared war on his father. But he failed to defeat his father's gigantic army, Salim was defeated, captured and sentenced to death. At this moment, Anarkali intervenes, who renounces her love in order to save her beloved from the clutches of death. She was buried alive in a brick wall in front of Salim.

17. Pocahontas and John Smith

This love story is a famous legend in American history. Pocahontas, an Indian princess, was the daughter of Powhatan, who was the leader of the Powhatan Indian tribe, who lived in what is now the state of Virginia. The princess first saw Europeans in May 1607. Among all, she drew attention to John Smith, she liked him. However, Smith was captured by members of her tribe and tortured. It was Pocahontas who saved him from being torn to pieces by the Indians, and later the tribe adopted him as their own. This incident helped Smith and Pocahontas become friends. The princess after this incident often visited Jamestown, passing messages from her father.

John Smith, severely injured after an accidental explosion of gunpowder, returned to England. After another visit, she was told that Smith was dead. Some time later, Pocahontas was taken prisoner by Sir Samuel Argall, who hoped to use her as a link between him and her father in order for the latter to free the English prisoners. During her captivity, she decides to become a Christian and, taking the name Rebecca, was baptized. A year later, she married John Rolfe (John Rolfe). Having gone to London after a certain time, she and her husband met with his old friend John Smith, after a long 8 years. This was their last meeting.

18. Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal

In 1612, a teenage girl, Arjumand Banu, married 15-year-old Shah Jahan, ruler of the Mughal Empire. Then she changed her name to Mumtaz Mahal, bore Shah Jahan 14 children and became his beloved wife. After Mumtaz died in 1629, the grieving emperor decided to create a worthy monument in her honor. It took 20,000 workers, 1,000 elephants and almost 20 years of work to complete the construction of this monument - the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan did not have time to complete the construction of a black marble mausoleum for himself. Deposed by his own son, he was imprisoned in the Red Fort at Agra, where he spent lonely hours looking across the Yamuna River at the monument to his beloved. He was subsequently buried next to her in the Taj Mahal.

19. Marie and Pierre Curie

This is a story about partnership in love and science. Unable to continue her studies in Poland because the universities then did not admit women, Marie Skłodowska-Curie came to Paris in 1891 to enter the Sorbonne. Marie, as the French began to call her, spent every free minute in the library or in the laboratory. The hard-working student once caught the eye of Pierre Curie, director of one of the laboratories in which Maria worked. Pierre actively courted Maria and several times proposed to her to marry him. Finally, in 1895, they got married and began working together. In 1898, the couple discovered polonium and radium.

Curie and scientist Henri Becquerel received the Nobel Prize in 1903 for the discovery of radioactivity. When Pierre died in 1904, Marie made a promise to herself to continue their work. She took his place at the Sorbonne, becoming the school's first female teacher. In 1911, she became the first person to win a second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry. She continued to experiment and teach until her death from leukemia in 1934, driven by the memory of the man she loved.

20. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

This is the love story of an English queen who mourned her dead husband for 40 years. Victoria was a lively, cheerful girl who was fond of drawing and painting. She ascended the English throne in 1837 after the death of her uncle King William IV. In 1840 she married her cousin Prince Albert. Although initially disliked in some circles for being German, Prince Albert was later admired for his honesty, hard work and devotion to his family. The couple had 9 children, Victoria loved her husband very deeply. She often used his advice in matters of state, especially with regard to diplomatic negotiations.

When Albert died in 1861, Victoria was devastated. She did not appear in public for three years. Her prolonged seclusion drew public criticism. There were several attempts on the Queen's life. However, under the influence of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, Victoria returned to public life by opening Parliament in 1866. However, she never ended her mourning for her beloved husband, wearing black robes until her death in 1901. During her reign, which was the longest in English history, Britain became a world power on which "the sun never sets".

Who were they, famous lovers? Heroes of bright literary works, or real people? Now it doesn't matter at all! For they strive to be like them, their names are taken as pseudonyms, and, following their example, they perform genuine Actions. A dozen immortal love stories - only on the eve of the most romantic holiday in the world!

THE STORY OF ROMEO AND JULIET

This couple, with the light hand of William Shakespeare, has become simply synonymous with the word "love." Even despite the fact that their real story is incredibly tragic. Two loving teenagers managed to find the strength to oppose their feelings to the world, society, mortally hostile relatives. Little Verona became the backdrop for an epoch-making event. In its very center, in the fertile soil of two young hearts, a small seed of love at first sight was thrown. Soon it sprouted, turned into a beautiful flower of passionate feelings. And for the sake of such incredible love, you just had to die! It is only regrettable that death in this case was not a pompous promise, but a tragic reality. However, the love and death of young Romeo and Juliet was able to melt the hearts of the warring relatives, to reconcile them. Perhaps it is thanks to such an incredibly tragic ending that Shakespeare's plot leaves a deep mark on the hearts and souls of many generations!

HISTORY OF CLEOPATRA AND MARK ANTONY

The intriguing love story of Antony and Cleopatra is still heard today. They fell in love at first sight, and became victims of tragic circumstances. Their relationship created a powerful foundation for the statehood and economy of Egypt. And it was this fact that caused confusion in the great and powerful state called Rome. Despite all the threats and prohibitions, Cleopatra and Mark Antony got married. Their marriage was the beginning of a great war between Rome and Egypt. In the midst of one of the great battles, false news was brought to Antony that Cleopatra had died. The glorious warrior, accustomed to always defeating even the most powerful enemy, could not survive the news of the death of his beloved. Heartbroken, he fell on his own sword. When Cleopatra found out about the death of Mark Antony, she also committed suicide. Indeed, great love requires very great sacrifices.

THE HISTORY OF LANCELOT AND GUINEVER

This time, a tragic love story took place in good old England, between one of the bravest knights of King Arthur's Round Table, Sir Lancelot, and the king's wife, Queen Guinevere. It so happened that the marriage of Arthur and Guinevere was only a mutually beneficial contract for their families. But you can't tell your heart! And it was the heart that led the once noble knight, Sir Lancelot, to her window. At first, he called her his Lady of the Heart, dedicated victories in jousting tournaments and real battles to her. Guinevere accepted all romantic attentions, but nevertheless tried to keep Lancelot at a distance. But soon her heart could not resist and a deep feeling flared up in it. Lancelot and Guinevere began to secretly meet. One of these dates became a trap for them. Lancelot managed to escape, and Guinevere was sentenced to be burned at the stake for adultery. However, Lancelot did not leave his beloved. He saved her, snatched her right out of the "paws" of the fire. The subsequent history of the lovers is not known for certain. But they say that Guinevere became a nun in one of the remote monasteries of England, and Lancelot wandered the world for the rest of his life.

