Throughout the Elizabethan era sprung up the idea of “courtly love,” this being when the two parties would go “through the motions” of romance whilst neither felt any emotion toward the other. It is hereby that the relationship between Juliet and Paris can be applied. To the parents of Juliet, Paris is the perfect “catch,” he has the money, power and influence that is so important to the Upper Class Parent (in fact it is pretty ironic that had it not been for the feud between the Montague’s and Capulet’s Romeo’s relationship with Juliet would have been perfect).
As well as being “perfect” in the sense that Juliet’s parents like him, Paris is also the perfect gentleman. He has respect for Juliet and upholds all of his conversations with her with respect and obeys all the required formalities. He behaves as an engaged man would but in some ways he shows naiveté in the fact that he presumes the “love” is mutual “Happily met, my lady and my wife.”
However, what we cannot forget is that Paris did love Juliet, and shows great despair at her death “Beguil’d, divorced, wronged, spited, slain! Most detestable death, by thee beguiled, by cruel cruel thee quite overthrown! O love! O life! -not life, but love in death!” and he later visits her grave “Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew - O woe, thy canopy is dust and stones!” and it is here that Paris eventually dies, and if love can be a cause for martyrdom, then Paris died for that reason, and even in death he shows love for Juliet “O, I am slain! If thou be merciful, open the tomb lay me with Juliet.”
In the course of “Romeo and Juliet” the parents of Juliet show signs of the love between a parent and child, parental or “motherly” love. This is initially shown by Capulet, Juliet’s father, as he is slightly sceptical as to Juliet marrying Paris “And too soon marred are those so early made” claiming that he will only agree to the marriage upon the consent of Juliet “My will to her consent is but a part; And, she agreed, within her scope of choice” and asks Paris to “woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart” which is basically implying that he wants them to find a true love.
However, after the death of Tybalt and the sadness of Juliet associated with this (albeit that this was due to the fact that her “love” Romeo was banished), “Things have fall'n out, sir, so unluckily that we have had no time to move our daughter. Look you, she loved her kinsman Tybalt dearly” and he hereby believes that it is his fatherly duty to ease this despair by marrying her to Paris “Acquaint her here of my son Paris' love,
Capulet: And bid her, mark you me, on Wednesday next - But soft, what day is this?
Paris: Monday, my lord.
Capulet: Monday! Ha ha! Well, Wednesday is too soon; A Thursday let it be. A Thursday, tell her, She shall be married to this noble earl.” And then at Juliet’s later refusals (she doesn’t wish to commit bigamy) he therefore decides that if he is to be a good father then he has to bully her “Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch! I tell thee what -get thee to church a Thursday, or never after look me in the face.”
The loving relationship between Juliet and her Mother, Lady Capulet seems more distant, with most maternal parenting being done by Juliet’s nurse. Lady Capulet acknowledges this relationship “We must talk in secret. -Nurse, come back again, I have remembered me, thou's hear our counsel. Thou knowest my daughter's of a pretty age.” Effectively saying, “You know my daughter better than I.”
There is also the marriage between the Parents, but here they consider the sacrament of matrimony as a mere technicality, marriage being about acquisition of greater wealth and status, not love. Obviously, these their marriage was arranged and the relationship is hardly steady, with Capulet showing clearly that he lacks respect for his wife “What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho,” speaking to her in a derogatory way, not the way that one would expect another to speak to his wife. And perhaps it could be said that the marriage between these two parties could be a prime case against arranged marriages (and therefore against the relationship between Paris and Juliet).
Then there is the “true” love that can be found between Romeo and Juliet, our plays two leading characters. Shakespeare has represented this love to show superiority over the other types which are imperfect and flawed, whereas theirs is completely reciprocal. This love is central to the entire play and is represented in many ways through both the actions and words of other characters.
