When Romeo goes to the Capulet ball he instantly falls in love with Juliet. He uses very descriptive language; we can see that Romeo has started to forget his former love Rosaline.
We can see that Rosaline meant nothing to him for he says ‘Did my heart love till now? /for I ne’er saw true beauty till this night’.
They both start a conversation. It is clear that they both like each other. Romeo uses metaphors and similes to describe Juliet’s beauty. ‘She doth teach the torches to burn bright. /it seems she hangs upon the cheek of the night/like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear’. They start to flirt and it results in them kissing. However, this can be interpreted in two ways. One view is that Romeo is fickle, shallow and can change his mind in a split second. Or we can take the view that this love is far more genuine than his for Rosaline.
When Romeo finds out that Juliet is a Capulet. It seems as if he will return to his former depressed self. When he hears the news he cries: ‘Is she a Capulet? / O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt.’ We know that the old Romeo that we saw at the beginning of play would have just given up and go have a sulk, but we see that Romeo has changed his ways. Because instead of facing defeat he fights for his love and takes action.
Romeo risks his life whilst climbing into the orchard beneath Juliet’s window. He knows that if he is caught he would face certain death, but his desire to see Juliet makes him oblivious to the consequences. Romeo’s language while he is talking to Juliet is much easier to understand than before. He does not use poetic and artificial language, and we can see that his words come from the heart. At the end of the scene it has been arranged the two will wed.
The next day Romeo and Juliet get married. After the secret wedding Romeo is filled with love and happiness. We see a very mature Romeo during Act 3, scene 1 when he refuses Tybalt’s challenge to a duel. We can see from this calm response that Romeo has become a lot more mature. Tybalt is furious and adamant, he will not accept no as an answer. However Romeo pleads with Tybalt: ‘I do protest I never injured thee.’ Romeo cannot duel with Tybalt for he is now his cousin. Tybalt ends up fighting with Mercutio. Romeo tries to stop the fight for he knows that the Prince will sentence them to death if there is another brawl in the streets of Verona: ‘...the Prince hath/Forbid this bandying in Verona streets.’
Romeo physically tries to break up the fight, this results in Mercutio’s death. Romeo’s mature and levelheaded behaviour instantly evaporates. He is blinded by rage and guilt. In revenge Romeo kills Tybalt. Romeo does not consider the consequences and his emotions once again dominate his actions.
After finding out that he has been banished Romeo’s mood changes he becomes out of control. He says: ‘There is no world without Verona walls’. He is distraught at the fact that he may not be able to see Juliet ever again so he attempts to commit suicide. This shows how quickly Romeo’s feelings change and how dangerous an effect that can have.
Romeo and Juliet spend the night together. In the morning Romeo starts to see things with a bright perspective. He promises Juliet that they will see each other again. This is a good contrast from his misery in the previous scene.
In the last scene we see how deep Romeo’s feelings are for Juliet in the speech he gives. The words he uses are not artificial; instead they are full of love and meaning. Romeo commits suicide. For the first time in the play Romeo considers his actions, he knows that this is the only way he can be with Juliet.
I think Romeo is a very interesting character. He has many sides to him. But it is clear that his love for Juliet brings out the best in him. He is a strong-willed character and he had to battle with fate. It is sad that the family feud in which he played no part in had to be the cause of his death.