THE STORY OF TRISTAN AND ISELD

Another, no less tragic story of great love with English roots. Middle Ages. England. The reign of King Arthur. Iseult was the daughter of the ruler of Ireland, and she was soon to be married to King Mark of Cornwall. King Mark sent his nephew Tristan to Ireland to accompany Iseult to Cornwall. But it so happened that during the trip the young people fell in love with each other. Although, following the duty of honor, she did marry Mark. Soon the king learned about the feelings of his nephew and wife. Scandal erupted. Pulling himself together, Mark forgave Isolde, and Tristan was banished from Cornwall forever.

THE STORY OF PARIS AND HELENA

Homer's Iliad glorified these two lovers throughout the world. However, many scientists consider the existence of Elena the Beautiful to be more of a fiction, a beautiful ancient Greek legend, than a real fact. Nevertheless, the story of great love, which became the beginning of the Trojan War, continues to inspire romantics, writers and directors to create new magnificent masterpieces of art.

Helen was the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. Paris is the son of the Trojan king Priam. The young man, once seeing Elena, a woman of unearthly beauty, fell in love. Burning with feeling from the inside, he kidnapped the Spartan queen and brought her home to Troy. Menelaus did not forgive such humiliation and betrayal, gathered a huge army and destroyed Troy to the ground. Helen was returned to Sparta. Menelaus, who sincerely loved her, forgave the traitor. The fate of Paris is not known for certain.

THE HISTORY OF ODYSSEY AND PENELOPE

Odysseus and Penelope are an example of a rare sacrifice in the name of love and the ability to wait. Immediately after the wedding, Odysseus was forced to leave his young wife and go to war. Penelope waited twenty long years for his return. During this time, she rejected the proposals of 108 men who sought to replace her husband. Odysseus, on the way, also remained faithful and chaste. One day he met a beautiful sorceress who offered him eternal youth in exchange for his love for her. Refusing such an offer, Odysseus underwent many trials and wanderings. But after 20 years, he, nevertheless, returned home to Penelope and his son.

THE LOVE STORY OF SCARLETT OHARA AND RETTA BUTLER

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is one of the few truly immortal literary works about love. All generations read it. At the same time, the girls strive to be like the explosive and passionate Scarlett. The girls are looking for their Butlers among the crowds of fans. They are looking for because the love of the main characters was great, stormy, passionate. She was born in the midst of the Civil War and was like a daily civil war that brought so much pain, loss, suffering and disappointment to both of them.

LOVE STORY OF SALIM AND ANARKALI

The son of the Mughal emperor Akbar, Salim, fell in love with the beautiful courtesan Anarkali. But the emperor could not forgive his heir for his love for a fallen woman, he considered it a shame for himself and for the state. A real war broke out between father and son. Salim was defeated in battle with the mighty army of the emperor and was sentenced to death. On the day of the execution, Anarkali appeared on the square, threw herself at the emperor's feet and said that she was ready to die, if only Salim would live. Akbar accepted such a sacrifice. In front of her beloved, the girl was immured alive in a brick wall.

THE LOVE STORY OF POCAHONTAS AND JOHN SMITH

This love story is a famous legend from the history of America. Pocahontas was the daughter of an Indian chief of the Algonquian Indians. In May 1607, the girl saw the English for the first time. And among them - John Smith, who seemed to her very attractive. However, Pocahontes and Smith met in the midst of a war between ethnic tribes and conquerors. Captured British Indians succumbed to terrible torture. Pocahontas saved John, and an affair began between them. By virtue of her love, the girl converted to Christianity. She was baptized with the name Rebecca.

THE STORY OF QUEEN VICTORIA AND PRINCE ALBERT

A love story of crowned persons. Victoria was a lively, cheerful girl, in love with painting and the world around her. She ascended the English throne in 1837 after the death of her uncle, King William IV. In 1840 she married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. At first, the choice of Victoria was not approved by the people. But then Albert earned the deep trust and respect of people with his honesty, hard work and devotion to his family. Albert and Victoria had nine children. The queen in all public affairs listened to the opinion of her husband. When Albert died (1861), Victoria observed strict mourning and did not appear in public for three whole years. Three years later, returning to public duties, she continued to mourn for her beloved spouse. She did not shoot black for 40 years, until her death. Dikmi: All the famous lovers in the world have been different. Exactly the same as their ways of life, meetings, happiness and tragedy were different. But we have a lot to learn from them. Learn loyalty, devotion, courage and sacrifice. However, our time also raises its heroes. And who knows, maybe in 100 years, we will describe exactly your Love on the pages of publications! And we will admire the deeds for the glory of her name and devotion in her honor! And let the wise thoughts of famous connoisseurs of real feelings inspire you to great deeds!

On the eve of Valentine's Day, we decided to recall the stories of the great novels of the 20th century - those that shocked the world and in one way or another influenced modern society. The most touching and passionate, happy and unfortunate novels of famous people, stories of mutual love and ostentatious prosperity, marriages of people equal in their greatness and the most famous misalliances.

Wallis Simpson - Edward VIII English

It was not even a scandal - it seemed that the end of the world had come and the collapse of the moral and ethical norms and foundations of secular society.

The heir to the main monarchy of the world turned 36 years old when he met Mrs. Wallis SimpsonWallis Simpson(1896-1986), née Warfield. The woman was married for the second time and lived in London with her husband, a wealthy entrepreneur Ernest Simpson.

The fateful meeting happened in early November 1930, when the Simpsons were invited to a dinner party where the Prince of Wales was to attend. Legend has it that the English prince was captivated at first sight, even though Wallis was not even a beauty. According to contemporaries, she was unremarkable at first glance, special, but in communication she had an amazing charm.

Amazingly, the lovers did not hide their feelings, despite the status of Edward and Wallis's marital status. They appeared together on the streets, social events and in restaurants. The royal family did not even think that this shameful hobby would last long. But when it became clear that the romance was dragging on, attempts were made to hide the details of the prince's relationship from the public.

In January 1936, King George V of England died and Edward assumed the throne. In parallel, Wallis filed for divorce. Neither the royal family nor Parliament wanted to hear about Edward's legal union with an American. Edward was given a choice: either the throne or Wallis. His choice was unequivocal: the price for love was the abdication of the English throne.

On December 10, 1936, Edward VIII delivered his famous speech to the people: “You all know the circumstances that forced me to abdicate the throne. But I want you to understand that in making this decision, I have not forgotten about my country and empire ... But you must also believe that it is impossible for me to fulfill my duty as a king in the way I would like it, without help and support for the woman I love…”

The couple lived happily ever after, traveled, wrote memoirs. Their family idyll continued until 1972, until Edward died of cancer.

