The classic love triangle was with Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere, where both guys wanted the girl but were also best friends. Does that not qualify?
That is the standard of the love triangle. The two love rivals have to be friends with, or at least know, each other or else there is no tension between them for their love of the 2nd party. Or else every person talking to multiple people on dating apps is in a love n-gon. And love should never intersext with n-gons.
I think you’re somewhat understanding what Platonic love is. In modern usage, I’d say that Platonic love is a really strong form of love, stronger than could be called friendship, but which lacks a sexual or romantic dimension (or at least lacks enough of those to characterise as a romantic or sexual relationship).
But it might also be interesting to look at what Platonic love meant to Plato. I’m not an expert. Not even close. But my understanding is that he might have meant it to be the most perfect form of love. We have the phrase “platonic ideal” that we use in other contexts to refer to something that is the most perfect version of that thing, and I think Platonic love likely originally meant that, for love. It was love of the body, the mind, and the soul. Not less than romantic love. Not equal-but-different like the modern usage of the term. But instead encompassing everything that romantic love is and more.
But I’ve only read extremely shallowly into this matter, and would love to hear more from someone who really knows their stuff.
Great joke man! The unrelated Greek term plausibly masquarading as another geometical term, brilliant!
Unrelated Greek word? Platonic here refers to the nature of Arthur and Lancelot’s relationship. It’s a platonic relationship, rather than romantic or sexual one.
