More randomness

[elettaria]

Someone once said something along the lines of, "Without adultery and [something which I forget], literature and opera would be up shit creek." (Those of you who are beating your heads into a table over my poor referencing are welcome to correct me if you know the quotation.) Anyway, does anyone know of TV or books or what have you where people are successfully polyamorous? Because right now my theory is that they can't be, it would bring the plot to a grinding halt. I'm currently mainlining The L-Word while being a bit relapsy, and Marlee Matlin turns up in Season 4 and is generally fabulous. She comes out as more or less poly, she doesn't actually use the word but she's explicit that monogamy is not the way she works, and I'm busy cheering her on (especially after three and a half seasons of the usual daft infidelities - really, guys, some of you should work out that you're not suited to monogamy, but then of course there would be no show), and then she starts declaring that her lover is making her see the attraction of monogamy for the first time. Now I am all for monogamy when it is what people are suited to, I'm a monogamous beastie myself, but argggh, this is not how personal identity works!

And what about when you end up with an illusion of monogamous pairings but a strongly poly subtext, such as in some Shakespeare comedies?