Vivien Leigh - Laurence Olivier

Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were not just movie stars, but intellectual actors who achieved the status of great performers. Both shone in the theater and cinema, and their love story unfolded on stage and in life - unlike most acting couples, they worked perfectly in the frame and on stage. So, they played together in the film "Flames over England" (1937) and the classic film version of "Lady Hamilton" (1941), where Lawrence played the role of Nelson, and Vivien - Emma Hamilton . In addition, they were united by a huge number of joint theatrical works. Their tandem was recognized in their homeland as the most outstanding theatrical duet. Lawrence was called "the king among actors", and Vivienne became a national treasure after receiving two Oscars for her roles as Scarlett in Gone with the Wind and Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. . Her international fame gained momentum. The image of the world's first beauty and the main British actress, as well as the marriage, which was called the happiest among acting unions, all seemed like a dream come true for millions of viewers.

But there was no happy ending in this love story. The bright life of two wonderful actors was not so cloudless. As you know, Vivienne was a woman of incredible inner strength, achieving what she wanted at any cost. All biographers vied with each other to tell how she twice made fateful promises to herself. For the first time - being still an unknown actress who saw the famous Laurence Olivier. After the first meeting, Vivienne resolutely told everyone she knew that she would marry him. At the time it seemed like pure madness. The second time she made a big promise was on the eve of the filming of Gone with the Wind, when the biggest film casting in the history of the United States was gaining momentum. The first Hollywood beauties dreamed of playing Scarlett, no one believed in the success of the visiting Englishwoman. "Larry will not play Rhett Butler, but I will play Scarlett!" Vivienne then announced.

It was said that Vivien was more practical than Larry in all matters, but, like a true woman, she gave the impression that her husband made all decisions. A strong character, however, was also her problem - like many great actresses, she had an extremely mobile psyche. Each absence of her husband for shooting could end in depression for her, and work on the role could lead to attacks of obsession. Her genius, turning into whims and wayward attacks, began to annoy her husband.

After 17 years together, Lawrence left her, unable to withstand another bout of hysteria. The actress was already seriously ill. Many fans of the actress consider Olivier, first of all, not a brilliant actor, but a cowardly traitor - depression aggravated the course of the disease, and Vivien Leigh died of pulmonary tuberculosis in the summer of 1967 at her home in Ethan Square in London.

Eva Duarte - Juan Peron

Evita- a household name in Argentina and the most famous first lady of the twentieth century. Second wife of the 29th and 41st Presidents Juan Peron, Eva (Eva Duarte) was an example of an ideal communicator, diplomat and ideological inspirer of the first person of the state.

She was born into a poor family and devoted her whole life to the struggle for better living conditions. Legend has it that the young actress and the colonel became lovers on the very first day they met. Peron, who initiated the military coup, might not have had so many ambitions if not for Eva, who made him believe that he would definitely become the head of government. Perón appeared openly with his young girlfriend, shocking the officers with his relationship with the actress.

After the arrest of Peron, October 17, 1945 happened - this date went down in the history of Argentina as the day of "the liberation of Peron by the people." 5,000 workers and their families gathered in the May Square in Buenos Aires in front of the presidential palace, demanding "the return of the colonel." After such support, Peron began to prepare for the presidential election, having previously married Eva, who immediately left her work in the cinema and entered the headquarters of his closest aides. Peron relied on feminist slogans, and therefore wanted to have a wife next to him, a presidential candidate, personifying the increased role of women in the modern world.

Eva turned out to be so energetic that she began to play one of the main roles in the government under Peron, although she did not officially hold any post. She founded a charitable foundation named after herself to help the poor and since 1949 has become one of the most influential people in Argentina. In addition, she was the right hand and adviser of Juan Peron, although gradually she came to the fore in their tandem. The charismatic Evita very quickly turned into a cult personality, her popularity was supported by propaganda - Eva, with all her proximity to power, was the idol of left-wing youth, like Che Guevara. Estimates of her life and personality are contradictory, but it is Eva Peron who is considered responsible for attracting women to the public and political life of Latin America.

Eva Peronumla died at the age of 33 from uterine cancer. Juan Peron after her death was destined to become the President of Argentina again. Notably, his next wife, Maria Estela Martínez de Perón, a former nightclub dancer, became the first female president in history after his death.

Grace Kelly - Prince Rainier

There was no great love in this union. However, the history of the relationship between the most mysterious Hollywood actress and the Prince of Monaco is inscribed in the history of the greatest novels of the 20th century.

Favorite actress of the "King of Horror" Alfred Hitchcock, Grace Kelly different from most Hollywood stars. She acted and looked like a true princess thanks to her Nordic appearance and restrained manner, although, as is often the case, behind a beautiful facade was an amorous and passionate nature, prone to both adventurous short ties and calculated profitable relationships. Beautiful, cold, seemingly inaccessible, Grace Kelly misled men - it seemed that there simply could not be a more inaccessible star. However, there were legends about the promiscuity of the actress on the sidelines - she could give herself up on the first day of her acquaintance to an ordinary cameraman from the set, while accepting the courtship of the Iranian Shah. Many biographers are seriously talking about the nymphomania of the actress and a slight mental disorder associated with playing the inaccessible Snow Queen. So, during the filming, she always entered into love affairs with partners on the set, and on the set of the film High Noon, not only her partner Gary Cooper, but also the director of the film, Fred Zinneman, became her lovers.

The halo of purity and purity, which Grace Kelly cultivated in her image, worked for her - in Hollywood she was given the nickname "Miss high society" and they believed that she should marry only a real prince. Angelic appearance and the right image did their job - it was she who was married to the Prince of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier III).

An epochal acquaintance that changed the fate of the whole state happened in 1955. Rainier III had long been looking for a worthy spouse, since the fading economy of the ruined state of Monaco required decisive measures. Marrying a well-known Hollywood beauty with a good reputation could attract investment and arouse the interest of tourists in the region. All that was left was to choose a bride. Grace Kelly seemed like the perfect fit - impeccable manners, classic elegance, meek eyes. After a short romantic correspondence, the young people agreed on a wedding.

Monaco is not a state where marriage with a star would be considered a wild misalliance. Prince Rainier was a good politician, and therefore his plan to attract an Oscar-winning Hollywood beauty to the royal wedding became one of the most successful PR moves in history. The fabulous wedding, which took place in 1956, not only revived interest in Monaco, but turned the region into one of the most prestigious on the planet.

The country idolized its new princess - Grace gave Monaco heirs and new economic opportunities. The flow of tourists and investments has turned the troubled region into a prosperous financial center. Grace's life was like a fairy tale: couture outfits, shooting in palaces for glossy publications, international trips with visits.

