fruit) against her fathers will.
As a result of Romeos love for Rosaline he is unaware of day-to-day realities
‘is the day so young.’ this emphasises that Romeo is disheartened and feels very
melancholy. Benvolio tries to comfort Romeo, but Romeos feelings just grow deeper
due to his friends concern. Benvolio and Romeos friendship is displayed as an
expression of love. Benvolio want Romeo to progress with his life instead of
wallowing in self-pity, he provides insight for Romeo and tells him to ‘Examine
other beauties.’
Romeo expresses his love for Mercutio as he tries to reason with him and
prevent a fight between Tybalt and Mercutio, by telling him ‘Gentle Mercutio , put
thy rapier up’ the love Romeo shows for his friend does not end at his death. Romeo
rushes off to avenge Mercutio’s death and starts a battle with Tybalt.
‘Alive in triumph, and Mercutio’s slain!
Away to heaven, respective lenity,
And fire-ey’d fury be my conduct now
Now, Tybalt, take the ‘villain’ back again
That late thou gav’st me: For Mercutio’s soul
Is but a little way above our heads,
Staying for thine to keep him company:
Either thou, or I, or boyh, must go with him.
Fraternal love plays an important role as without the present love amongst peers in
Romeo and Juliet the plot would not be as enticing. Mercutio’s death is a result of
Romeo’s love for Juliet.
One is easily able to see the motherly care the nurse displays for Juliet as she
goes to her defence and stands up to Lord Capulet
‘God in heavens bless her.
You are to blame my Lord, you rate her so.’
in sharp contrast to Lady Capulet as she treats Juliet as a naive young girl with
no feelings of her own. Lady Capulet believes that Juliet should marry Paris despite
her young age. This shows us that there had been no change in the social order of
Verona, as both Lady Capulet and Juliet exemplify obedience to social convention.
Lady Capulet believes that marriage is to ‘share all that he cloth possens’ it is not
about love. Lady Capulet tells Juliet that women are ‘covers’ objects to complete
men’s life’s displaying that Lady Capulet has internalised the male value system of
Verona. Juliet’s love for Romeo does change her as she is no longer obedient as Lady
Capulet says ;
‘Ay, sir; but she will none, she gives you thanks.
I would the fool were married to her grave.’
this is in contrast with the love that the nurse shows for Juliet as she recognises her
maturity and helps to make her truly content. She aided the two young lovers by
acting like a messenger ‘O God, she comes! O honey nurse, what news?’. The
counterpart to the love nurse displays for Juliet as a mother is in the fatherly love that
Friar gives to Romeo. As when Romeo informs Friar of his new love for Juliet he says
‘ Young men’s love then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes’
After the murder of Tybalt Romeo turns to Friar as he is the only one to abet
Romeo in his Suffering. He tells Romeo ‘one knock Good Romeo, hide thyself.’ This
shows us the risk that Friar places on himself so that no harm may come to ‘Good
Romeo’ he provided insight and guides Romeo to the next course of action.
Another example of fatherly love was shown through Lord Capulet to Juliet.
He saw that his daughter was in great grieve over the death of her cousin Tybalt . He
lovingly tries to ease her remorse by finding a husband for Juliet ‘Soft, take me with
you, take me with you wife...Doth she not give me thanks? is she not proud? So
worthy a gentleman to her bride?’. Juliet who is no longer innocent due to her love for
Romeo rejects this proposal. Lord Capulet becomes filled with rage, the reason for his
anger being his frustration. Capulet felt helpless and thought that marriage would give
her a chance.
Montague expresses his concern and Familial Love for Romeo, as
Romeos love for Rosaline is changing him as he describes it as ‘tears’ ‘clouds’
‘sighs’. Old Montague says
‘Many a morning hath he there been seen,
With tears augmenting the fresh moring’s dew
Shuts up his window, locks fair daylight out,
This is in sharp divergence with the love Romeo shows for Juliet ‘Juliet is the sun’
whereas Rosaline is the ‘envious moon’.
