by Emily Neeland

For a long as there have been people, there have been people falling in love. Once in a great while, a romance between two cosmically aligned individuals can capture the attention of the masses. They inspire hope in the hearts of millions, even if they are destined for tragedy. Because some romantic bonds can never be broken, or forgotten, we present to you the Top Ten Famous Romances Throughout History:

1. Mark Antony and Cleopatra

The original power couple, Mark Antony and Cleopatra had an "on again, off again" relationship. First Mark Antony left his Roman wife, Fulvia, to move to Egypt and marry the exotic queen. But then Rome was all like "Whaaat?" To repair damage from this falling out, Mark Antony returned to Rome and married his ally Octavian's sister (while Cleopatra was pregnant with twins). But all his friends in Rome were still jealous haters, so he decided to leave Octavian's sister (who was also pregnant) and get back with his one true love. Octavian was not having any of that noise, so he successfully attacked Egypt. This caused both Mark Antony and Cleopatra to kill themselves because they did not want to live without each other.

2. Romeo and Juliet

In this Shakespeare play, boy meets girl and falls in love while crashing a party at her house. Everything would be totally chill, except their parents are sworn enemies and vow to keep the two apart. Romeo and Juliet get married in secret, but then Romeo is exiled for killing Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, after Tybalt killed his cousin Mercutio. Boys will be boys! Juliet takes a drug to put her in a temporary coma to avoid marrying another man her father set her up with. Romeo hears of her âdeathâ and goes to the crypt with his own lethal dose of poison so he can die beside her. When Juliet wakes up and sees that Romeo is dead, she kills herself with his dagger. Their parents find the two star-crossed lovers dead and are all "Oops, our bad."

3. Bonnie and Clyde

In 1932, Bonnie was just a small town girl living in a lonely world... until she met Clyde. He had just gotten out of prison and was looking to go on a crime spree to get revenge for the abuses he suffered behind bars. Bonnie was super bored so she was all like "Hell yeah, I'll help you rob some gas stations." From there she joined Clyde's ragtag gang on their quest to get enough money and firepower to launch an attack against the prison where Clyde had been held for two years. But ultimately their killing spree came to an end when they were gunned down by a posse of law enforcement officials in Louisiana. 

4. Pocahontas and John Smith

In the animated Disney classic, Pocahontas is a Native American princess who falls in love with the English settler, John Smith. Her father tries to kill John Smith, but Pocahontas is all like "NO DADDY I LOVE HIM!" and saves his life. When a disgruntled colonist, Governor Ratcliffe, attempts to shoot Pocahontas' father, John Smith takes the bullet. He survives and is sent back to England to be treated, leaving behind Pocahontas.

5. Sonny and Cher

After meeting at a cafe in Los Angeles when she was 16 and he was 27, Sonny took Cher under his wing and into his bed. Sonny was working for legendary record producer Phil Spector (the one that murdered that lady a few years ago). Together, Sonny and Cher found fame with their singing act and television variety show. The two went through a nasty public divorce in 1974, but managed to resolve their differences and become friends. 

6. Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler

In the movie Gone With the Wind, Scarlett is a southern belle who is in love with some dude named Ashley, but this does not deter Rhett. Through both their struggles on the losing end of the Civil War, Rhett and Scarlett manage to stay in contact. After being widowed by two husbands, Scarlett finally agrees to marry Rhett and has his baby. But Scarlett is still trying to get with that Ashley fella, and Rhett has had it with her trifling ways. He ends up leaving her, despite her pleas for him to stay.

7. JFK and Jackie O

Both members of the same aristocratic social circle, JFK and Jackie met at a dinner party when the young politician was running for the US Senate. It was a very "I'm rich and pretty, you're rich and pretty. Let's do this!" sort of thing. When JFK became president, America fell in love with his charming, soft-spoken bride. With their wholesome good looks and fairytale romance, the Kennedys were seen as American royalty by many adoring fans. Jackie was by her husband's side during the assassination that led to JFK's early demise. Jackie refused to remove her bloodstained clothes, even as she stood next to Lyndon Johnson while he took the oath of office. 

8. The Great Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan

Gatsby and Daisy met in their youth, but were separated when Gatsby goes off to fight in World War I. Daisy marries the wealthy Tom Buchanan and Gatsby amasses a vast fortune to win her affections. But alas, their love was not meant to be. After briefly rekindling their old romance, Daisy rejects Gatsby. She also accidentally kills her husband's mistress. Whoopsie Daisy! Gatsby takes the blame for this woman's death to protect Daisy, and is then murdered by the mistress' husband. 

9. Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage

Descended from Hollywood royalty, she the daughter of Elvis Presley and he the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, this famous couple had it all. Nicolas, a living legend and huge Elvis fan, made quick work of wooing the former Mrs. Michael Jackson. Their perfect union, which was the third marriage for Lisa Marie and the second for Nicolas, only lasted a mere three months. It would appear that this is one romance that flew too close to the sun.  

10. Batman and Robin

When this dynamic duo isn't fighting crime, they are enjoying domestic bliss together at Wayne Manor. Although there have been female "love interests" used to create a tactical diversion from Batman and Robin's romance, ultimately this unconventional couple has more staying power than any of the others mentioned on this list. They are fully committed to a lifelong partnership with their never-surrender attitude towards life and love.