Romeo uses the language he expects lovers to use because he wants to be a well-mannered lover. But he uses too much so it begins to seem it’s false. It’s a clever use of language but it’s too extreme. Romeo’s second speech is a very intellectual use of wording: “Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes, Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears” (Act 1 scene 1 lines 182-183). In this speech it shows us that there’s two sides of love – happiness and rejection. Romeo sees both sides of love but rarely sees the happy side.
Rosaline does not want anything to do with Romeo, but Romeo still thinks that he’s so in love that he has lost his identity. “Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here; This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.” (Act 1 scene 1 lines 195-196) This is Romeo again being over dramatic. He complains that she refuses to marry so her beauty will die with her. He has no consideration for her feelings so maybe Romeo’s view of well-mannered love is a little selfish. Again it shows that he’s in love with the idea of being in love. Romeo continues to dispute that his love for Rosaline would never change and he even says that if he did see someone more beautiful then his eyes would burn out because they were liars. “Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars. One fairer than my love! The all-seeing sun Ne’er saw her match since first the world begun.” (Act 1 scene 2 lines 92-92)
What matters to Romeo is the passion that he calls love. It makes him happy, but at the same time it makes him sad. The language of respectful lovers can sometimes be baffling. Benvolio feels that the cure to solve Romeo’s love is to love another: “Tut, man, one fire burns out another’s burning” (Act 1 scene 2 line 44)
When he begins to speak of his love for Juliet the speech that he uses is very similar to the earlier portrayal of his love for Rosaline. He uses respectful love language and images, he describes Juliet as being so radiant that she outshines the torches: “O she doth teach the torches to burn bright” (Act 1 scene 5 line 43) His speech soon becomes simpler and the lines are shorter portraying that he is learning to speak of his true feelings for her. “It is my lady. O it is my love! O that she knew she were!” (Act 2 scene 2 lines 10-11) The love between Romeo and Juliet is extremely superficial, as they have only fallen in love with each other’s looks. The chorus also mentions this point: “ Alike bewitchÈd by the charm of looks:” (Act 1 scene 5 line 148) When he sees Juliet he automatically forgets about Rosaline showing that he thinks beauty is deep: “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night” (Act 1 scene 5 line 51) Juliet is very young and innocent and it shows that this new love is overpowering her. Romeo’s use of romantic language and flattery conveys true love. It shows that they have really fallen for each other as their speech is twisted in a love sonnet so they are in tune with each other. Juliet: “Then my lips the sin that they have took. Romeo: Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again.” (Act 1 scene 5 lines 107-109)
Parental love runs through the play especially in Act one as Juliet’s father shows a more protective love for his daughter. Capulet shows he cares for the feelings of Juliet when he says to Paris that he will only agree to the marriage if Juliet consents: “My will to he consent is but a part; And she agreed, within her scope of choice Lies my consent and fair according voice.” (Act 1 scene 2 lines 17-19) This parental compassion on the part of Capulet shows that he cares about Juliet, as she is all he has left making her truly precious to him. At this point in the play he gives Juliet a choice and wants her to be loved by telling Paris to win her heart: “But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart.” (Act 1 scene 2 line 16) But later in the play he bullies and threatens her, cursing his daughter when she refuses the proposal of marriage to Paris. “Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what, get thee to church o’ Thursday, Or never after look me in the face.” Act3 sc5 160-163
Lady Capulet shows a love for her daughter but it is very distant, as she has not looked after Juliet for much of her daughter’s life. At that time there was a social tradition in the higher classes to have a wet nurse. It would not have been fashionable for noble ladies to feed their own infants. Instead they would give the baby to a peasant woman who had recently given birth and who had plenty of healthy milk in her breasts. She would have nursed the baby for three to four years and it would be likely for the nurse to develop a maternal bond with the child. It is clear that Lady Capulet is not very close to her daughter so she calls the Nurse back when she realises that she does not know how to act with Juliet: “We must talk in secret – Nurse, come back again. I have remember’d me, thou’s hear our counsel. Thou know’st my daughter’s of a pretty age.” (Act 1 scene 3 lines 8-10) Juliet at this point is very naÏve and talks of marriage as:“an honour that I dream not of” (Act 1 scene3 line 67)
