At the beginning of the play, Romeo is infatuated by Rosaline. His love for Juliet is very different. How does Shakespeare use language and dramatic devices to show Romeo's development?
At the beginning of the play, Romeo is infatuated by Rosaline. His love for Juliet is very different. How does Shakespeare use language and dramatic devices to show Romeo's development?
Introduction
Shakespeare's play 'Romeo and Juliet' is known as a love tragedy and features many rhymed verses, especially when Romeo and Juliet first speak. The plot is based on a true story, and takes place over three days.
The play is about two teenagers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, who fall deeply in love but their families are in constant dispute. The play ends in tragedy when Romeo and Juliet give their lives for one another. The essay will be exploring how the use of language and dramatic devices convey Romeo's development in attitudes concerning love.
Act 1 Scene 1
When we are first introduced to Romeo, we find that he is deliberately isolating himself from the outside world. His father Montague defines him as disturbed by something that he knows nothing of, this is illustrated by,
"I neither know it, nor can learn of it" (Act 1 Scene 1, Line 143)
This quotation proves that Romeo is being secretive about his troubles, therefore placing difficulty in identifying them.
He is in this state because of he is infatuated with Rosaline (a relative of the Capulet's) but she will not return his affections as she has sworn to stay chaste. This is illustrated by,
"She'll not be hit with Cupid's arrow. She hath Dian's wit" (Act 1 Scene 1, Line 289)
"She'll not be hit with Cupid's arrow" suggests that nothing will make Rosaline feel the way that Romeo does for her. He talks of her as wise as well as a portrayer of beauty when he expresses the phrase, "She hath Dian's wit" ...
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He is in this state because of he is infatuated with Rosaline (a relative of the Capulet's) but she will not return his affections as she has sworn to stay chaste. This is illustrated by,
"She'll not be hit with Cupid's arrow. She hath Dian's wit" (Act 1 Scene 1, Line 289)
"She'll not be hit with Cupid's arrow" suggests that nothing will make Rosaline feel the way that Romeo does for her. He talks of her as wise as well as a portrayer of beauty when he expresses the phrase, "She hath Dian's wit"
In this part of the play, the audience feel pity for him because they assume that his love for Rosaline is true and observe the ways in which the situation has affected him.
At the start of his speech, he uses oxymorons to contradict himself. An example of one of these is,
"O brawling love, o loving hate" (Act 1 Scene 1, line 175)
Oxymorons add dramatic significance to the play because love is accentuated as the main theme, however, they embody an opposite theme of conflict between Romeo and Rosaline's desires, and also between the two households. The example above suggests that Romeo's love will only be satisfied when Rosaline commits to it.
When pronouncing his love for Rosaline a military metaphor is used. This is apparent when he says,
"She will not stay the siege of loving terms" (Act 1 Scene 1, line 211)
This depicts the desperation of being victorious over her, rather than expecting her to fall in love with him. In addition, he uses sexual language when describing his love. This is shown clearly when he says,
"From love's weak childish bows she lives unharm'd" (Act 1 Scene 1, Line 210) He is revealing to Benvolio that Rosaline is not falling for his charm. Feelings of affliction and heartbreak are consequent of this. Romeo's language does not demonstrate sincerity towards the end of his speech. A quotation to support this is,
"Where shall we dine?" (Act 1 Scene 1, Line 172)
This piece of evidence indicates that he has other less serious concerns other than Rosaline. It imposes on the audience to question the certainty of Romeo's love towards Rosaline.
Although he believes in his love, his immature portrayal concludes to infatuation. He shows no compassion or respect when speaking of her. Romeo is perceived by the audience as confused and not knowing what to do to resolve his dilemma, or how to control his feelings towards her.
Act 1 Scene 5
When Romeo first sees Juliet he is entranced by her beauty. He addresses her a holy shrine. The language used has religious overtones, which is indicated by the words "pilgrim" and "saints". Furthermore he uses a metaphor to describe his lips as being "two blushing pilgrims" This metaphor contrasts greatly with the one he used for Rosaline because this time, he speaks of how he feels in presence of Juliet, with the use of religious language, and not how he wants her to feel, in the case of Romeo and Rosaline, where military and sexual language are displayed. Romeo and Juliet share a sonnet. This suggests that they both play around with their words as they speak to each other. They have instantaneously fallen in love. The audience are convinced that this time Romeo has found his lover. However, when they find out that they are enemies, they both feel devastated and a sense of loss overcome them both. This adds to the dramatic tension in the play because the audience are unsure of whether their love will remain unconditional, due to the conflict between the two families, or how and where they will meet thereafter.
Conclusion
Romeo's love for Rosaline is characterised through the use of military metaphors and sexual language. He also uses oxymorons to contradict himself. From the use of dramatic and language devices, we can deduce that he lusts for her and is not really in love. Moreover, Romeo's views on love change after his meeting with Juliet because he uses religious language in contrast to the military and sexual language used for Rosaline. Based on this evidence, we can conclude that he truly loves Juliet. From the beginning of Act 1 Scene 1 to the end of the balcony scene, Romeo's character develops from being depressed, sombre and rejected into someone with devotion, joy and who's desires have been fulfilled when he encounters Juliet. His way of expressing his views towards love also change considerably from the moment he meets Juliet.
