Dutiful love can be demonstrated in the relationship between Juliet and Paris. This is characterised by the dutifulness of affection that attends an arranged marriage. Even before she meets Romeo, Juliet does not want to marry Paris. When her mother first suggests the proposed marriage, Juliet is not convinced, ‘It is an honour that I dream not of’,1,3,67. However, when her mother reveals that they have arranged for her to meet him at the ball, Juliet’s sense of duty takes over, ‘I'll look to like, if looking liking move’1,3,98. Obviously Juliet loves her parents and wishes to make them happy. As it has been made clear to her that both her mother and father wish her to marry Paris, she does not have the heart to refuse and therefore agrees to meet with her suitor. Dutiful love is presented to the audience in an unusual way. Instead of through a character’s speech, actions or their options of another character, dutiful love is presented through one characters expectations of another character. In this case it is the Capulet’s expectations of Juliet to do what they believe is right. I also think another example of dutiful love can be found between Capulet and Tybalt. In Scene 5, Tybalt discovers that Romeo is present at the ball and wishes to take actions against him. However, his uncle, Capulet, forbids him. It is obvious that the two characters are very different; Tybalt is hot-tempered and vindictive, whereas Capulet is a well meaning and generous-spirited man. When Tybalt reveals his plans to kill Romeo, ‘Now, by the stock and honour of my kin, to strike him dead, I hold it not a sin’1,5,55, Capulet refuses to let him, ‘He shall be endured’1,5,73. I believe that Capulet and Tybalt to not see eye-to-eye and Capulet only endures his presence out of a sense of duty towards his family.
Loyalty within families is a hugely important theme in Romeo and Juliet and is demonstrated by the parental love and concern shown by the Capulets and Montagues. It is plain to see that Lady Capulet was married young and quickly became pregnant, ‘I was your mother much upon these years’1,3,74, and in her opinion, getting married at a young age has not done her any harm. She is also very impressed by Paris’ attractive appearance and social standing, ‘Verona's summer hath not such a flower’1,3,78. Therefore she believes that it is in her daughters best interests to marry Paris, and she is only pressuring Juliet into marriage because Lady Capulet believes her daughter will be happier. However, at the beginning of the act, Capulet is not as certain as his wife about the benefits of his daughter marrying Paris. Capulet believes Juliet is too young to be married, ‘My child is yet a stranger in the world’1,2,8, and does not want her to get hurt ‘Too soon marr'd are those so early made’1,2,13. Again this is demonstrating parental love through the concerns of one character about another. The Nurse also displays parental love for Juliet. The Nurse has looked after Juliet since she was born and may think of Juliet as a replacement for her own daughter, ‘Susan and she--God rest all Christian souls!--Were of an age’1,3,19. Like Lady Capulet, The Nurse approves of the marriage between Juliet and Paris, ‘A man, young lady! lady, such a man as all the world’1,3,76 and seems just as excited as her mother. However, I also believe that the Nurse’s excitement is just as much about the marriage as seeing Juliet happy. Whilst The Capulets loyalty to their daughter is plain to see, Juliet’s loyalty is only best displayed at the very end of the act. When she realizes that Romeo is from the house of Montague, Juliet is distraught at being torn between loyalty to her parents and her new found love for Romeo, ‘My only love sprung from my only hate!’1,5,135. The Capulets concern for Juliet is mirrored by the Montagues concern for Romeo. The first mention of Romeo in this play is by his mother, ‘Right glad I am he was not at this fray’1,1,111, after the fight between the Montagues and Capulets. This shows a concern over his physical well being as Lady Montague would not have wanted Romeo to be injured in the fight. However, the conversation quickly moves to Romeo’s mental well being. Montague and his wife are clearly concerned about the way in which Romeo has been acting and feel helpless because they do not know what is causing his depression, ‘Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow, we would as willingly give cure as know’1,1,148. As with Juliet, Romeo’s loyalty to his family is first shown when he realizes that Juliet is a Capulet, ‘Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foe's debt’1,5,114. His distraught reaction shows us that Romeo is loyal to his family, as if he were not, Juliet’s background would not concern him.