But in fact, everything was not so cloudless. Grace, who managed to curb her temper and with all her passion got used to the new image, suffered from the difficult nature of Rainier, and secular duties made her forget about the personal. After forty-five, the princess had health problems - she began to gain weight. Beloved children - two daughters and a son - grew up and turned into scandalous gossip heroes. Grace was horrified to recognize in the indomitable daughters who ran away from home, neglected secular duties and had affairs with bodyguards, a young self, suppressing instincts in the name of a new role that wrote her name in history.

In 1982, Grace Kelly lost control of her car and got into a car accident. Her daughter, who was also in the car, got off lightly. The injuries of the princess herself turned out to be incompatible with life - the next day, by decision of Prince Rainier, the life support apparatus was turned off.

Reporters still consider Kelly's death not as clear cut as it seemed from the outside.

Maria Callas - Aristotle Onassis

A story of passionate love and humiliation - this is how the novel of the great opera diva and the richest man in the world in the middle of the 20th century can be characterized.

Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis- a cult personality, a billionaire who prefers to communicate with representatives of the elite of different countries - he was a dear guest at a reception and social events of any level. He surrounded himself with the most beautiful women from influential circles, whom, however, he often used for his own purposes - to achieve personal or business goals. He experienced a real feeling only once - in 1959, when he met a young opera singer Maria Callas whose talent was applauded by the whole world.

Callas (real name) Cecilia Sophia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulos) was born to Greek immigrants in the United States. She married very well and was happily married - her husband was a wealthy Italian industrialist Giovanni Battisto Meneghini, a great connoisseur of opera, who fell in love with the singer at first sight. He became for Maria not only a faithful spouse, but also a devoted manager and a generous producer who sold a business for her and lived only in her interests.

Onassis noticed Maria Callas at a ball in Venice, later got to her concert, and then invited her and her husband to his legendary yacht "Christina" - the main symbol of the unprecedented luxury of that time. The Greek magnate, who was also tied by the knot, was shocked by the magnificence of the singer, for the first time in his life, passion turned out to be stronger than the voice of reason. Maria Callas, who had made a career of being a huge obese woman, had lost more than 30 kg by that time and was in excellent physical shape.

The events that unfolded on the luxury yacht "Christina", cruising the Mediterranean, amazed the public. Forgetting about decency, Onassis and Callas not only had an affair in front of the spouses and guests, but also defiantly reveled in their love - they danced to the music on the deck and disappeared all night long until morning.

Discouraged, Meneghini could not find a place for himself and felt like a real fool. Even then, he hoped for the prudence of his wife and was ready to forgive the holiday romance, but the lovers did not think of parting. Onassis and Callas began to live together. Having achieved his goal, Onassis turned from an ardent lover into a rude and despotic roommate who was in no hurry to register a relationship. Mary's compliance and sacrificial love gave rise to Onassis's unpunished cruelty towards her - he began to insult her with friends, openly cheat on her and even raise a hand against her. Kallas meekly endured, which provoked even greater bouts of aggression from her lover.

The opera diva, blinded by love, stopped giving concerts and tried to cultivate sacrifice in herself - she decided to devote herself to love, even if it cost her to give up her self-esteem. She lost her voice and withdrew into herself, even the memories of her magnificent triumph at La Scala did not give her peace - she lived in the hope of re-experiencing the feelings that she experienced on the Christina yacht .

In October 1968, Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis married the widow of the President of the United States. Jacqueline Kennedy. His cohabitant Maria Callasus learned about it from the newspapers. The blow was so strong that she withdrew into herself and did not leave her apartment. A little more than a month passed when Onassis, who realized his mistake, rushed to Paris, begging his former lover for forgiveness. Aristotle tried to assure Mary that marriage to Mrs. Kennedy was an image deal for him, a PR move that had nothing to do with normal human relationships.

Former US First Lady Jackie Kennedy turned out to be a cold, energetic and prudent woman - she devoted herself entirely to consumption. There were legends about Jacqueline's extravagance: she bought hundreds of creations of eminent couturiers and left them unpacked in closets, constantly traveled around the world and spent such sums on entertainment, furs and diamonds that even fantastically rich Onassis clutched his heart. Jackie bought designer clothes literally from stores. Being a recognized style icon, she allowed herself to experiment - she appeared in public in short skirts and transparent dresses, and social life occupied her much more than the illness and suffering of her elderly spouse. When the only son of the billionaire Alexander died in a plane crash, Onassis almost went crazy - everything in his life lost its meaning. He lived out his last years, finding peace only in communion with his beloved and all-forgiving Mary.

He died in a Paris hospital on March 15, 1975. Maria Kallas was next to him, and Jackie was in New York at that time - having learned about the death of Onassis, she calmly ordered a collection of mourning dresses from Valentino.

Elizabeth Taylor - Richard Burton

Hollywood star relationship Elizabeth Taylor and a characteristic British actor Richard Burton, who made a brilliant career in Hollywood, is called nothing more nor less than the "novel of the century." Firstly, both of them were stars of the first magnitude, and the era of the paparazzi was just in its infancy - and it was their love story that became the main newsbreak of the era. Secondly, the romance of the two stars was not just stormy, but worthy of film adaptation: love to frenzy, quarrels, fights, separations and reunions - the lovers got married twice and divorced twice, starred together in Oscar-winning films, proudly posed on the red carpet and destroyed rooms in expensive hotels in a fit of drunken quarrels. This lifestyle and the close attention of the world community allowed them to become the first classic celebrities - with sky-high raiders and millions in fees, as well as the most expensive collection of jewelry that the generous Richard gave Elizabeth after every quarrel.

Elizabeth Taylor is one of the true legends of Hollywood and the most famous actresses of all time. Before meeting Richard, she did not yet have a reputation as a dramatic actress - a fatal beauty, she was already married for the fourth time at that time (there were eight marriages in her life, two of which were with Burton) and was considered an eccentric star. Barton, with his incredible dramatic role, had a reputation as a character actor on stage and in life - temperamental and aggressive, he liked to drink and did not try to appear at least a little politically correct.

A stormy romance, followed by the whole world, happened on the set of the film "Cleopatra" in Rome in January 1962. Compared to the scale of that action, the story of modern Jolie and Pitt looks like a timid parody of the majestic epic - Hollywood shot the most expensive film in history (40 million of those old dollars), where the main roles are Cleopatra and Mark Antony - played by the stars that laid the foundation for the gossip genre, millions in royalties, diamonds as gifts, yachts and front pages of newspapers devoted to the ups and downs of the relationship of the main movie couple of the century.

