The dialogue of “Romeo and Juliet” is pertinent only to its time not at all to modern times. The Elizabethans delighted in word play, especially puns. Much of this seems laboured and dull to modern readers, but imagine it as a game in which actors are flinging out their lines at a smart pace with the audience scrambling to follow and untangle the word play in a sort of contest between playwright and audience.
To truly understand the play’s impact and meaning to its audience of Elizabethan England you must consider it’s setting-the glamorous Verona, Italy.
Unlike in present times we can go anywhere on the face of the Earth, with slight exception, it was very different in the 16th century. It was commonplace for a person never to leave his town or village birth at all, let alone leave the country. So when a production was set in a country as distant as Italy, it would automatically spark the audience’s interest and enthusiasm.
Since much of the play takes place outside, another aspect of setting that is important to discuss is the weather. The play takes place in the month of July. July is a month that is characteristically hot. Tempers are more likely to flare and patience is more easily lost in the heat. Consideration of the heat may help to explain the amount of violence between the families. Heat may also be used in reference to sexual desire. The heat further ignites the passion between Romeo and Juliet. It is more than just the lovers that are affected by the heat. Sexual innuendoes are prevalent throughout the play. For example, the Nurse tells Juliet that, “someday she will enjoy tumbling under a man”.
Finally, the contrast in setting between Act 2, Scene 2 and Act 5, Scene 3 is symbolic of the events that take place in them. Act 2, Scene 2, is set in the Capulet's orchard. It is here where Romeo and Juliet profess their love for one another. The orchard blossoms, as does their love. During this scene, although it is night, the lovers speak to one another in terms of "light". Juliet compares their love to lightning while Romeo compares Juliet to the sun. In contrast, the final scene of the play is set in the churchyard at the site of the Capulet's tomb. The churchyard is full of gravestones that mark the dreary landscape. It is fitting that the lovers should take their lives in the churchyard, among the dead.
Love is key to the personality and character portrayed by almost every participant in the play, major or minor. Love is outlined as a major element of the structure from the instigation of the play; the word “love” itself is mentioned on two occasions in the first sonnet alone. The major characters carry the theme love predominantly, or maybe more clearly by the major characters, and for that reason I will inaugurate my essay with Romeo’s experiences and endeavours with love.
At the start of the play Romeo is described, as a love struck depressant, which his unreciprocated lover, Rosaline, has unceremoniously passed off. Shakespeare makes it clear in the opening scene of the play that Romeo only desires Rosaline for her physical beauty and not at all for the person she truly is. Benvolio, Romeo’s close friend and the play’s mediator, introduces Romeo to the possibility that there is more to the female than her appearance and could therefore be responsible for Romeo’s maturing personality in latter scenes.
We know that Romeo is only interested in Rosaline for her looks only as he tells Benvolio about Rosaline and says; “He that is strucken blind cannot forget/The precious treasure of his eyesight lost.” Romeo makes to references to sight and eyes in two lines, a sure sign his infatuated by appearances.
On the hand, Romeo’s love for Juliet could not be more different if fate had meant it to. Romeo’s love for Juliet can be described only as innocent, pure and most definitely and importantly real.
As soon as Romeo laid eyes upon Juliet he was over awed and in true love. After saying only fourteen lines to each they kiss. Shakespeare also sends out subtle hints as to what sort of love Romeo and Juliet share by using religious imagery such as: “pilgrim”, “holy” and “saints”.
Romeo’s love for Juliet can also be described as pure because of the poetic use of light to describe their love. Light is key to Romeo’s cajoling of Juliet in the scene in The Capulet’s orchard and on Juliet’s balcony. For example, when Juliet first emerges from her chamber Juliet describes Juliet as coming from “the east” and personifies her as “the sun”. This description makes Juliet sound almost angelic in appearance and perhaps could be interpreted as Romeo’s guiding light to a more mature attitude to love.
Light also I used to perhaps indicate the conclusion of the great family feud. When Romeo says, “Arise fair sun and kill envious moon”, Romeo may be perhaps implying that his and Juliet’s love for each other (the Sun) could bring about the demise of the hatred between the two families.
Finally and most obviously, light is used to describe beauty. For example, Romeo says Juliet is radiant in beauty and “her cheek would shame the stars.”
Romeo also loves Juliet very innocently as he only wishes to be “a glove” when Juliet touches her face so he could lay himself upon “that cheek”.
Juliet is first introduced to us as the trophy daughter of the rich Capulets who is engaged to the parent’s chosen bridegroom, County Paris. County Paris in my opinion is not only a character in the play but also a form of love. County Paris personifies true feelings and commitment, as he is willing to wait for Juliet to be ready for marriage. He is willing to make Juliet feel happy and comfortable in their soon to be relationship as he takes Lord Capulet’s advice and attempts to “woo” Juliet. We know from a conversation between Lord Capulet and Paris when Lord Capulet says, “But woo her gentle Paris, get her heart…"
In contrast, the Capulet’s love for their daughter could not differ more. In my opinion, the Capulet’s “show-off” Juliet like she is the latest Paris fashion, the “in thing” to have. The Capulets seem only to show affection for their daughter when she complies with requirements. For example, when Lord and Lady Capulet decide the time has come for Juliet to be wed to County Paris they are very excited because they believe Juliet being obedient young girl that she is will abide by their wishes, but when that is not the case they disown like an outfit that has now become last season’s colours.
