After that the nurse also makes sexual references in the play. In Act 1 scene 3 she states “A bump as big as a young cock’rel’s stone”. In this quotation she refers to the testicles of a male as she talks about marriage to Juliet and what it involves like sexual intercourse. This reflects the saucy nature of the nurse.
In the next scene(Act 1 scene 4) Mercutio also refers to sexual love when speaking to Romeo. He said “If love be rough with you, be right with love. Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down”. This means that you should get your own back on love and only then will you defeat it; stimulate love into action, and you will deflate desire.
In addition, portions and segments of courtly/Petrachan love are displayed in the play. This type of love occurs in the first act and is directed towards Romeo. He is obsessed with his first love whose name is Rosaline with superficial and artificial love. In Act 1 scene 1 Romeo describes his love for Rosaline and how beautiful she is. He said “For beauty starved with her severity, cuts beauty off from all posterity”. This shows that Romeo is infatuated with Rosaline and would do anything to be with her forever.
However, later on in the play we find out that it was never reciprocal meaning that Rosaline never loved him in return. This causes chaos and depression for Romeo as his love is unrequited. He shows his depression by saying “why, such is love’s transgression: griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, which thou wilt propagate to have it press’d with more of thine; this love that thou hast shown doth add more grief to too much of mine own”. However, Romeo fell in love straight away when he first saw Juliet and forgot about Rosaline ever since. In Act 2 Scene 3 Romeo tells Friar Lawrence about Juliet being the girl he loved now and how Rosaline is out of his life. He happily stated “With Rosaline, my ghostly father? No; I have forgot that name, and that name’s woe”. This shows that Romeo had forgotten about Rosaline and was not truly in love with her. It also showed that he was in love with the idea of love rather than the person. He described Rosaline as “chaos” and “heaviness” and describes Juliet as “brightness” and “light” in oxymorons. He uses religious language which shows devotion and worship towards to Juliet.
As well as courtly love, true love between Romeo and Juliet is displayed in the play. They first meet when Romeo and a few of his friends arrive at the Capulet ball as Romeo wanted to see Rosaline even though they are Montagues (sworn enemies of the Capulets) and they were not invited to the extravagant ball which was designed for Capulets only (Act 1 scene 5). As Romeo enters in to the ballroom he gazes upon Juliet and slowly afterwards Juliet sees Romeo and they both fall in love at first sight. Romeo then described how he felt after looking at Juliet. He said “O she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night as a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s car”, this shows that Romeo feels that Juliet is the greatest thing on earth and it also shows genuine love at first sight between these two. He also says “Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night”. This proves that Romeo is truly in love with Juliet unlike his superficial feelings for Rosaline as he began feeling depressed with her and had different feeling to her compared with Juliet. However, this love between Romeo and Juliet endures into death. Neither can bear the thought of life without the other.
Finally, the last type of love displayed in Romeo and Juliet is family and dutiful love. The love Paris has for Juliet is dutiful love. In Act 1 scene 2 Paris asked Lord Capulet (Juliet’s father) if he could marry Juliet. He asked Lord Capulet that “But now my lord, what say you to my suit?” This shows that Paris is keen to marry Juliet and no one. He does not know a great deal about her so we get the impression that he is marrying her for her name and title. Capulet initially objects due to the age of her daughter and then asks Paris to attract her attention at the Capulet ball. He said “My child is yet a stranger in the world - She hath not seen the change of fourteen years. This shows that Lord Capulet thinks that Juliet is not ready to get married and needs more time to mature.
As well as Paris’s love for Juliet the love between father and daughter was also dutiful love. Capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris in an arranged marriage so that she can take her mind off Tybalt’s death. He does this out of his love for Juliet. However, as Juliet refuses to marry Paris Lord Capulet shows his violent aggression towards Juliet. In Act 3 Scene 5 he says, "Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what. Get thee to church on Thursday or never after look me in the face." It showed me that he becomes agitated when he knows Juliet is not doing what he feels is best for her.
The Nurse also expresses family love to Juliet. It is part of the nurse’s duty to look after Juliet and with that duty she expresses her love to Juliet. In the end of Act 1 Scene 3 the nurse shows her love for Juliet by saying “Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days”. This shows that the nurse truly cares about Juliet and her future.
Tybalt also shows this type of love for family honour. In Act 1 Scene 5 he witnesses Romeo, a Montague entering a Capulet Ball. He says “It fits when such a villain is a guest: I will not endure him”. This shows that Tybalt was offended as a montague entered a Capulet Ball without permission. He feels family honour deeply and wants to defend it, hence the fight between him and Romeo.
In Conclusion, there are many different types of love occurring throughout the play Romeo and Juliet. The sexual love shown by Sampson, Gregory, the Nurse and Mercutio. The courtly/petrachan love Romeo had for Rosaline. The family/dutiful love Paris has for Juliet and the true love between “the star crossed lovers” in Romeo and Juliet. In all of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Conflict can only be resolved by the death of the protagonists which are Romeo and Juliet. It was definitely a famous and enduring love story set against the backdrop of violence. Shakespeare’s message is that true love can overcome any problems and obstacles in any situation of life. This message is often repeated in Shakespeare’s other poems and sonnets.
