Making them women of good carriage.
This is she”
This illustrates his lenient approach to love, and his lack of real feelings towards women.
Courtly love characterises Romeo’s behaviour at the start of the play, in the way he mopes over Rosaline. Romeo is in love, or thinks he is with Rosaline,
“Why, such is love’s transgression:
Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,
Which thou wilt propagate to have it press’d
With more of thine; this love that thou hast shown
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.”
Romeo sees Rosaline as a strong person. As Shakespeare never allows us to meet Rosaline we are left to imagine for ourselves about the kind of woman she is and her physical appearance.
In the play we learn that although reluctant to lose her, Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet would be willing to consent to a marriage with the County Paris, if she was to fall in love with him. In this sense her father displays parental love towards his daughter and sole heir. Paris is keen to make Juliet his wife, although they have yet to meet.
“God shield I should disturb devotion!
Juliet, on Thursday early will I rouse eye;
Till then adieu and keep this holy kiss.”
In the play we see many types of parental love. Juliet sees her nurse, who has been responsible for her upbringing as a mother figure. She is able talk to the nurse and discusses details of her life, which she finds unable to confer with her real mother, Lady Capulet. Juliet confides her trust in the nurse by requesting her to report back with the arrangements of her marriage to Romeo,
“Then hie you hence to Friar Lawrence’ cell,
There stays a husband to make you a wife.”
Further evidence of parental love is illustrated in the relationship between Romeo and Friar Lawrence. Romeo sees Friar Lawrence as a father figure and visits him to confess his forthcoming marriage plans to Juliet. He is able to do this because he views the Friar in a fatherly way and, as a holy man trusts him completely.
“Then plainly know, my heart’s dear love is set
On the fair daughter of rich Capulet;
As mine on hers, so hers is set on mine,
And all combin’d, save what thou must combine
By holy marriage. When and where and how
We met, we woo’d, and made exchange of vow,
I’ll tell thee as we pass, but this I pray,
That thou consent to marry us today.”
During the scenes involving Benvolio and Romeo friendly love is evident in the concern shown by Benvolio for Romeo’s infatuation with Rosaline. It is apparent that Benvolio is a serious and sensitive young man, who understands Romeo and helps him through the difficult period of his so-called love for Rosaline,
“By giving liberty into thine eyes,
Examine other beauties.”
He displays genuine friendship by advising Romeo to look at other women and not just focus all his attention on Rosaline.
During the play we see Juliet change from a very obedient young woman to one who starts to act differently after meeting and falling deeply in love with Romeo. Juliet is initially seen as a very respectful young woman, as is the case when the nurse calls Juliet to tell her, her mother is asking after her, Juliet responds,
“Madam, I am here, what is your will.”
Her manner is courteous in the extreme. For instance when her mother, Lady Capulet, asks Juliet,
“Marry, that ‘marry’ is the very theme
I came to talk of. Tell me daughter Juliet,
How stands your dispositions to be married?”
Juliet replies to this in a particularly kind manner by saying to her mother,
“It is an honour that I dream not of.”
On meeting Romeo for the first time, we notice a change in Juliet’s attitude. She falls in love at first sight, and her behaviour changes. We see her as a woman who has been good all her life and whose character transforms once she has met Romeo and a power overcomes her, in the form of true love.
Romeo and Juliet show real holy love, true love, in the play on numerous occasions. When they first meet, both of them fall in love with each other at first sight, but do not know that both sets of parents are enemies. When the nurse talks to Romeo he finds out that Juliet is a Capulet,
“Her mother is the lady of the house,
And a good lady, a and a wise and virtuous.
I nurs’d her daughter that you talk’d with’d.”
Romeo responds to this by saying,
“O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt”
Here he is saying that he owes his life to his enemy.
When Juliet finds out about Romeo being a Montague her response is similar to Romeo’s,
“My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy.”
Romeo and Juliet are very unfortunate. Despite the rivalry and hatred between their respective families they remain totally committed to each other and their love holds strong.
This commitment and true love is again illustrated following Romeo’s banishment from Verona for killing Tybalt. Juliet cannot bear to be away from Romeo, she loves him dearly,
“O break, my heart, poor bankrout, break at once!
To prison, eyes, ne’er look on liberty!
Vile earth, to earth resign, end motion here,
And thou and Romeo press one heavy brief!”
Juliet is desperate and together with Friar Lawrence she finds a way to be with Romeo. She drinks a medicine that the Friar has concocted for her to ensure that her body will fall into a coma and appear dead, and be placed in the family vault where Romeo will rescue her once he is informed of the plan.
“Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again.
I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins
That almost freezes up the heat of life.”
Friar John should have delivered a letter to Romeo about the plan for Juliet, but was prevented from leaving Verona. Romeo finds out about Juliet’s ‘death’ and as a man, whose only true love has died, believes life has no meaning for him anymore. His response is to purchase some poison, which will kill him, because he can’t bear to be without Juliet,
“Art thou so bare and full of wretchedness,
And fearest to die? Famine is in thy cheeks.”
Events go from bad to worse towards the end of the play as Romeo visits his beloved Juliet in the vault believing her to be dead, when unknown to him she is due to wake up soon. Romeo, a man besotted with love drinks the poison to be with his beloved Juliet,
“Here’s to my love! O true apothecary!
Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.”
This illustrates the depth of love Romeo felt for Juliet. He wanted to live life and be with her, or die and for them to be together.
Juliet wakes up after Romeo has killed himself and realising what has happened is also unable to continue to live without her true love Romeo and takes a dagger, stabs herself, and falls dead,
“O happy dagger,
This is thy sheath;
There rust and let me die.”
This final tragic scene illustrates the depth of love between the two main characters.
The play concentrates on the heartbreaking love story between Romeo and Juliet and highlights various forms of love mainly involving these two main characters. We gain an insight into the complex sides of human nature and the way in which people show love in different ways. The full extent of true love is revealed in the final scene where both Romeo and Juliet are unable to live without each other.
