Explain how Shakespeare's language conveys the main characters' views about, and experiences of, love.

Authors Avatar

Jordan Woodgate 10D December 2003 English Coursework – Romeo and Juliet

Explain how Shakespeare’s language conveys the main characters’ views about, and experiences of, love.

        The language of Shakespeare’s characters within Romeo and Juliet is entirely different between each character. The characters’ language provides the reader, occasionally subtle, but present information of their experiences and views of love.

At the start of the play, in Act 1 Scene 1, there is a theme of mystery, as none of the Montagues, as well as Mercutio, can appreciate the meaning of Romeo’s sadness and solitariness. He is disorientated and gloomy. The reason, we soon find out, is because he has been rejected by a girl called Rosaline. This event is similar to Paris’ impassionate conventional love for Juliet, but it is more self-indulgently melancholy: perhaps it is because we never meet Rosaline and only view Romeo’s feelings directed more at himself than the supposed target of his affections. In my opinion, Romeo only believes that he is in love, but is actually only in love with the idea of being in love. His eloquent and flamboyant metaphorical language shows that he is able to find words to describe her and is not over-awed by her, resulting in a loss for words. He describes her as “saint-seducing”, and beautiful and witty. He doesn’t think he will ever forget her, “thou canst not teach me to forget” and he thinks there is nobody as wise or as fair. However, she is “uncharmed from love’s weak childish bow.” Here, there is a hint that Romeo could be aware that his love is weak and childish. He uses numerous oxymorons to emphasise his emotions and feelings about the love and hate between the two families, “Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate.”

        Romeo and Juliet’s scenes together are treated in a most romantic approach. When Romeo and Juliet first meet in Act 1 Scene 5, their flamboyant language illustrates their immediate fascination with each other and the importance and significance of their meeting is highlighted by a sonnet, of which there are only four in total throughout the play. Sonnet writing was a popular and highly esteemed activity at Queen Elizabeth’s court during Shakespeare’s time, so Elizabethans would have recognised and understood the significance of a sonnet. Shakespeare used a sonnet form because it is a bold device to emphasise devoted love, as it is the most widely used form of love poetry.  Romeo and Juliet’s conversation in an extended image shows that he views Juliet as heavenly and angelic and compares her to a shrine or saint. The lovers’ vocabulary draws extensively upon Christianity: “profane”, “sin”, “devotion”, “prayer” and the amused Juliet teases the desperate Romeo and his pleas for a kiss by saying “Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer”. This religious language isolates the characters from the rest of the scene and its bustling activity. Early modern England was a profoundly religious country and virtually everybody in England cared passionately about religion. Although there is extensive use of religious imagery and terminology, the bulk of what Romeo and Juliet say concerns the human body, “rough touch with a tender kiss”, “my lips”, “hands do touch”. This language insinuates that Romeo and Juliet immediately lust for one another. Their formal use of language is rather dignified and stresses the purity and sincerity of their love for each other. Their first words to each other are a quick-witted bout of flirtation in which both sides are equally smitten, as is made clear by the unfolding emotions and language further on in the play. Juliet plays the proper young girl's role of dissecting Romeo's "lines" as fast as he can think them up. This has the intention to impress her admirer. Romeo’s language is still a little forced and exaggerated and he has not yet completely shaken off his somewhat studied manner – Juliet says he kisses by the book rather from the heart. In Shakespeare’s time, it was universally believed at this time that true love always struck at first sight; love that grew gradually was no love at all.

Join now!

Act 2 Scene 2, - the balcony scene -, which, in my opinion, shows the lovers’ affection at its strongest. This scene, both in romantic setting and language, is so universally appreciated that it has been recreated in many formats as the ultimate in romantic courtship. The lovers, having learnt who each other are, exist outside the feuding and quarrelling and immediately dismiss the family feud as less important than their love: “I’ll no longer be a Capulet”(Juliet)/”Call me but “love”, and I’ll be new baptized”. (Romeo). Having once proclaimed her love, the font of Juliet's eloquence is unstopped, and ...

This is a preview of the whole essay