How are the themes of love and tragedy portrayed in Romeo and Juliet

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How Does Shakespeare Develop the Themes of Love and Tragedy in Romeo and Juliet?

Love and tragedy are two of the main themes that are present throughout the play. Shakespeare uses many literary devices to describe the many accounts of love and tragedy. He also varies the language to vary the pace and mood. This adds excitement to the audience watching.

In Act 1 Scene 5 at the Capulet's party we first discover how love is compared to light. When Romeo sees Juliet for the first time he says "o she doth teach the torches to burn bright!", saying that Juliet seems to shine more brightly than the torches that illuminate Capulet's great hall. This idea that love is compared to light can be spotted many times throughout the play.

Shakespeare also uses religious words to describe love and the way that Romeo and Juliet feel about each other. When Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time, the sonnet in which they speak contains many religious words. "For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, / And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss" Act 1 Scene 5 98-99. This religious language makes Romeo and Juliet sound pure and innocent. Also, in Act 2 Scene 2, Romeo calls Juliet a "bright angel" and a "saint". This show that Romeo not only loves Juliet, he worships her.

Shakespeare develops many different types of love in Romeo and Juliet. This adds interest for the audience watching the play. The first type of love is lustful love. Mercutio, the Nurse, Sampson and Gregory all view love as purely sexual and lustful. These characters' lines contain puns that play on sexual meanings. Sampson says "Therefore I will push Montagues' men from the wall, and thrusts his maids to the wall." Sampson says he is going to frighten all the Montague men and have sex with the Montague women. The Nurse also has a practical and somewhat realistic idea of love, compared to Juliet's idealistic one. "I think you are happy in this second match, / For it excels you first; or if it did not, / Your first is dead - or 'twere as good he were / As living here and you no use of him." Act 3 Scene 5 225-8. The Nurse tells Juliet that she should agree to marry Paris and forget all about Romeo because she thinks it's the sensible and practical thing to do.
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The next type of love is infatuation. At the start of the play Romeo thinks he's in love with Rosaline and moans over her. Another type of love is the love illustrated with Paris. The love Paris has for Juliet is a contractual love. He does not actually know Juliet, just her family and what she represents. . Another type of love is the strong love you have for your family. The strong love each family hold is the main reason for the start of the feud, and the feud is one of the reasons for the story ...

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