The love between members of the same family is not unlike that between friends. A fine example of love between friends is Romeo and Mercutio. Mercutio is a characternym; a mercurial person is active, sprightly and changeable, characteristics certainly obvious in Mercutio. We first meet Mercutio on the journey to the Capulets ball, when he attempts to cheer Romeo out of his depression. Mercutio is obviously aware of Rosaline’s rejection of Romeo and tells him ‘If love be rough with you, be rough with love’1,5,25. Furthermore, Romeo’s concern for Mercutio is demonstrated when his friend gives the ‘Queen Mab’ speech. Towards the end of the speech, Romeo is aware of Mercutio becoming more and more distressed and quietens him, ‘Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace! Thou talk'st of nothing’1,4,95. Romeo and Mercutio’s friendship also happens to be the turning point of the play in further acts. Because Romeo’s love for Mercutio is so great, his death would have to be revenged. Up to this point in he play, it may have been a comedy, but after Mercutio’s death, a tragic conclusion is inevitable.
In writing Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare has used an unusual background. Writing a love story surrounded by so much hatred would have been a complex process. However, it is the hatred between the two families that has made Romeo and Juliet one of the most famous love stories in history, and the contrast to hatred makes love in the play all the more powerful. Because of the family feud, the Capulet and Montague families must unite to fight the other, therefore making family loyalty all the more important. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet is most affected by the hatred of the two families. The fact that Romeo and Juliet overcome hate and they still love each other with different families proves how great their love for one another is. It is a love against the odds. Romeo had no business even to meet Juliet, let alone fall in love with her. The masked ball is designed to cement the love affair between Juliet and Paris, yet into it comes an interloper whose encounter with Juliet totally rewrites the script. We are aware of the dangers all the time: of the hatred between the two families. But against this background, a beautiful love forms, blossoms and achieves immortality. Romeo and Juliet are powerless in a world not of their making and one of which they are unable to influence – at least not until they die.
True love never dies. A phrase highly appropriate for the play of Romeo and Juliet. The popularity of the play does not reside in its different definitions of love but in its triumphant description of one love. The ‘true love’ of Romeo and Juliet shines out against the other types of love. It is obvious that Romeo feels more for Juliet than simply courtly love when he first meets her. After the pain and suffering that loving Rosaline has caused him, Romeo must be delighted in the ease of this new love. Upon first meeting her he says, ‘O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!’1,5,41, perhaps reference to a new fame burning inside him for Juliet. The love he feels for Juliet must be all the more intense considering the extent to which he loved Rosaline. Throughout the course of Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting, a lot of religious references are made, such as, ‘make blessed my rude hand’, ‘holy shrine’, ‘blushing pilgrims’ and ‘holy palmers’. This could indicate that they are not simply infatuated with each other, but that their love is pure and true and that they may wish to get married. However Romeo and Juliet are not the only couple in the play to display true love. Lord and Lady Montague also appear to love one another deeply. In Scene 1, Montague is about to join the fight when his wife tells him ‘Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe’1,1,74. Lady Montague seems genuinely concerned for her husband’s safety.
There are many different forms of love that Shakespeare has included in Romeo and Juliet including Courtly Love, Sexual Love, Dutiful Love, Parental Love, Friendship and True Love. However the variety of love present in the play only serves to make the ending more devastating. Both Romeo and Juliet were surrounded by people who loved and cared for them, yet nothing could prevent their tragic demise. Romeo and Juliet die as a direct consequence of the hatred of the society in which they find themselves. Their deaths make them permanent symbols of the power of love which triumphs through all adversity, one that is destined forever to symbolise the waste in all divided societies. It took the love, and eventual death of their children to reconcile the two families, but the story of Romeo and Juliet just goes to show, love does not conquer all.