Cupid
The central symbol of the poem is Cupid, the Roman god of erotic love and desire and the son of Venus. Cupid traditionally symbolizes love in early modern English poetry, as he does in "Love Armed." However, this particular version of Cupid symbolizes a love that is fundamentally cruel and troublesome even as it produces pleasure. Cupid rules over his targets like a tyrant, suggesting that the speaker's perception of love has been darkened by her experience with her beloved.
Bleeding Hearts
The bleeding hearts of the first stanza symbolize those harmed by the experience of love, like the speaker. That Cupid reigns over these bleeding hearts with despotic power suggests that the speaker has been wronged or rejected by her beloved and feels wounded by this slight.
Bright Eyes
The speaker argues that Cupid took the fire for his arrows from her beloved's "bright eyes" (5). Eyes are a common symbol of early modern love poetry, as they represent the connection shared between two people. Some poets even suggested that a lover could see the entire world in their beloved's eyes. Here, the speaker similarly flatters her beloved but ultimately admits that those seductive elements of his character are what has led to her despair.
Sighs and Tears
Sighs and tears are a common Petrarchan motif in early modern English poetry. Poets would frequently feature speakers who compared their sighs and tears to tempests and other natural disasters. Behn uses this motif in a similar way in "Love Armed," as her speaker argues that Cupid drew from her her "sighs and tears" of longing.