By 1961, the thirty-seven-year-old Welshman Barton was being called "British Brando". He was happily married to actress Sybil Wallace and the couple had two children. Twenty-nine-year-old Taylor was married to singer Eddie Fisher. The passion that flared up on the set consumed the actors so much that they didn’t even make an effort to hide their love and didn’t listen to anyone - they continued to kiss when the love scene had already been played and the director said: “Stop!”, made love wherever it was only perhaps they indulged in drunkenness and debauchery and drowned in the abyss of sinful passion.

The hype raised by the newspapers led to the fact that the Vatican officially condemned the relationship between Liz and Richard. They tried to part, but they were drawn to each other irresistibly.

In his letters, which today have become a bestseller, Barton, blinded by love, wrote: “In my poor and painful youth, I dreamed only of such a woman. And now, when from time to time the dream comes back to me, I reach out and understand that she is here, next to me. If you haven't met or known her, you've lost a lot in your life."

Eventually, they both divorced their official spouses and married in 1964. Barton showered his wife with diamonds, instilled in her confidence that she had the potential of a deep dramatic actress. They demanded millions of fees from film bosses and in every possible way created a legend of great stars of the first magnitude.

In the second half of the sixties, their famous paintings were filmed - "The Taming of the Shrew", "Comedians", "Boom", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". For the last film, Elizabeth received a second Oscar. Two brilliant dramatic actors in their personal lives experienced painful love on the verge of frenzy, fits of jealousy and addiction to alcohol. “Maybe we loved each other too much ... I never thought that this was possible,” Liz Taylor wrote in her diaries. And in July 1973, she suddenly announced: “Richard and I are parting for a while. Maybe we love each other too much… Pray for us!” The divorce took place in June 1974.

Life apart turned out to be unbearable - the 16 months spent as if in delirium ended in a second wedding. The second marriage lasted from October 1975 to July 1976.

Richard Burton died of a heart attack on August 5, 1984. His death was a terrible tragedy for Elizabeth, despite the fact that at that time she already had another lover. Elizabeth Taylor herself, despite her illnesses and ailments, died at the age of 79 in March 2011. The published letters of Richard Burton, who turned out to be an incredible writer, formed the basis of the book "Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century"(Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century). Today, the main Hollywood directors are fighting for the right to film this story, and the best Hollywood actors - to play the lovers of the brightest drama of the twentieth century.

Frank Sinatra - Ava Gardner

For America Frank Sinatra not only "the most popular singer of the century", but also a real legend and symbol of the era of show business and the golden era of Hollywood with all its attributes - classic glamor, gangsters, millionaires and the halo of greatness and inaccessibility of idols. Sicilian, mafia friend, he is named the most desirable man of the 20th century. His biography, in which incredible creative victories were combined with friendship with presidents and politicians, criminal authorities and the first beauties, is one of the brightest pages of world culture.

As for the great story of his love, it was only one. While all the women in his life were passing, including such Hollywood beauties as Marilyn Monroe and Lana Turner, the passion for one woman shocked him so much that the great Sinatra lost his voice, went into a binge and tried to commit suicide.

Her name was Ava Gardner (Ava Gardner). An actress, one of the brightest Hollywood stars of the 1940s and 1950s, an incomparable beauty and a woman of incredible temperament, she was famous for her magnetic influence on men. There were legends about the strength of attraction of this fatal beauty. The great Hemingway himself called her a muse and a favorite actress. At the time of the meeting with Sinatra, she had been married twice and was going through a dizzying affair with a multimillionaire Howard Hughes, who first encountered such a wayward woman. The fan indulged all the requests of the beauty: planes, diamonds, outfits.

Frank was married and had three children. He did not consider the family an obstacle to stormy relationships, but the passion of such strength turned out to be more important than the desire for home comfort.

They met in 1950 at the premiere of the film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" The state in which Sinatra was after this meeting is described by his friends and biographers as insanity. “She poured something into my glass!” he justified. The feeling that captured the main star of the era destroyed him: Sinatra suffered, suffered, went crazy with love and jealousy. It was hard for him to compete with Hughes in offering expensive gifts, and his trademark tricks on Ava did not work. Friends did not recognize Frank - he beamed with delight when Ava agreed to have dinner with him, then he walked like a beaten dog when she stopped taking him seriously. "I have got you under my skin" - these words of the famous song Frank Sinatra recorded in one breath late at night, dying of love for Ava Gardner.

He wrote his best songs, being in a state of love fever, which did not let him go for a minute - a ballad "Fool, I wanted you" was the product of his sensual fit.

Sinatra knew how to love to the point of frenzy and madness, and the proud but passionate Ava was impressed by this way of expressing feelings. When she surrendered under his pressure, their bright romance was called by contemporaries nothing more than a “bullfight of love” of two bright personalities and idols of the era. The clash of two southern temperaments resulted in such a passion that swallowed both. Generous, flamboyant, generous, Frank made Ava feel things she didn't get from Hollywood bosses and wealthy fans. They were both witty, energetic, impulsive and emotional, they coincided in everything - in love for strong drinks, delicious food, nightly boxing matches and love on the verge of frenzy. It was the energy of true love and passion, which was impossible to resist.

At the same time, Frank and Ava met secretly - for the press and society, he was Nancy's husband, and she met with Hughes. A random snapshot of a reporter catching them together made a lot of noise. Avoiding a scandal, Ava flew to Spain, and Frank, who decided that he had been abandoned, lost his voice with grief. He flew to her on the other side of the world, but there a new blow awaited him - his beloved woman had an affair with a bullfighter. He almost committed suicide, but Ava stopped him, promising to return. And deceived again - her affair with Richard Green ended for Sinatra with an overdose of sleeping pills. And Ava gave up. The long-awaited wedding took place in Philadelphia. Several years of absolute happiness were for Sinatra a reward for suffering.

However, even in family life, Frank and Ava continued to torment each other with jealousy, quarrels and a stormy showdown. Frank worshiped Ava as a goddess, kept pictures of her in his office, watched over her, and lost his health in his paranoid quest to possess her completely.

Such an obsession cannot keep in suspense forever - love of such intensity does not stand the test of time. But even after the divorce, which took place in 1957, Frank and Ava continued to meet secretly from time to time - the paparazzi kept catching them in godforsaken hotels under the cover of night.

After Ava, Frank had many women, beautiful and famous, but he never again experienced anything even remotely resembling the all-consuming love that happened in his life. Ava passed away in 1990 at the age of 68. Sinatra lived to 82 and passed away in 1998.

Alain Delon - Romy Schneider

This love story seemed real and sincere, but the ideal romance of European stars did not stand the test of fame, promiscuity and ambition.