Although it must be said despite the Capulet’s passive and temperamental love for their only child, there is also a slight showing of compassion, consideration and care from Lord Capulet. When he discussing the possible marriage of Juliet to Paris he shows a slight undeniable love that only a father and daughter can share regardless of their circumstances. He refers to Juliet as “hopeful lady of [his] Earth” showing he requires Juliet to be a part of his life for him to continue in his life and a definite sign of parental care. Also when Paris enquires directly about his possible jointure to Juliet Lord Capulet tells him that Juliet is “ a stranger in the world” which does not only tell the on looking audience that he is parentally bonded with Juliet and she is still to inexperienced and young, but he has true concern for Juliet’s well-being.
With both of these sides of Lord Capulet having been explored, I can only come to the conclusion that Lord Capulet is displayed to the audience as being schizophrenic, toward his daughter anyway. This could be due to his relationship with Juliet and therefore has no true opinion of her, or perhaps, to make him appear to the audience as unstable or untrustworthy.
Lady Capulet in many ways is also portrayed very similarly. Key to our understanding of Lady Capulet is the scenes were Lady Capulet tries to understand her daughter. She at first confidently and proudly orders the Nurse to “give leave a while”, but when reality sinks in and she realises she does not know how to approach Juliet she calls for the Nurse to “come back again”. This is maybe done to create more sympathy for Juliet as she is neglected.
Staying on the subject of parental care; the love Romeo and Friar Lawrence share is somewhat of a parental love. We know that Romeo is far from close to his parents and therefore turns to Friar Lawrence for guidance and affection. We know that Romeo and Friar Lawrence share a close understanding as they can talk collectively in rhyme and are open with each other. For example, Romeo tells Friar Lawrence that he has “been feasting with mine enemy/where on a sudden one hath wounded me.”
Benvolio, Romeo and Tybalt’s close associate, is yet again portrayed as another type of love, one of true friendship, peace and honour. Benvolio is most definitely the most peaceful and calm of all the young male Capulets and Montagues, he is forever attempting to break up fights or prevent them starting in the first place He also shows true friendship towards Romeo when in the opening scene he seeks him out and endeavours to trace the source of Romeo’s great depression.
Another form of friendship love is that shared by Romeo and Mercutio. There love for each other is clear when Tybalt confronts Romeo and tells him he will not fight him because he “loves thee better than thou canst devise” which means he is willing to live with Juliet’s family because he loves her. This angers Tybalt that in turn angers Mercutio leading to his eviction. This angers Romeo greatly and to protect the honour of Mercutio he hunts down Tybalt and says, “Thou or I or both, must go with him” meaning Romeo will die for Mercutio.
The last main form of love is sex. This is mostly displayed by the lower class characters of the play but also by higher-class characters, Mercutio for example. Shakespeare describes sex as a form of love as very aggressive. For example, in the very first scene the two servants, Sampson and Gregory, are speaking of their hated for the Montagues and they claim they will “thrust maids to the wall”, which is fairly self explanatory.
Mercutio claims whilst speaking to Benvolio about Rosaline, he can use innuendo to arouse him, when he says this “talk cannot anger him”.
This is definitely the dark side of “Romeo and Juliet” and perhaps is more to do with hate than love.
With all these forms of love surely hate cannot be as prominent, but it is.
Hate in fact is the focal point to the first scene of the play. The servants of both the rich families are strutting the streets of Verona when they collide and begin throwing insults back and forth. This immediately makes clear the underlying main plot to play, the hatred between the two families, which takes a backseat to the play storyline the love between Romeo and Juliet, which is unfortunate in my opinion. This scene shows just how explosive the hatred between the opposing sides is, and is bubbling at the surface permanently, which fits perfectly with the whole feeling of the play.
It is clear how much of a control hate has in the play because it alters many events in the play. For example, rather than having a regular wedding; Romeo and Juliet are forced to wed in complete secrecy.
Tybalt is most definitely the epitome of hatred in the play. Tybalt is the cousin of Juliet and strongly follows Veronian tradition, to hate the opposing family. His belief alone keeps the hatred between the two families if nothing else. His constant wanton need to brawl is clear especially when he confronts Mercutio. It is clear although he only asks to “speak with” Romeo his true motive is to create conflict.
The Capulets also show a form of hate that is very relevant to today’s society: frustration. They are not only frustrated at Juliet for her non-compliance with their orders, but also frustrated at their lack of skill at parenting and it is only due to their lack of skill that Juliet refuses to comply.
Juliet also spawns a form of hated towards the Nurse following the events described in the paragraph prior. Juliet feels injustice and feels she has been backstabbed by her own confidante and therefore discards the Nurse completely.
So after summarizing love and hate in Romeo and Juliet I come to the conclusion that the play is neither more to do with love or to do with hate or even both, but there is one more unmentioned factor, fate. Fate undoubtedly played a key role in the undoing of many characters, the marriage and initially the meeting of Romeo and Juliet and to some extent the putting aside of the hatred between the Montagues and the Capulets. Fate in the play decided the outcome of all major events and even made some impossible. Some in conclusion I think Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy inter-laced with tales of love and hate but with fate controlling the occurrences from behind the scenes.
