Romeo is first introduced to us as a sad, melancholic, apathetic youth. His reason for sadness is universal; Rosaline his love, to whom he had sent many precious gifts, will not return his affections. In spite of Romeo’s love and gifts, Rosaline decided to become a nun and rejected Romeo. He still loves Rosaline a lot and says in the play to Benvolio that he could love no other woman other than Rosaline. Romeo is heartbroken and deeply depressed. He shows that in the play very clearly, by saying something acting in a way. He says in the play to Benvolio,
”Ay me sad hours seem long”, he felt even time went too slow without Rosaline. It is his friends Mercutio and Benvolio who try to cheer him up but in spite of their effort they do not succeed.
In the play Romeo is as well romantic and easily influenced by beauty. It is his friends Mercutio and Benvolio who suggest he should accompany them to gatecrash or arrive uninvited at the Capulet party. There he meets Juliet falling instantly in love. From this point on, Romeo, no longer is melancholic, but dynamic and courageous, risking his life at the Capulet's house to be near Juliet. This shows that he is easily effected by physical appearances. However Romeo can also be very romantic, as he says in the play,
”O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright”, he finds her beautiful and charming; in this quote he uses alliteration to describe Juliet’s beauty. The audience would not show sympathy towards Romeo because they now realise that Romeo’s love is only based on physical beauty.
Romeo felt emotions deeply and sought Juliet to promise him instant love. Romeo solely wanted someone to love him because Rosaline once rejected him. He’s request from Juliet is to declare faithful love for him. In the play he tells her not to leave him so unsatisfied and she asks him how she could possibly satisfy him. He says to Juliet,
”Th’exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine”, he wants Juliet to be utterly devoted to him. She accepts and they leave each other. With this the audience would not sympathise with him because he is showing them that he is using Juliet to cheer him up for his rejected love from Rosaline.
Romeo’s love is a pure, true love. He loves Juliet emotionally, spiritually, and sexually. He is committed to Juliet and wants to marry her. He confirms that when he tells Friar Laurence,
”Then plainly know my heart’s dear love is set on the fair daughter of rich Capulet, this reveals Romeo to be utterly devoted to Juliet. Therefore he visits Friar Laurence to request from him to marry them in secret. He is being sincere and trustworthy towards Juliet. Although he was a bit too fast with everything because the day before he requested from Friar Laurence to marry them, was the first day he met Juliet. For that reason the audience would not sympathise with him because he rushed in to everything.
Romeo is as well humorous and amusing in the play. He showed that in the scene when he and Mercutio were mocking the Nurse. While the Nurse was actually bringing a message from Juliet to Romeo. In spite of what the Nurse was actually trying to fulfil, Romeo says,
”Here’s goodly gear. A sail, a sail”, he is saying that she looks like a boat. Romeo uses a metaphor to describe how big the Nurse is. This is a contrast to Romeo’s behaviour, when he is in the company of Juliet. The audience would show sympathy towards Romeo, for the reason that he was after all in the midst of his friends, and he was being a normal teenage boy.
Romeo is regarded a thoughtful and mature man even by his enemy, the Capulet. He is unwilling to provoke fighting unlike the hot-blooded, adversarial Tybalt, whom he kills later in the play. He verifies that he can be mature and thoughtful, when Tybalt desires to fight with Romeo. However Romeo tells Tybalt that he will not fight him. He tries to maintain peace. He says to Tybalt,
”And so good Capulet, which name I tender as dearly as mine own, be satisfied”. He cares about the Capulet now because he married Juliet that morning. The audience would be impressed with Romeo’s behaviour. They would find him brilliant and mature.
Romeo became impulsive and full of hatred after Tybalt had killed Mercutio. He was provoked and deeply upset with Mercutio’s death. He didn’t know how to act with it. The only thing he could do about it was to avenge Mercutio’s death. Although Escalus, Prince of Verona, warned both families that further fighting between the two will be punished by death. Romeo still decides to kill Tybalt. He fights Tybalt and says,
”Either thou or I, or both must go with him”, Romeo was prepared to die for Mercutio . He kills Tybalt and runs away. Escalus didn’t sentenced Romeo to death but he banished Romeo from Verona because Tybalt had after all started the fight. The audience would understand what Romeo did to avenge Mercutio’s death.
In the play Romeo’s love for Juliet is so pure that he is even willing to die rather than be unfaithful to Juliet. At the end of the play, he commits suicide, rather than live without Juliet, the ultimate display of loyalty for his love for Juliet. Since his life obviously no longer had meaning without her. Romeo kills himself with poison which he bought from an apothecary. He went to Juliet’s grave, willing to die next to her. He meets Paris there who was grieving for Juliet’s death. Romeo fights him and kills Paris, but also in this encounter, he sought to avoid it, winning only to defend his life. After he had killed Paris, he went to Juliet and kills himself.
”Thus with a kiss, I die”. After this Juliet wakes up from her sleep and sees Romeo lying lifeless next to her. In spite of living without Romeo, she also decides to die rather than live without her true love. She tries to kiss the poison from his lips, but failing that she unsheathes his dagger and plunges it into her breast. The two faithful lovers died together and brought peace among their feuding families. The audience would feel miserable for what has happened to Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo shows us a variety of different emotions. Romeo is first shown to us as a sad, melancholic, apathetic youth. He was sad because his first love, Rosaline, had rejected him. It is his friends Mercutio and Benvolio who suggest to gatecrash or arrive uninvited at the Capulet party. There he meets Juliet, falling instantly in love. He is no longer melancholic, but dynamic and courageous, risking his life to be near Juliet and breaking a banishment order which threatens death for him. He was also regarded a thoughtful man, even by the Capulet, unwilling to fight. However he is also impulsive and reckless and there by kills Tybalt and Paris but in both cases he is defending his life or taking revenge. In the end, he commits suicide, because he wants to be with Juliet. The audience would regard Romeo as a romantic and a person that cannot live without love.