Sure wit. Follow me this jest now, till thou hast
worn out thy pump, that when the single sole of
it is worn, the jest may remain after the wearing
solely singular.
His language also changes when he speaks about Juliet, he compares her with religion, and the heavens.
His love from Rosaline is viewed from afar, another point that has carried from the middle ages, but with Juliet it changes, he is active and impatient, he wants to see her and is willing to do anything to do that
The orchard walls are high, and hard to climb,
And the place death, considering who thou art,
If any of my kinsmen find thee here.
He is even willing to change his name from his Romeo, and a Montague, Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike. Romeo's language changes when he speaks to Juliet, he compares her to the heavens and everything in residence there, Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon, Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven.
Juliet is also impatient and almost childlike in her love for Romeo, this reminds us how young she is, though she has a ‘liberal’ father, and it was normal at the time to marry younger then her fourteen years.
Younger than you,
Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,
Are made already mothers.
When Juliet meets Romeo at her balcony, she is worried that Romeo would think that she is too easily won over and tries to cover up this fact
if thou thinkest I am too quickly won,
I’ll frown and be perverse, and say nay
Though quickly afterwards she drops the act and talks with Romeo about their love. She asks Romeo not to swear by the moon, as she would like his constant love, unlike the moon with it’s changing phases, but to swear by himself which if the God of my idolatry. Although she is impatient in her love for Romeo, she feels that their relationship is progressing to fast It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden she would like to know whether thy bent of love be honorable. This leads to her waiting for the Nurse to return from Romeo with his message of love and marriage,
The clock stuck nine when I did send the Nurse;
In half an hour she did promise to return.
Perchance she cannot meet him-that’s not so-
O she is lame,
This is a directs contrast to when Romeo has to leave her after their wedding night, she wants to stretch out the night as long as feasible; she tries to persuade herself that it is not really the morning It was the nightingale, and not the lark and will not let him leave her until he informs her of the risk to his life.
Come death, and welcome, Juliet wills it so.
How is’t, my soul? Let’s talk; it is not day
It is, it is, hie hence, be gone, away.
Juliet’s father begins the play by being a very liberal father, not many people at that time would allow her to marry within her scope of choice, and let Paris court her before their marriage. This all changes after Tybalt’s death and he decides that Juliet should marry Paris with out him ‘wooing’ her. When Juliet refuses to wed him, he is no longer the liberal father, but tells her that she will either marry him or he will through her into the street
Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch!
I tell thee what, get thee to the Church a Thursday,
Or never after look me in the face.
Lady Capulet does not say much when she hears about his decision, as a wife she has no power in what happens to her daughter, and has to accept whatever her husband says.
The Nurse also deserts Juliet when she is betrothed to Paris. She is unsympathetic towards her mistress, and suggests that she commits bigamy, which Juliet refuses. The Nurse has a bawdy sense of humor, she jokes about Juliet’s wedding night Go girl, seek happy night to happy days, and has no morals about marrying for the second time Or else beshrew them both. She believes in the same principals as Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet, that parents should arrange their daughter’s marriage, and that it should not be for love.
Friar Lawrence also believes that this marriage is not only for love, he encourages this marriage because it would unite the two rival houses (Capulet and Montaque). But he is worried that it may not last Therefore love moderately, long love doth so. When Romeo fist tells Friar Lawrence about his love for Juliet, he is surprised that he is no longer in ‘love’ with Rosaline, and fears that he is only attracted by women’s appearance
Young men’s love then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.
Mercutio makes fun of Romeo’s love for Rosaline, and feels that if he sees a more beautiful woman, that may cure his love for Rosaline. He takes Romeo to the Capulat’s party to find a new woman for Romeo to plant his affections on Nay gentle Romeo, we must have you dance; although Mercutio mocks his love for Rosaline, he is worried that Rosaline Torments him so, that he will sure run mad.
He is surprised when after the party, sure enough, Romeo does return to his former self, and returns his wit when Mercutio mocks him. Although he is surprised, he is pleased that Romeo is no longer depressed and slow witted, but he does not know that now Romeo’s heart formally belonging to Rosaline, has transferred it’s affections to another, Juliet.
Although Paris is usually portrayed as the ‘bad character’ in theatre productions, he seems to have affection for Juliet. He is prepared to ‘woo’ Juliet before their marriage, as Juliet’s father, Capulet had wished him to; but had not had the chance after Tybalt’s death
Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt’s death,
And therefore have I little talked of love
For Venus smiles not on a house of tears
County Paris acts just as any young man of that era was expected to act in that situation, he visited the family of his betrothed, taking head of Capulat’s wishes, and when Juliet is ‘dead’ he behaves in a way which would have been expected of him Sweet flower, with flowers thy bed I strew, Which with sweet water nightly I will dew.
Romeo and Juliet shows a great verity of attitudes to love and marriage, as there is in today’s English society (although the play was based in Italy, the audience would have recognized the society and culture of being English). Although the play is based on the different attitudes to love and marriage, Romeo and Juliet ends in tragedy but, as Friar Lawrence had wished, the death united the two houses and hopefully created a 'happy' ending.