The Queen Mab speech indicates that love is magic. Through Mercutio’s
speech, he shows fraternal love as he is trying to show Romeo just how
unrealistic and fanciful his love for Rosaline is. Throughout this speech Shakespeare
uses wit, puns and sexual language, which indicates the light hearted nature of the
play. Mercutio creates an idea that Queen Mab is the ‘hag’ who teaches ‘maidens’ to
bear children, this idea is highlighted as Juliet who was once obedient and true to her
father then changes when ‘Mab’ enters her dreams. ‘Queen Mab’ makes people fall
in love with what they desire. This is a presentation of love that does not transform
your life, but it intensifies the desires you already hold. She is described as an ‘agate
stone’ this indicates that she is capable of change and is able to make an impression
on whatever she touches.
Paris, a young nobleman asks Lord Capulet for Juliet’s hand in marriage.
Paris understands how the culture operates and compliments Lord Capulet.
‘Of honourable reckoning are you both;
And pity ‘tis you liv’d at odds so long
But now, my lord, what you say you to my suit?’
Lord Capulet shows love for Juliet by informing Paris that his daughter ‘is yet a
stranger in the world’ and at the age of 13 is far too young to marry. The age 13 is
symbolic as it is the first age in which she is able to fall in love. Juliet is a ‘ripe’ fruit,
she is an object to be eaten. Paris is advised by Lord Capulet to ‘ woo her, gentle
Paris, get her heart’. The father of Juliet says ‘the earth has swallowed all hopes
but she’ this clearly shows that he does love his daughter, unlike Romeos infatuation
with Rosaline Paris’ attraction seems to be practical.
Despite the obvious obstacles of conflict and hate, the love of Romeo and
Juliet is born and subsists. When Romeo meets Juliet for the first time during the
Capulet’s feast the language and form of the dialogue shared by Romeo and Juliet s
shows that their private sphere of love is totally different from public life.
Shakespeare therefore presents their first conversation via a sonnet, this was a
poetic convection very popular during the Elizabethan age. A sonnets expression of
love allows Shakespeare to break the limits of dramatic performance and to involve
the audience emotionally as if they were the recipients of the poem. This therefore
means that Shakespeare represents Romeo and Juliet’s love by making the audience
aware that Romeo and Juliet are the centre of the universe.
The language which Shakespeare uses is Religious and describes the deep
passion, which burns in their hearts for one another When Romeo, first catches sight
of Juliet he images touching her, ‘make blessed my rude hand’. The repetition of
‘hands’ ‘lips’ ‘kiss’ and ‘touch’ with the expressions of physical implications like
‘touch’ ‘tender’ and ‘mannerly’ present the physicality of their love. Romeo is shown
to be an ingenious lover who uses religion in order to persuade Juliet to kiss him only
after a few sentences
‘Then move not, while my prayers’ effect I take
[He kisses her]
Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is
Purg’d.’
Romeo says that their love can be described in religious terms as it is associated with
purity and passion. Romeo speaks the first quatrain and its rhyming scheme is
a,b,a,b The second quatrain is spoken by Juliet c,b,c,b ,Both Romeo and Juliet speak
the third quatrain d,e,d,e and final quatrain is spoken by Juliet and then finally
Romeo. Romeo and Juliet both have b’s in their quatrain. The abab, cbcb rhyme
scheme indicates Romeo and Juliet are intertwined, through the repetition of ‘b’ lines.
The religious language demonstrates the sincerity of emotions as love and religion
are intertwined like the love of Romeo and Juliet.
The ‘Balcony scene’ shows Romeo’s passion for Juliet, which is sexual as to
Elizabethans sexual desire was the essence of romance. Romeo says ‘Arise, fair sun,
and kill the envious moon.’ Romeo is implying that he hopes Juliet will not remain a
virgin and be cured of ‘sick and green.’ It is the tension between the desire and his
reticence that shows us how much he truly loves Juliet.
All the presentations of love in Romeo and Juliet have led to one inevitable
Love, the love that changes a person’s soul this is the love that Romeo and Juliet hold
for one another, as they are willing to kill themselves to love freely. The prince says
Love is what kills Romeo and Juliet, as ‘The sun for sorrow will not show its head.’
As Juliet is dead, love is dead. Romeo and Juliet illustrate their compassion and true
Love for one another by paying the greatest price for their love death.
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