All the time that Sampson is talking badly of the Montague’s, he gives no reason why he is full of hatred for them.
When Tybalt first arrives into the play, he immediately seems to have no regard for the Montagues, as when an offer of peace is put forward, it is simply thrown back into Benvolio’s face:
“I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.”
“What! Drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.
Have at thee, coward!”
Tybalt puts Benvolio and the Montagues into the same category as “hell, which shows the extent of his feelings for the Montagues. Tybalt immediately appears to be an extremely violent man as, as soon as peace is brought into the conversation he immediately wants to fight. These thoughtless actions from both of the families throughout the play make Romeo and Juliet’s love seem unique for the time and place that it is set. The very height of the feud continues to increase until people begin to lose their lives. Mercutio is accidentally killed by Tybalt when Romeo interferes with a fight between Mercutio and Tybalt. Subsequently Romeo blames Tybalt for Mercutio’s death. Romeo sets out to kill Tybalt and consequently does. This results in Romeo being banished from Verona:
“Romeo, away, be gone!
The citizens are up, and Tybalt slain.
Stand not amazed: the prince will doom thee death
If though art taken: hence be gone, away!”
Earlier on the Prince warned that whoever was responsible for the next argument between the families, would be banished from Verona or killed. Benvolio Knows this and warns Romeo. The death of Tybalt obviously makes the feud between the two families become much more intense and heightened, and also puts far more stress on Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. Because of all the anger and hatred, the audience is made far more apparent of what love is, because of the couple. The audience is fully aware of all of the events that are going on in the play and therefore see love as it is meant to be viewed.
Throughout the play the Nurse plays a very big part in the way the couple’s love is expressed. The Nurse’s sexual innuendoes like getting pregnant and falling backwards when she comes to age continue the misunderstanding of love:
“No less? Nay bigger! Women grow by men.”
This shows the nurse’s obvious lack of understanding of love as she at no single point in the play tries to persuade Juliet to take things slowly, but does the complete opposite and tries to rush Romeo and Juliet’s love together, by hurrying Romeo’s answer to Juliet’s proposal. She also plays games with Juliet by not telling her the answer to her proposal:
“O God’s lady dear,
Are you so hot? Marry, come up, I trow;
Is this the poultice for my aching bones?
Henceforth do your messages yourself.”
The Nurse is here playing games with Juliet and is not taking into account Juliet’s feelings as she keeps her in anticipation. This is more proof of how shallow and irresponsible the Nurse is when it comes to love. Also later on in the play when Juliet’s needs the help of the Nurse, the Nurse gives Juliet advice going against all she has previously told her;
“I think it is best you married with the county.
O, he’s a lovely gentleman!”
The Nurse is not considering how Juliet feels for Paris and tells her that she should marry him, whether or not she is in love with him. The audience will now have comparisons of love, they would be able to see just how deep Romeo and Juliet’s love is through the complete loveless attitudes of everybody around them and in Verona. She tells Juliet that Romeo is just a “dishclout” in comparison to Paris. The Nurse is once again showing no understanding of Juliet’s feelings and is completely unaware of the importance of love, while at the same time once again emphasising the importance and severity of their love to the audience.
Throughout the play, there are many references to a loveless society. The arranged marriages in Verona and the lack of parental love during the play are an example of this. Juliet’s parents have no regard for her happiness as they threaten to throw her out if she does not marry Paris. In addition, both families make many vulgar jokes throughout the play.
Romeo and Juliet’s love is both spiritual and physical throughout the play. They are careless and do not think about what their actions will inevitably result in. Throughout we get many remark of how Romeo feels for Juliet in a spiritual manner. AT the beginning of Romeo and Juliet Romeo is speaking of his lust, not love for Rosaline, in Petrarchan Clichés:
“Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O anything of nothing first create.”
Romeo’s language is very serious and he is speaking as if his life is going to end, but this changes when he meets Juliet as he realises that it really is love. This is once again a contrast between love and lust that makes the audience more aware of the passionate love that Romeo and Juliet is in. When he speaks of his great love for Juliet, he seems much more cheery and excited about it, rather than his serious and quite down heartening language of before.
The couple also become mature throughout the course of the play. This is shown through the use of language by both of them. Romeo becomes more sensible and rational when dealing with Juliet:
“I must be gone and live, or stay and die”
Romeo is here displaying his maturity by saying to Juliet that they should not stay together any longer or he could be killed. His sensible thinking shows that he has become more aware of what the consequences could be if he were to be thoughtless.
Romeo also refers to Paris as a “boy” and “youth” when they confront each other at the tomb of the, as they believe, dead Juliet. He now seems to be an older man and has transformed his Petrarchan literacy into literal actions by killing Paris.
Throughout the play Shakespeare uses many vulgar reference to love to make a contrast between the couple, which is very effective. Shakespeare has used the idea of arranged marriages and the lack of parental love to make the audience become aware of their love. At the same time the audience begins to feel for them and feel sorry for them and overall represents their ‘true-love passion’ in a very effective way.
