She must spurn his advances in order to preserve her honour and good name.
Her coldness inflames his passion. He is consumed with melancholy, sighs with grief and makes up verses about his love.
He tries to perform deeds to make himself more worthy of his lady.
He has faith in the power of God to soften his lady’s heart and lessen his despair.
He can neither eat nor sleep for thinking of his lady.
He suffers continually from jealous thoughts.
Romeo’s behaviour fits in with these rules because Rosaline is “unattainable”, as she has pledged to remain chaste in order to become a nun. He also makes up verses about his love. In Act 1 Scene 1, he uses a selection of oxymorons to portray his confused feelings, “O brawling love, o loving hate”. Love is meant to be enjoyable, but for Romeo it is painful, and he expresses this pain through the oxymorons.
The second type of love Romeo experiences is ‘Love at First Sight’. He falls in love with Juliet the first time he sees her at the Capulet ball. He performs a soliloquy using many comparisons, “Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear, a snowy dove trooping with crows”. Romeo is describing Juliet as standing out from the crowd by being so beautiful that she makes all the other women look ugly.
The third type of love in the play is between Juliet and Paris. This type of love fits in with the ‘Rules of Marriage’. These are: -
The girl had little or no say in the choice of husband.
The husband was chosen as a suitably rich and powerful ally for the family.
Girls often married at the age of fourteen or fifteen.
These rules apply to Juliet and Paris’ relationship well. Juliet has not chosen the suitor herself, her mother and father have chosen for her. Paris is a member of the royal family, which would bring the Capulet’s wealth, as well as having the royal family as an ally. The final point is Juliet’s age – she is only fourteen, fitting in with the rules perfectly.
At the start of the play Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin, is amused at Romeo’s lovesick behaviour regarding Rosaline, and ridicules him. When Romeo notices Benvolio laughing, saying “Dost thou not laugh?” Benvolio replies “No, coz, I rather weep”. He finds Romeo’s woe a little pathetic, and tells him the way to forget his love is to “examine other beauties”. Romeo tells Benvolio that he will never forget Rosaline “thou canst not teach me to forget”. However, when he and Benvolio enter the Capulet ball, Romeo only agreeing to go so he can see Rosaline, Romeo forgets completely about his love for her, instead he immediately falls in love with Juliet the moment he sets eyes on her.
When the pair first meet, they use a great deal of Religious Imagery to express their love at first sight. Romeo addresses Juliet as if she were a Goddess, “If I profane with my unworthiest hand.” Romeo is saying that he is not worthy enough to even touch Juliet. The image of worship is also created, as Romeo refers to Juliet as a “shrine”.
Romeo initiates their first kiss by suggesting that their lips should come together like hands do in prayer, “O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do, they pray.”
Juliet reacts by saying to herself, “If he be marries, my grave is like to be my wedding bed.” This is an ironic statement to make, because Juliet eventually dies as a result of her marriage to Romeo. It is like a premonition. This is one of the first occasions in which Dramatic Irony plays a part. The audience realises that this is an ominous comment foreboding her death, but the characters on stage are unaware of this.
