Although the setting of the play “Verona” suggests love was meant to happen here. The scene where they first meet builds up a lot of tension, the second he lays his eyes on her he says “if I profane with my unworthiness hand, this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this” Juliet’s response to this was “good pilgrim you do wrong your hand to much, which mannerly devotion shows this” the two quotes show a strong love connection, when they had only just met a second ago. Also if someone is willing to kill themselves because they think their lovers dead, it has to be true love, but then it could have been from the drive from their parents?
Romeo is the type of person who loves everyone except his enemies. He shows love and hate towards everyone. Whenever he saw Juliet he would tell her how much he loved her, if he saw another Capulet he would start a fight, showing he has very mixed emotions. People generally have mixed emotions about Romeo as well; when Capulet says “Verona brag of him” this is a lot coming from an enemy, showing he must be highly respected, this shows his personal sociology. However Tybalt says “it fits hen suck a villain is a guest, ill not endure him” showing he has his enemies. Romeo knew from the moment he saw Juliet, she was the girl for him. Needless to say, just hours before seeing Juliet he was just as infatuated with Rosaline, who was completely disinterested in Romeo. Before he met Juliet he seemed much laid back but in love with Rosaline. Whenever Benvolio, a good friend of Romeo would tease him about his infatuations. Romeo declares his love “a right good marksman and she fair I love”, Benvolio replies with a sense of sarcasm “a right fair mark coz, is soonest hit”. Already you get a sense Romeo takes love too far.
From the first scene Juliet is placed in, you can immediately sense she has been placed in a cruel viscous adult world. She is under many pressures and demands from her family. But against all this, Juliet is faithful to her family at the start. She is very compliant to elders in her family. The nurse calls Juliet, Juliet comes promptly. She refers to lady Capulet as “madam”. You also recognise a strong relationship between the nurse and Juliet “tis earthquake now eleven years, and she was weaned –I never shall forget it-“. She is the kind mother figure Juliet never had. The nurse was a great influence on Juliet and Romeo getting married, she believed in true love and not social status, I think if Juliet never had a nurse she would of obeyed her parents and married Paris, the nurse accepted Romeo, Juliet considered the nurse more of a mother than lady Capulet, so she would follow in the nurses example. Lady Capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris, but because of the pressures and expectation she lays upon Juliet, Juliet disobeys her and marries Romeo. I think this drive played an important part in their marriage. Juliet grew up with no real affection, just her mother teaching her about the social expectation their family had, and introduced enemies at an early age. I think this troubled Juliet, she felt like she had no one to love; Romeo however gave her that affection she had never felt. So I think this gave some justification in Juliet marrying Romeo. Lady Capulet and the nurse have a long conversation about Juliet, lady Capulet says “here in Verona, ladies of esteem, are made already mother” showing expectations for Juliet.
The meeting of Romeo and Juliet is at a Capulet party were Romeo is disguised in a mask. When Romeo first sees Juliet for the first time, he is struck by her beauty. The imagery used gives an important insight into their relationship. Romeo initially describes Juliet as a source of light; like a star, against the darkness “she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night”. The association of both Romeo and Juliet with stars is to constantly remind the audience that their fate is star-crossed”.
Romeo believes, that he can now distinguish between the artificiality of his love for Rosaline and the genuine feelings inspired by Juliet “did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight fot I ner’er saw true beauty till this night” acknowledging his love was blind, such ethereal moment of the expression of true love never lasts long in the feuding society. The threat of violence by Tybalt automatically kills the atmosphere created by Romeos sonnet. Tybalt recognizes Romeo, although is forced to accept capulets decision to allow Romeo to stay, Tybalt utters a threat that disrespects Capulet, showing the conflict wasn’t between the two feuding families, but across generations within the family. All these intertwined motivations become a problem for Romeo and Juliet... These motivations give them signals not to disobey their parents, showing it would be safer for Juliet to marry Paris, but against the odds, they end up together, showing their unity is strong enough to battle through the brick walls.
Romeo proceeds to impress Juliet with another sonnet with the use of religious imagery “this holy shrine, this gentle sin is this”. Juliet teases Romeo about his flirting techniques. Romeo and Juliet are so enrapt with the other’s response they forget to ask for names. They both find out the other’s identity of the nurse. In an instant Juliet flushes away her knowledge of filial duty, and introduced one of the biggest themes death and marriage. “My only love sprung from my hate”, she also declares if she can’t be with Romeo, she would rather die. “If he be married, my grave is like to be my wedding bed”, this really shows how much she loves Romeo, that she will give up everything for him, proving they could easily build a strong marriage.
Romeo and Juliet started to disobey their parents in act 2 scene 1 (the balcony scene), where Romeo compares Juliet to the sun with the constant reminding of them being star crossed lover. From there on the meetings are often at night, which created the illusion of their “forbidden love”. They marry secretly, when Juliet is supposed to have attachments to Paris, Juliet tells her parents she is unprepared for marriage, but then behind their back, goes back on her words. Juliet constantly contradicts herself throughout the play. Romeo and Juliet let the emotions override their rational thoughts, they followed advice from those of well meaning but bad judgement. It was clear Romeo and Juliet can’t make a substantial decision, so maybe they should have obeyed their parents. But it was the very fact that the parents were so self embraced in their social status and feuds between their enemies, that their opinions were so irrational, so disobeying their parents was the right thing to do. However they needed a middle man, the nurse and Friar Lawrence had fatal flaws making their love impossible to work.
Although there were great losses from their union, like the death of Tybalt, Mercutio, Romeo and Juliet. A greater good came from this, the two star-crossed lover had to give their life, in order to stop their families fighting. Romeo and Juliet were both being ordered by elders, so there were two significance battles taking place, between the young and the old, between Montague’s and Capulets. So from their death they stopped an ancient feud, changed the social status of conventional love and taught Verona that true love, was the only question concerned in marriage. Romeo and Juliet were both very spirited and religious people, as shown in the monologue, so they probably believed they could be together in after life. So I think the union between Romeo and Juliet was worth it in the end, as it brought two families together and changed the perception of love.
I personally don’t think there was any other ending for Romeo and Juliet, as it was their destiny in the prologue is says “star-crossed lovers” we associate stars with fate. Although fate was against them, with the note not reaching Romeo, Juliet waking up just after Romeo killed himself and them being placed on two difference side of a feud. It was obvious they weren’t destined to be together in this life time. I believe it was always their destiny to dies and change history forever.
So overall Romeo and Juliet let their emotional side overpower them, they were only immature teenagers, that put their judgement in the hand of the wrong people; but this was the only way to get through to their parent’s obsession with an ancient feud. They didn’t even now the cause of the feud. They proved that when love was involved nothing else matters and how the constant fighting would eventually bring everyone to a early grave. I think the only way they could stop the feud, was to take away something the Capulet and montagues both loved more “Romeo and Juliet”.
