Paris is the man who Capulet wants Juliet to marry. Paris explains his feelings for Juliet to Capulet. It seems that Paris does love Juliet because when Romeo kills him he asks to be put in her tomb,
"If thou be merciful,
Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet."
He has genuine emotions for Juliet and is devastated when she dies,
"Beguiled, divorce wrong spited, slain!
Most detestable Death, by thee beguiled,
by cruel, cruel thee quite overthrown!
O love! O life! Not life, but love in death!"
This love is similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo was willing to die for his love of Juliet because he thought she was dead and he wanted to be with her even after death. This is much like Paris’ request to be laid next to Juliet’s body after he is killed. Paris is a good man who would be kind to Juliet but she does not love him.
Juliet’s father however does seem to think that she would be happy with Paris. Capulet cares a lot for his daughter because all his other children have died and therefore she is very special to him;
"Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she;
She’s the hopeful lady of my earth."
Capulet wants the best for his daughter when Paris first explains his proposal,
"But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,
And she agreed, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice"
Capulet then starts to push Juliet into the marriage instead of letting her choose. He says that he will only let his daughter marry Paris if she consents, but then turns against this later in the play. Maybe he thinks that marriage to Paris will be in her best interests and he therefore pressurises her into it. This is why she feels she has to fake her own death. Capulet loves Juliet in the way that most parents love their children, but he goes one step further and tells her what to do instead of letting her make her own decisions. We do not know many details of Capulet’s marriage; there are only hints that he is not happily married. So the main demonstration of love that we see from him is towards his daughter. He is furious when Juliet defies him and is prepared to cast her out from his house! He does love his daughter but his reputation also depends on her behaviour. Capulet relies on his reputation greatly; if Montague were to have a greater reputation then he would be the leading family, something that Capulet does not want to happen.
The focus of Capulet’s attention is his daughter, Juliet. Juliet is only a child when she falls in love with Romeo. Her love for Romeo is true, pure and he is her first love. She loves him more than anything in the world,
"My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee
The more I have, for both are infinite."
Juliet’s love for Romeo is the love that people crave. She loves him infinitely and will do anything for him, even die. Her devastation is immense when her love, Romeo, is banished from Verona. Juliet tells her family that she is distraught due to the death of her cousin, Tybalt, but her grief is caused by her undying love. Romeo and Juliet share a bond, which makes their love even more special. When they first meet each other they share their language. They both use biblical and religious words to express themselves. The first time they speak it is in the form of a sonnet;
"Romeo: If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,
My lips two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
Juliet: Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this,
For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers kiss."
The first moment that they meet, it is obvious that there is something special between them.
Because of love, Juliet’s character changes through the play. She becomes less obedient towards her parents and more mature and independent as the play unfolds. She defies and deceives her father about Romeo and Paris. We realise how much she has changed when she talks herself round to supporting Romeo whilst he is banished.
Romeo is different in many ways to Juliet, but he still loves her as much as she does him. The first time that he thought he was in love was with Rosaline. When he loved her he was not happy. The love was unrequited and was not genuine. Romeo became depressed when he realised that Rosaline did not love him. He was moody, withdrawn and used oxymorons in his speech,
"O brawling love, O loving hate,
O any thing of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!"
Romeo does not talk to his parents about his feelings. He confides in Mercutio and Benvolio but never informs his parents of his emotions. This means that Romeo does not have a very close relationship with his parents and are rarely seen together. Romeo, therefore, cannot get help from his parents for when he is about to fight Tybalt and when he is banished.
As he falls deeper in love with Juliet he grows happier and more sociable, whereas when he loved Rosaline he locked himself in his rooms for hours. With Juliet he risks his life to see her.
Romeo and Juliet share a physical, passionate love as well as emotional love. The first night that they meet they do not want to leave each other. This is in the famous Balcony Scene. Romeo risks his life to see Juliet by climbing the walls of the Capulet estate. He then stands beneath her window waiting to see her. He then describes her in such a loving way that it is almost unreal;
"Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return."
The couple share a night together when they are married and in the morning they do not want to leave each other. Juliet tries to make Romeo stay with her;
"Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day;
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;
Nightly she sings on yond pomegranate tree.
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale."
These two young lovers defy their parents by marrying behind their backs, proving their love for one another. However the most definite affirmation of their love is when the two make the ultimate sacrifice, their own lives. This pair of “star-crossed lovers” experiences the most remarkable form of love in the play, true love.
Shakespeare’s presentation of love in the play Romeo and Juliet varies. Some characters think only of sex, others demonstrate a form of love with their children, but the one true, pure love is that of Romeo and Juliet. Each character in the play provides a frame to their love, their attitudes contrasting with young lovers. Events such as the death of Romeo and Juliet would not have happened if other characters were not in love with someone in a way. For example, Capulet loves his reputation and believes that if Juliet marries Paris then his reputation will be boosted. However if he loved his daughter whole heartedly then he would see that she loves Rome only. Romeo and Juliet share a special bond together that will never be lost. They make the greatest sacrifice for each other and this proves their love. "Romeo: Thus with a kiss I die"
