The love of Paris and Juliet is similar to that of Romeo and Rosaline, where he loves Juliet but she does not love him and an arranged marriage had been planned and the love these two characters is called dutiful love. Lady Capulet is eager for Juliet to marry Paris because he is a wealthy, respects Juliet and is an honourable man. Lord Capulet unlike Lady Capulet as he wants to delay the marriage as he believes Juliet to be a “stranger in the world.” She is his only daughter and in fact his only child and he wants to protect her showing fatherly love.
Romeo is a good friend of Mercutio who is loyal, daring and a humorous character who uses puns to add to the humour, they both share a brotherly love along with Benvolio who is a sensible and sensitive character. Mercutio is even willing to risk his life for Romeo when Tybalt enters the scene and Romeo refuses to draw swords with him. Mercutio however goes against the will of Benvolio who is a peacemaker and tried to prevent him fighting, as he is concerned for his great friend. Also aware of the consequences Prince Escalus will issue as Tybalt/ ‘Prince of Cats’ kills Mercutio and he dies in Romeos arms.
There are relationships of love in the play; undoubtedly the love of Romeo and Juliet is the most pronounced and focal love in the play.
When Romeo first sets his eyes on Juliet at the Capulet ball, his obsession for Rosaline is now gone and he notices she is a “snowy dove trooping the crows,” and the effect Juliet has upon Romeo is even greater than that of Rosaline.
Romeo and Juliet’s love is extremely special and different to all the other loves in the play including Paris and Juliet and also Romeo and Rosaline. Romeo and Juliet have a peculiar relationship in which most of the romance and meetings occur during the night due to the circumstances of the family rivalries, where they cannot be seen together. An example of this love is the balcony scene, where Romeo has climbed over the high orchard gate and into the Capulet garden; this shows he is willing to a risk to be near her this shows his obsession for her. Romeo expresses his love for her “bright angel,” he explains she can light up the darkness and compare her eyes to twinkling stars showing her divinity, goodness and holiness and religious imagery.
He also uses several poetic techniques including similes “as a winged messenger of Heaven,” he uses metaphors describing her appearance as the sun rise “ It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!” Romeo and Juliet during this scene express their sexual love for one another.
Romeo and Juliet also discuss how the family names of Capulet and Montague are enemies to them because it deters them from being allowed to see one another. The name is no part of someone’s being, “It is nor hand nor foot” “…a rose By ant other name would shell as sweet.” The love between Romeo and Juliet is so special that the two get married this is shown in the modern Baz Lurhmann film but not the older Franco Zepherelli version.
Two other characters in the play that show love and support to Romeo and Juliet are the nurse and Friar Lawrence. The Friar attempts to use the love between the two to bring the family feud to a halt and unite the two families.
The nurse is a close friend of Juliet and always will support Juliet no matter the circumstances; she is extremely talkative and always expresses her opinion. The nurse shows parental love towards Juliet and like Lady Capulet keen right from the start that Juliet and Paris marry. The nurse even goes in search for Romeo as Juliet has asked her to, this is extremely brave of the nurse who would face the consequences by the Capulet family if discovered doing this.
Romeo has Friar Lawrence to his aid, and he is a comparison to the nurse is to Juliet and to leave the dead Romeo who was told to banished by The Prince. The Friar had a plan to use sleeping potion on Juliet as a marriage was planned between Paris and her by the Capulet family this would therefore make her appear to be dead and the funeral of Juliet takes place. Romeo did not receive the letter stating the plan and he is told by Balthasar she is dead, Romeo cannot believe this as he goes to find her.
When he returns, he is challenged to a fight by Paris and lays the dead body of Paris beside Juliet “lay me with Juliet,” and he deserves this. He died defending her, as he believes Romeo has killed her.
When Romeo cannot awaken his Juliet, he cannot bear to live without her and commits suicide to join his love in Heaven. Juliet looks at her dead Romeo and kills herself with his dagger to join him in Heaven before anyone can enter the vault. The Friar’s plan had failed.
There is also much hate involved in the play as well as love. The play throughout has the family feud and hate between Capulet and Montague, which leads to the death of five young people. The fiery Tybalt kills Mercutio and he does not understand why Mercutio has challenged him as Mercutio says “A plague on both your houses,” because he is so fed up of the family hatred, regardless if it is to Romeo or Tybalt he wants both families to suffer as he has suffered.
Tybalt now goes in search for Romeo because he is furious the Montague’s went to the Capulet ball and even more furious that Romeo has declared his love for Juliet. There is hatred between the two families, but Tybalt brings fresh hatred into the play because he is extremely proud to be a Capulet and he hates all that of Montague and would do anything to cause harm and suffering to the bitter rival of Montague. When Tybalt returns to the scene, Romeo feels he has to fight to avenge the death of his great friend Mercutio and to prove he deserves Juliet and finally to avoid being thought a coward. When Romeo returns to fair Verona after escaping banishment to Mantua, he meets Paris and he challenges Romeo to a fight due to the hatred he has for Romeo because he believes Romeo has killed Juilet and Romeo kills Paris. It is in fact hatred that has brought Capulet and Montague together as they have both suffered and mourned many tragic deaths. The love between Romeo and Juliet was so strong that it transcended all boundaries even the family feud and eventually death.