We see that Romeo and Juliet are willing to risk anything for their love, albeit against the wills and wishes of their family, and Juliet realises the problems that could be associated about their quandary “My only love sprung from my only hate!” We also realise her disarray at the fact that she has to hide her love for Romeo “'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's `Montague'? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.” Hereby demonstrating how people’s prejudices, impact on their judgements, i.e. they would not hate Romeo for his personality, but for his name.
Often Romeo uses his love for Juliet as a means of keeping himself out of trouble, a prime example of this being when he is insulted by Tybalt “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting. Villain am I none.” And although he eventually kills Tybalt in retribution of Mercutio’s death (thus showing another type of love – that can be found between friends) he still has the love of Juliet and tells the Nurse so. “Nurse: Will you speak well of him that killed your cousin?
Juliet: Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name when I, thy three-hours wife, have mangled it?”
Romeo and Juliet is a prime example of “love at first sight,” and in their initial meeting we see them speak of the love between them. “If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss” making many references to religion, perhaps representing the divinity of their relationship “Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.”
As I have just stated, there are many “sub-themes” that could be regarded about their love, another of these being the representation of light and contradictions (oxymoron’s) to show their affection “O, she does teach the torches to burn bright. It seems to hang upon the cheek fright” and “So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows” Juliet is like a princess against a group of peasants in relation of her beauty.
One of the most notorious and famous scenes between the two is the balcony scene where the two exchange their feelings of love toward each other “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love and I'll no longer be a Capulet.” Here already Juliet is claiming that she will give up everything that she has in order to be with Romeo.
They are quickly married and here also they show their unconditional love towards each other, forever strong.
Romeo:- “Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy be heaped like mine, and that thy skill be more to blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath this neighbour air, and let rich music's tongue unfold the imagined happiness that both receive in either by this dear encounter.”
Juliet:-“Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, brags of his substance, not of ornament. They are but beggars that can count their worth; but my true love is grown to such excess I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth.” Basically both are acknowledging that a price cannot be put on the feeling that is true love.
The wedding is probably the climax of the play in regards to the feeling of optimism, however, this feeling quickly changes after the “slaying” of Mercutio and Tybalt, along with the exile of Romeo, another instance where Juliet reveals her love for him, caring more about his exile than her own cousin’s death, showing us the strength that their love possesses. “Romeo is banished' -to speak that word is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, all slain, all dead. `Romeo is banished', there is no end, no limit, measure, bound, in that word's death; no words can that woe sound.” To Juliet, there are no words more painful than the banishment – the loss of Romeo.
Finally there are the tragic deaths of both Romeo and Juliet, this series of events beginning when Romeo hears of Juliet’s “death” without receiving any knowledge of the friar’s plan “Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight. Let's see for means. O mischief, thou art swift to enter in the thoughts of desperate men!” Romeo is already willing to kill himself, for life without Juliet is not a life worth living.
Romeo’s final words are that of love towards Juliet “Will I set up my everlasting rest and shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh. Eyes look your last; arms, take your last embrace; And lips, O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss A dateless bargain to engrossing death.” It is thus after this that he drinks his poison and dies, a true act of love shown. This goes against many cynicisms in the respect that “would Romeo have died for Juliet if he had not loved her?”
Then there is Juliet’s reaction to Romeo’s death, her plans have run amok, leaving her in a shambles. “What's here? A cup, closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end. O churl, drunk all and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips; haply some poison doth hang on them to make me die with a restorative.” Clearly her own thoughts equal that of the Romeo’s in the respect that she has no care for her own life now that she has lost Romeo.
In conclusion, the irony is that their love, and death, was able to do what their lives could not, to end the feuding between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. It is with this thought that I shall examine “the thin line between love and hate” which is evidently shown on many occasions, such as when Romeo uses his love for Juliet to remove his hate for Tybalt “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage” and also the play itself is evident of this, Romeo and Juliet’s love was so strong for each other, that they were able to overcome hate and also the hate that others possessed towards each other.