Discuss the theme of love in Candide Voltaire.

Love is not an especially prominent theme in Candide. But it's there all the same. Candide's love for Cunégonde is the catalyst for his weird and wonderful odyssey. Candide has been separated from Cunégonde by the Baron because he wishes to break things up between them. Candide sets out to get her back, and his epic quest to be reunited with his lady love echoes throughout the story.
But the downside of love, hints Voltaire cynically, is that it invariably lands you in hot water. This is certainly what happens to Candide himself. Love leads to desire, and desire leads to seemingly endless conflict and trouble. Yet all this love, and all this desire, is ultimately worth it in the end. For when Candide finally catches up with Cunégonde once more, he finds that her appearance has changed, and not for the better. Despite Cunégonde's somewhat homely appearance, however, Candide still loves her, and insists on marrying her. True love is contrasted here with the shallow desires of the likes of Dr. Pangloss, who contracts syphilis after conducting what is euphemistically described as "a lesson in experimental natural philosophy" with the chambermaid Paquette.