Beginning of life Romy Schneider, the best actress in the world according to French and Austrian viewers, was cloudless and promised only happiness and prosperity. It was impossible to imagine what a nightmare her life would turn out to be.

Romy Schneider and Alain Delon met on the set of a movie "Kristina" in 1958. By that time, the Austrian actress, the star of European cinema and the heiress of the famous dynasty of aristocratic actors was already in the status that she could afford to choose partners. Her choice fell on an unknown French actor.

Love at first sight did not happen to them - the educated and intelligent Romy considered her colleague too young, handsome and dressed up. Alain found his partner completely unattractive. The novel broke out unexpectedly for everyone, because the young people had nothing in common. He is a cynical and cruel homeless child who came out of poverty, she is an intelligent girl from a good family, a symbol of the bourgeoisie, which he despised so much. He rejected any moral foundations and understood freedom as complete indifference to the problems of other people, and she tried to follow burgher principles and could not afford much due to the concepts of decency and duty.

Passion consumed Romy so much that she left for her beloved in Paris. Her principles and lifestyle, dreams of a family and children caused Delon only contemptuous laughter. He openly called her a bourgeois and emphasized in every way that he was free from conventions and obligations. They were irresistibly attracted to each other, but there was never harmony, understanding and respect in these relations. While most considered this novel a misalliance, Delon himself was emphatically rude to Romy, making it clear who needed this relationship more.

The media adored the little angel Romy and condemned the adventures of her companion, but in their desire to make his every step public, they literally killed the actress. The yellow press tracked every step of Delon and Schneider, wrote about all his adventures and ridiculed the naivety of Romy, who forgave the groom of his betrayal and spree. The humiliating fate of Romy Schneider was to endure and be ridiculed. She could not leave due to lack of experience, because of great love and a really naive belief that everything would work out - Delon was able to convince her that tomorrow everything would certainly be different. Meanwhile, he not only destroyed her self-esteem by betrayal and deceit, but gradually moved on to rough treatment and assault.

This went on for over five years. Passionate, painful, full of ambiguity and humiliation, the relationship was cut off by Delon himself. His career went up, their joint film roles turned out to be extremely successful - the relationship experienced at the break of feelings helped the couple play the forbidden love of a brother and sister in a theatrical production Luchino Visconti. Delon was accepted in the theatrical environment, he began to receive serious fees, crowds of fans appeared in his life and that “Dolce Vita” that accompanies the life of every handsome and successful young actor. Radiant little Romy, who helped him become a star, instilled a love of literature and helped form his own acting method, there was no place in this new life. It was at this time that Romy Schneider became not just a living actress, but a deep, characteristic one, with a strong dramatic temperament.

Delon said goodbye to her through a note, with the wording "We only met at airports." It was his style - cold, cynical, detached. Nothing personal. He soon married an actress Natalie Barthelemy.

Romy Schneider was dying without him. She struggled with her feelings for a man and with a feeling of deep rejection. During the years spent with Alain Delon, one of the best dramatic actresses in Europe completely forgot how to love herself. In the spring of 1966, she remarried. For the sake of Romy, her chosen one is a playwright Harry Mayen left the woman with whom he lived for 12 years. Romy wrote in her diary: “The years spent with Alain were wild, crazy. With Harry, I finally calmed down. In this union, she was looking for respect rather than love.

Perhaps the story of her life would have been different if not for Delon's fatal call in 1968. He convinced Romy and the producers that in the role of his partner in the film "Pool" he sees only her. Stuck in scandals and unsuccessful projects, experiencing the collapse of family life, Delon needed a high-profile successful project to improve his affairs. He needed Romy Schneider not only as a beauty and a great actress - the story of their long-standing relationship was the best PR move. The current status of a faithful wife and mother added spice to the situation.

The film became an explosion, it was bought by many European countries. Newspapers circulated images of Romy and Alain passionately kissing as they experienced a relationship renaissance in the posh resort of St. Tropez, playing six years after their breakup. The mature beauty of yesterday's cutie Romy shocked - it seemed that she had never been more beautiful and convincing. Alain Delon achieved his goal and again disappeared from her life.

Harry Mayen could not forgive his wife for this, their relationship cracked. He quit his job and started drinking. Romi fell into a severe depression and also became addicted to alcohol. A terrible period began in her life. Divorce, remarriage, ex-spouse suicide. She closes in on herself and refuses a number of offers, including "Man and Woman", "Last Tango in Paris", but flies to the other side of the world, to Mexico, to shoot in a third-rate picture with Delon and shock everyone with candid shootings in Playboy magazine . The biggest tragedy in the life of an actress happens after a divorce from her second husband - as a result of a tragic accident, her 14-year-old son David dies, who ran into a metal fence. The distraught Romy withdrew into herself and communicated only with Delon. She drank a lot and just faded away in front of everyone.

She died on the night of May 29-30, 1982. Everyone knew about the tragedy of the life of the great actress, and no one could believe that she, 44-year-old, had a heart failure. Newspapers came out with headlines "Romy Schneider committed suicide." Later it was officially announced that Romy's heart simply could not stand it. All of Europe mourned the beloved actress. And Alain Delon remained true to himself and sent a dubious appeal called “Farewell, my doll” to the Paris Match magazine.

“The day I stop trusting you will be the last day of my life,” this line from the movie "Kristina" Romi repeated in life. She trusted Delon until the end of her days.

Michael Douglas - Catherine Zeta-Jones

The scale of the passions of modern Hollywood can hardly be compared with the golden age, but in its recent history there are novels worthy of special mention. Love story Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones has long been perceived by skeptics as a demonstration of the proverb about "the demon in the ribs" - the age difference of 25 years and the blooming appearance of a rising Hollywood star did not give rise to optimistic forecasts.

Michael Douglas, who belonged to the famous acting dynasty of Hollywood, has never been number one in the unspoken ratings, but has always been among the top stars. In his professional life, everything was as it should be - from the role of the hero-lover and the hero of action adventures in the style of "Indiana Jones", he turned to psychological thrillers, which had a strong erotic beginning. He received two Oscars and recognition, and later the status of a sex symbol - after his role in the cult "Basic Instinct" With Sharon Stone. In a word, his professional life was a success. In his personal life, he maintained a semblance of well-being in a 23-year marriage and was sometimes seen in affairs that did not bring him satisfaction.

British beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones starred mostly in second-rate films. She no longer dreamed of becoming a star - until the age of 27, the actress continued to be the heroine of category B films. The accidental success of the Titanic mini-series with her participation helped the film producers notice the beauty "Mask of Zorro" With Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas. And, as often happens, the next morning after the premiere, the girl woke up famous. On the very day of the film's premiere, she met the star Douglas, who was so excited at the sight of the sultry beauty that he began to speak outright nonsense. The battered 56-year-old actor fell in love in such a way that he did not even think of offering the young actress the humiliating role of a mistress - all his efforts were directed at conquering the woman who drove him crazy. It was also symbolic that Katherine and Michael were born on the same day - September 25 - with a difference of 25 years.

Despite the fact that in Hollywood they laughed at the habits of the macho Douglas and called him “an erotic playboy” behind his back, there was not a drop of vulgarity and well-established schemes in these relations. Michael understood that after the success of the film "The Mask of Zorro" such a beauty was waiting for a whole series of good offers, which means fame and all its attendant attributes: fans, millions in fees, photo shoots, social events. He preferred to act quickly in order to be the first to get a girl who was just getting used to Hollywood.

He courted beautifully, old-fashionedly, selflessly, convincing not only Katherine, but the whole world, that this love meant too much to him. Douglas noticeably rejuvenated - a love obsession gave the actor a second youth. After five months of siege, Katherine surrendered. Photos of the paparazzi, capturing a couple in love on the actor's yacht in Mallorca, spread all over the world. Everyone was waiting for a scandal, but the couple said they were going to get married. The scandal, however, happened: the wife of Michael Dinara refused to give a formal divorce until the unfaithful spouse paid her $ 60 million from his 225 million fortune. For the sake of his desire to marry Katherine, the actor paid a giant compensation. In addition, blinded by love, Douglas presented the bride with a unique ring with a 10-carat diamond surrounded by 28 more diamonds, and agreed to a marriage contract, according to which he was obliged to pay his ex-lover $ 3.2 million in the event of a divorce for each year of their life together.

One of the most luxurious weddings in Hollywood history happened on November 18, 2000 at the New York Plaza Hotel. OK magazine paid $ 1.6 million for the right to film this celebration. Among the invitees were Jack Nicholson,Sharon Stone,Brad Pitt,Sean Connery,Anthony Hopkins,Steven Spielberg and even the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The bride was wearing a designer dress from Christian Lacroix embellished with diamonds.

A marriage that was predicted to fail continues to surprise skeptics. He is stable and prosperous - the couple has two common children; Catherine, being pregnant, received an Oscar for her role in the musical "Chicago"; Michael, thanks to the support of his wife, coped with cancer, although he suffered a lot. A rare misalliance becomes such a strong union. And he is the only one in the history of modern Hollywood that can be called a stronghold of family values.

Nikolai Rubtsov (1936-1971) - an outstanding Russian lyric poet, during his short life he managed to publish only four collections of poems. He was born on January 3, 1936 in the Arkhangelsk region. When the war began, his family moved to Vologda, and his father was soon taken to the front. However, a few months later, the wife of Rubtsov Sr. died unexpectedly, and the children were left alone. So little Nikolai and his brother Boris were sent to an orphanage in the small northern town of Totma. When the war finally ended, the boys hoped that their father would come back and take them home. But he never arrived. He chose to marry, start a new family, and forget about children from his first wife forever. Vulnerable, touchy and too soft, Nikolai Rubtsov could not forgive such a betrayal of his father. He closed himself even more and began to write down his first poems in a small notebook. Since then, he did not stop composing, seriously carried away by poetry.

In the summer of 1950, when seven years of school had been completed, Nikolai entered the forest technical school, and two years later he went to Arkhangelsk, where he worked on a ship as an assistant fireman for more than a year. Then the future poet served in the army and moved to Leningrad. By 1962, he published his first collection of poems, he got married, entered the Moscow Literary Institute. It seemed that certainty appeared in life, a little daughter grew up in the family, as the poet Rubtsov became famous among Moscow writers and was considered a rather talented young man. However, due to his addiction to alcohol and drunken brawls, he was expelled from the institute and restored several times again. However, he did not stop drinking.

One of the richest people on earth, the Greek multimillionaire Aristotle Onassis was born on January 15, 1906. He grew up independent, self-confident and courageous, besides, from an early age, Ari, as his relatives called him, had a great interest in persons of the opposite sex. So, when he was barely thirteen years old, he first knew women's caresses. His teacher volunteered to teach the boy the wisdom of love, who became his first mistress and was remembered by Onassis for life. However, his greatest love was yet to come.

In the meantime, Aristotle was obsessed with a single idea - to succeed in business and make a huge fortune. After coming of age, in search of a better life, he emigrated to Argentina and took a job as a telephone technician, but in his spare time he was engaged in business. Thanks to numerous transactions, by the age of thirty-two, Onassis already had several hundred thousand dollars. He made a fortune trading in oil, but he did not want to stop there.

An outstanding poet, almost a Nobel Prize winner, which Boris Pasternak was given for the novel "Doctor Zhivago", was largely indebted to a woman who entered his life so quickly and suddenly in order to stay there until the last days, and after the death of a loved one to experience excruciating difficulties and hardships .

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was born in Moscow on January 29 (February 10), 1890 in the family of an artist and pianist. Famous people gathered in their house: artists, musicians, writers, and from childhood Boris was familiar with the most famous people of art in Russia. He was good at music and drawing. At the age of eighteen, Pasternak entered the Faculty of Law of the Moscow Imperial University, and a year later he was transferred to the Faculty of History and Philology. The young man wished to become a philosopher. A few years later, with the money collected by a caring mother, the young man went to Germany to listen to lectures from the famous German philosopher. But there, finally disappointed in this science, he went to Italy with the remaining money, and the aspiring poet returned to Moscow with a persistent desire to devote himself to literature and poetry. His search for himself has since been over.

The famous Soviet poetess Veronika Mikhailovna Tushnova (1915–1965) was born in Kazan in the family of a professor of medicine, biologist Mikhail Tushnov. Her mother, Alexandra Tushnova, nee Postnikova, was much younger than her husband, which is why everything in the house was subject only to his desires. Coming home late, working hard, the strict Professor Tushnov rarely saw the children, which is why his daughter was afraid of him and tried to avoid him, hiding in the nursery.

Little Veronica was always thoughtful and serious, she loved to be alone and copy poems into notebooks, of which there were several dozen by the end of school.

Passionately in love with poetry, the girl was forced to submit to the will of her father and enter a medical institute in Leningrad, where the Tushnov family had moved shortly before. In 1935, Veronika graduated and went to work as a laboratory assistant at the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Moscow, and three years later she married Yuri Rozinsky, a psychiatrist. (The details of life with Rozinsky are unknown, since Tushnova's relatives prefer to remain silent about this, and the poet's family archive still remains unpublished.)