The Nurse treats Juliet like she’s her own daughter. This affection is strengthened by the fact that her real daughter is dead. She enjoys talking about Juliet when she was little. “And since that time it is aleven years; For then she could stand high-lone; nay, by th’rood, She could have run and waddled all about;” (Act 1 scene 3 lines 36-38)
Lady Montague’s love for her son, Romeo, is so profound that later on in the play she died of grief for her son in exile. “Alas my liege, my wife is dead tonight! Grief of my son’s exile hath stopp’d her breath.” (Act 5 scene 3 lines 209-210)
Marriage can be seen in many different lights and the different characters have variable opinions. The traditional marriage customs are illustrated in Act four, scene four with Paris arriving to claim his bride with musicians, intending that they should wake Juliet and accompany them throughout the day. The theme of marriage to death is very prominent in the later part of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet highlights the link of marriage to death when she is desperate for the delay of her marriage to Paris. “Delay this marriage for a month, a week; Or, if you do not, make the bridal bed In that dim monument where Tybalt lies.” (Act 3 scene 5 lines 200-203) She says that she would rather die than marry Paris and so Father Lawrence would have to make the bridal bed in the family vault. Capulet, on hearing of the death of his daughter, personifies death itself by linking it to a marriage with Juliet. “Death is my son-in-law, Death is my heir; My daughter he hath wedded.” (Act 4 scene 5 lines 38-39)
Juliet is obedient to her mother’s wishes for an arranged marriage as she says she will try to love Paris. Though this obedience does not last as she later on she changes her mind when she meets Romeo. Lady Capulet thinks of marriage has nothing to do with love and it’s just a way of sharing wealth and nobility. Paris and Juliet would share glory and honour through marriage. “ That book in many’s eyes doth share the glory That in gold clasps locks in the golden story: So shall you share all that he doth possess, By having him, making yourself no less.” (Act 1 scene 3 lines 92-95) This is a rather shallow view and could of come from Lady Capulet’s personal experiences.
The Nurse is positive on love whereas Mercutio is more doubting about love. Their speech is rather crude and they are both quite talkative. The Nurse sees love as something fun and tells Juliet to go and have a good time: “Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days” (Act 1 scene 3 line 106) Here she is referring to happy nights as making love; this again shows her basic ideas about love.
Later in the play we again see the Nurse’s view of marriage as when she comes to wake Juliet on her wedding day (to Paris) she comments that Juliet should sleep longer today as she will be awake all night for making love. “Sleep for a week; for the next night, I warrant, The county Paris hath set up his rest That you shall rest but little.” (Act 4 scene 4 lines 5-6)
Mercutio throughout the play is very cynical about love and mocks those who are in love, frequently Romeo. During much of this mocking he uses his vivid imagination and sexual innuendoes.“If love be blind, love cannot hit the mark. Now will he sit under a medlar tree, And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone.” (Act 2 scenes 1 line 33-36) In most of his speech in act two, scene one we are reminded of Romeo’s previous passion for Rosaline whom he worshipped as a goddess. Mercutio’s own attitude to women is a complete contrast; there is no emotion only sexual desire. He jokes and is sarcastic to Romeo saying: “You are a lover, borrow Cupid’s wings,” (Act 1 scene 4 line 17)
The friendship between Romeo and Mercutio was very special. Mercutio, although he loves to fight, was also defending Romeo’s good name in the dual against Tybalt. Therefore when Mercutio is slain Romeo returns that regard for his friend, for a moment forgetting his bride, and attacks her cousin in vengeance for the death of his friend. “Alive in triumph! And Mercutio slain! Away to heaven, respective lenity, And fire-ey’d fury be my conduct now!” (Act 3 scene 1 lines 122-124)
With the language and characters Shakespeare uses he manages to make the reader feel sympathetic for the two lovers. Using these unusual characters the play is motivated by using love to overcome hate. We find in Romeo and Juliet love will always win and at the end of Act one, scene five the chorus tells us this: “But passion lends them power, time means, to meet, Temp’ring extremities with extreme sweet.” (Act 1 scene 5 lines 156-157)