What are some sad unrequited love stories in literature?

In 'Lolita', Humbert Humbert's so - called 'love' for Lolita is a very dark and one - sided form of unrequited love. His actions are immoral, but it still represents a type of unrequited love story in literature. Then there is the story of 'Cyrano de Bergerac'. Cyrano loves Roxane, but he is self - conscious about his large nose and helps Christian, who is more handsome, woo Roxane. He writes love letters for Christian to Roxane, while his own love remains unrequited.

One common theme is longing. The person in love yearns for the other's attention and affection that never comes. For example, like in the story of Lily above, she was constantly longing for Tom to see her in a romantic way. Another theme is self - sacrifice. People often sacrifice their own feelings and needs in the hope that the other person will notice their love. And heartbreak is also a key theme. When the unrequited lover finally realizes their love won't be returned, it breaks their heart as it did for Jack when he saw Emma with another man.

A sad unrequited love story is that of Rose. She had a crush on a boy in her class, David. She would blush whenever he was around. She joined all the clubs he was in just to be close to him. But David had no idea about her feelings. He was focused on his studies and his own group of friends. Rose kept her feelings bottled up inside until she graduated and they went their separate ways. It was a story of unspoken love and disappointment.

Loneliness is also a key theme. Because their love is not reciprocated, the characters often feel very lonely. They may be surrounded by people, but still feel isolated because the one person they want to be with doesn't love them. This loneliness can eat away at them and contribute to their overall sadness and despair in the story.

There's 'The Story of an Hour'. Mrs. Mallard discovers that her husband has died. At first, she is sad, but then she realizes that she is now free from a relationship where she might have felt unrequited love or lack of true connection. When her husband turns out to be alive, she dies from shock, perhaps also from the realization that she has lost her new - found freedom.

A simple yet sad title could be 'Unloved: My One - Sided Affection'.

A title could be 'The Pain of Unloved Love'. It simply and clearly states the main theme of unrequited love, and the word 'pain' emphasizes the sadness involved.

One sad love triangle story is in 'Wuthering Heights'. Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff, and Edgar Linton are involved. Catherine loves Heathcliff passionately, but she marries Edgar for social status. Heathcliff is devastated and his revenge - seeking actions lead to a series of tragedies for all of them.

Another sad love story is 'The Great Gatsby'. Gatsby was in love with Daisy. He had spent years building up his wealth just to be worthy of her. But in the end, Daisy didn't choose him and he was left alone. His love was unrequited in a way, and his death was also a very sad part of the story.

Wuthering Heights also tells a very sad love story. Heathcliff and Catherine loved each other passionately, but social class differences and misunderstandings tore them apart. Catherine married another man, and Heathcliff became bitter and vengeful. Their love was doomed from the start and ended in great sorrow.