Edith Giovanna Gassion was born right on the street. Her mother, an acrobat of a traveling circus, gave birth on the outskirts of Paris before she could reach the hospital. It happened on a cold December morning in 1915. Soon the girl's father, Louis Gassion, was taken to the front, and the windy mother, not wanting to take care of her daughter, gave her to the house of her alcoholic parents. They had their own ideas about raising their granddaughter: they kept the girl in the mud and accustomed to wine, they sincerely believed that in this way the child would gain strength and be accustomed to all the difficulties of a future wandering life.

When the father came to visit Edith for a few days, the dirty, skinny, ragged girl made such a terrifying impression on him that he immediately took the child and took him to his mother. She, the mistress of the brothel, washed the baby, fed and dressed her in a clean dress. Surrounded by prostitutes who very warmly and carefully received a four-year-old girl, Edith became happy. However, less than a month later, people around began to notice that the girl did not see. Time passed, she was seven years old, and she still could not distinguish even a bright light. The girls from the brothel, having decided that only divine forces could help "little Edith", went to prayer. With the help of God or not, a miracle happened: a week later, on August 25, 1921, the girl received her sight.

The beautiful, independent, always dignified actress Tatyana Okunevskaya (1914-2002) won the hearts of Soviet men - from ordinary workers to influential and famous officials. The audience remembered her as a carefree and cheerful actress. But who knew her hard, almost tragic life, he understood how difficult it was for her cheerfulness and a charming smile that never left her face.

Tatyana Kirillovna Okunevskaya was born on March 3, 1914 in Moscow. In the third grade, the future actress was expelled from school because of her father, who supported the Whites during the Civil War. The girl was transferred to another school, where she managed to gain respect and remain a constant leader among her classmates for seven years. She defended justice so much that somehow, having quarreled with the boys, she was thrown out of the second floor of the school, but, fortunately, escaped with only minor bruises.

Valentina Serova - one of the brightest stars of Soviet cinema, an open and sincere beauty, was the muse and the strongest and most reverent love of the no less famous Konstantin Simonov.

Prior to their meeting, Simonov was married twice: to Ada Tipot and Evgenia Laskina, who gave him a son. Serova, having lived only a year with her husband, was left a widow with a child not yet born. Her young husband, pilot Anatoly Serov, died while on duty shortly before Serova's meeting with Konstantin Simonov.

The actress could not forget her first husband. Having survived the war, an affair with Simonov, raising her daughter, she invariably every year, on the morning of May 11, came to the Kremlin wall, where the ashes of the Hero of the Soviet Union Anatoly Serov rest. And by the will of fate, that fateful day, many years later, will become the happiest day in her life: Serova gave birth to a daughter ...

The beloved woman of Albert Einstein, with whom few knew about the affair, was a Soviet citizen. For a long time, their relationship was hidden by both the American side and domestic competent authorities. And only at the end of the 20th century, the love story of Margarita Konenkova and the great scientist became known to the general public, not only from some leaked information from former secret agents, but also from the personal archive of the Konenkovs, which was made public and put up for auction by Sotheby in the late 1980s years.

Materials about Konenkova's stay in America have not yet been declassified, and, perhaps, we will not know much. What she and her husband actually did in the United States remains unclear at this time. Whether Margarita really went there to accompany her sculptor husband, or whether she was on a secret assignment from the Soviet side, she was obliged to receive information on the development of an atomic bomb by the Americans.

Henri Matisse, the artist of “light and happiness”, who looked at the world through the prism of joy and beauty, once wrote: “I strive for art full of balance and purity ... I want a tired, torn, exhausted person to taste peace before my painting and rest." He admitted that he found joy in everything: in trees, in the sky, in flowers. This was the whole Matisse - a famous French artist who knew how to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, look for light in the darkness and notice love in an indifferent, callous world. “He has the sun in his blood,” Pablo Picasso once said about the artist.

Henri Matisse was born on December 31, 1869 into a poor family. His mother was a seamstress and worked at home, so multi-colored ribbons, scraps of fabric, bows and ladies' hats were scattered throughout the rooms. This motley environment, filled with a variety of colors, was largely reflected in his bright, joyful paintings many years later. Henri grew up as a serious and purposeful boy. However, at the age of twenty, while practicing law and dreaming of becoming a lawyer, he suddenly became interested in painting. After moving to Paris and enrolling in the School of Fine Arts, Matisse began his studies, devoting himself entirely to art.

Fred Astaire (1899-1987) (real name Frederick Austerlitz), one of the most famous dancers of the past century, was born in America, in Nebraska, on May 10, 1899. His father was a native of Austria, he respected the art of dance and sent his children to a dance school from an early age. As they grew up, Fred and his sister Adele decided to form a dance couple and have performed together ever since. They were immediately noticed and began to be invited not only to the famous dance floors of America, but also of Europe, and since 1915, brother and sister took part in musical comedies. In total, they participated in fifteen dance shows. In 1923, they were to perform on Broadway, where the audience greeted the Asters with enthusiasm. At the same time, more attention was paid to Fred than to the thin, graceful Adele. Temperamental, elegant, with a special sense of rhythm, the young man impressed with his talent.

The success of the Aster dance couple was huge. Ahead of them were tours around the world, participation in the most popular shows and colossal fees for those times. Unexpectedly, Adele got married and, having lost her head from love, left the stage. Fred was alone. After parting with his sister, he decided to go to a screen test, which brought him only disappointment. The verdict was horrifying: “He can’t play. Dancing a little." A thin, clumsy young man seemed ridiculous to the director of the film studio, and his hands with thin, too long fingers were completely unnatural. Fred Astaire walked out of the studio in confusion. Ten happy years that have flown by working with my beloved sister have passed unnoticed. Fred was thirty-three years old, and a suitable partner, whom the dancer had been looking for for several months, was still not found.

Ivan Alekseevich Bunin (1870–1953) was born at dawn on October 10 (22), 1870 in the small Russian town of Yelets. Under the morning crowing of roosters and in the rays of the dawn sun. It was an unusual autumn morning, like an omen that opened the poet's doors to a life full of glory, love, despair and loneliness. Life on the edge: happiness and bitterness, love and hate, loyalty and betrayal, recognition during life and humiliating poverty at the end of the road. His muses were women who gave him delight, troubles, disappointments, and boundless love. And it was from them that the creator left for the world, misunderstood by many, strange and lonely. Once Bunin remarked in his diary after reading Maupassant: "He is the only one who dared to endlessly say that human life is all under the power of a woman's thirst."

Four women were in the life of the great Russian writer, they left a huge mark on his soul, they tormented his heart, inspired, awakened talent and desire to create.