‘A madness most discreet, A choking gall and a preserving sweet.’
By saying ‘a madness most discreet’, Romeo turns a well-known phrase ‘love is a madness’ into an oxymoron, it reflects his infuriation over his current situation with love. Romeo’s over-use of oxymoron’s sound unreal, if he were really in love with Rosaline he would be happy instead of being self-centred and depressed, hence the reason why he was able to fall in love with Juliet so soon after. He comes across as being self-pitying and over-the-top with his emotions, he acts as if he is the only one who has ever been in love and his comment on how he is ‘dying from love’ suggests this. Romeo does not know what to do with himself, all he can think of is Rosaline and this changes his feelings of wanting her, to him thinking he needs her. She does not return his love and perhaps this encourages his obsession, he hates himself for liking her but this embarrassment fuels his motivation to have her. Romeo openly reveals his feelings and throughout the play he comments on how close death is to love, here he illustrates it as choking and preserving. There is a specific contrast between gall being bitter or a poison, to sweet as a sugar or another substance that preserves life. Friar Laurence repeats this contrast later in the play, making it a central emblem of the tragedy. Romeo focuses on how he feels rather than on Rosaline, whereas when he talks about Juliet he concentrates on her using complements to describe his awe:
‘O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As rich as a jewel in Ethiop’s ear,
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.’
In saying that Juliet teaches the torches to burn bright, Romeo is comparing her to the ‘mother’ of all light, something so pure and precious that it becomes almost untouchable and therefore immortal, he also comments on her being immortal by her beauty later on. The image of the jewel shining near a dark face (with Ethiop meaning black skin) belongs to a larger body of imagery, jewels shining in the dark, which refers to the Elizabethan belief that precious stones had the power to give off light. Romeo says that Juliet’s beauty is too rare for mortal existence, which is ironic as her beauty is not for ‘earth too dear’ because nothing can prevent Juliet’s death, it has already been decided by fate. Therefore, her beauty will be in her coffin after a short enjoyment and will never fade, along with their everlasting love; without realising, Romeo has referred to Juliet’s fate that the audience are already aware of from the prologue. This saddens the atmosphere by showing how fate is inevitable, we are unable to do anything although we want to, the audience know that it is going to end in tragedy, but Romeo and Juliet cannot see this.
When Romeo and Juliet first meet, they use religious imagery when talking to describe their feelings:
‘And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss,’
‘Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?’
‘Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.’
‘O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.’
Their witty language is light-hearted and they both pick at each other’s words then twist the meanings, they do this in a friendly manner but at the same time coaxing the other into more flirtatious ‘sweet-talk’. When Romeo says ‘grant thou’, he asks for Juliet’s permission for them to kiss and this shows his courteous manners. Juliet comments on his chivalrous behaviour by saying he ‘kisses by the book’, proving, despite her inexperience, she can playfully react to Romeo with style and tact. Metaphor and wordplay allow words, such as prayer, to be understood not only as an act of religious adoration, but also as a supplication to each other and allow the words prayer, grant, faith and despair refer to religious worship and romantic allure. This religious imagery makes this theme more outstanding; it makes the reader more aware of the foundation of how Romeo and Juliet were so pure and innocent, and how they contrast with the hate of the feud. To Romeo and Juliet, time itself slowed when out of each other’s presence:
“I will not fail; ‘tis twenty years till then”.
Shakespeare shows that love, in its purest form, is similar to religion as being with each another was heaven–time, and hell when apart. Romeo makes references to Juliet being an angel; his love for her was the purpose of his being, the light in his life:
“Heaven is here, Where Juliet lives.”
Their love was so blissful, so spiritual that nothing mattered, yet despite this heavenly appearance, their love was not all peaceful. Insanity consumed them both as their every waking moment was spent thinking of one another. This ‘discrete madness’ added to the flood of their emotions, slowly taking every dream and entwining them until they were inseparable. Shakespeare used this angle to show their depth of feelings for one another. Romeo would prefer death to being without his Juliet and Juliet felt the same for her Romeo. For Romeo and Juliet, loving each other is everything, both offer up their names as payment for their love:
“Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet” and “Art thou not Romeo and a Montague? Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike”.
They willingly abandon the long feuding years that their families highly regard at the first declaration of their love, swept away in the flood of teenage feelings. In the end, both Romeo and Juliet take their own lives in tribute, as their love was so deep, so spectacular, that the thought of living without the other did not occur. Suicide was a running thought in their minds, an effect of the madness love set in their souls. Love, once so bright, had become lost in the darkness. The older generation in this play refer to Romeo and Juliet's parents, the Nurse and Friar Lawrence’s ideas on love contrast with the young lovers, Romeo and Juliet. They do not understanding Romeo and Juliet’s love, causing conflicts, misunderstandings and pain to arise. The lovers portray themselves as being rash and impulsive, whereas their elders have a different perspective on love because they are more experienced and therefore wise. Older people are often thought to be wiser; Capulet admits that it is easy for 'men as old as we to keep the peace’, which shows that the feud between their families could have been resolved. However, no effort was given to end their quarrel and this highlights the idiocy of the two men as their children’s lives were then used to show them the pointlessness of the feud. Capulet has good intentions in finding a suitable match for his daughter, but he also acts out of selfishness. He knows Paris is a relative of the Prince, which is why he, later in the play, insists that Juliet marry Paris. It is surprising that Romeo and Juliet sought each other out as, Juliet mainly, had grown up in an environment where marriage was regarded as a deal rather than for love. Lady Capulet is absurd in her description of Paris, 'a flower', 'to beautify him only lacks a cover', her attitude towards marriage and love is artificial and she seems more interested in the wealth and nobility of Paris. The older generation play a major role in the destiny of the two lovers, although it is not always entirely their fault. Romeo and Juliet themselves are impulsive and they let emotions control them. Their love was genuine and sincere but they could have tried to end the feud before rushing into marriage, little setbacks caused them to resort to suicide that led to the tragedy. From the beginning, they were branded 'star-crossed lovers’; it was fate that drew them to each other, without knowing they were from feuding families. ‘Two star-crossed lovers take their lives’ is the ultimate symbol of the futility of conflict, the price is so ultimate because of Romeo and Juliet’s innocence. They did not make the feud happen, they did not understand the quarrelling and yet they were caught up in it. The real impact is when the two fathers shake hands at the end, once their children are dead. This makes the fighting seem so pointless and futile, and so wrong that Romeo and Juliet were dragged into it merely because of their names. Shakespeare teaches a valuable lesson in Romeo & Juliet, he has shown us the price paid for hasty love. He reveals how blissful and happy love can be, while also showing us the dangers of allowing love to go to far. Love in moderation is heavenly, but taking it too far results in madness, and in the end, pain. Though written 500 years ago, it still carries a message that is still applicable to today’s youth.