"Cymbeline," the late Shakespeare romance, is an exuberantly confusing play that has never wanted for detractors.
"In most hearts," he wrote in a late romance, "there is an empty chamber waiting, for a guest."
At the heart of this late romance are love and the green world.
In his late romances, he deliberately returned to a more artificial style, which emphasised the illusion of theatre.
Note: Plays marked with an asterisk (*) are now commonly referred to as the "late romances".
The success of Nigeria's latest romance with democratic government therefore will depend on whether its politicians have learned something or forgotten something.
At issue are the terms of Russia's latest romance with the West, which in the last two years has picked up again after a 70-year chill.
Shakespeare's late romances contain some of the starker examples.
It is also somewhat characteristic of the late romances in its structure.
Elaine ruins her friend Noreen's latest romance with a "long talker."