Act 1 Scene1Romeo “she will not stay the siege of loving terms…”
Initially Romeo’s love for the unattainable Rosaline dominates the play in conversations with Benvolio. Benvolio tries to help Romeo but fails.
Romeo “You can not teach me how to forget”
At this point we see that Romeo is quite the romantic hero. He still will not give up on Rosaline. Although he has not shown us that he is a ‘hero’ in other ways so far.
Benvolio wants to takes Romeo to the Capulets party, where either he can see Rosaline or “Examine other beauties”
Romeo reluctantly goes along. However this brings the ancient grudges of the households a float. Here we see that Romeo is not quite so much heroic as provocative as he probably knew that going to the ball would start a fight.
Act 1 scene 5 Tybalt “To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin”
That same fateful night Romeo falls in love, for what he feels now is the first time, with Juliet. His earlier feelings for Rosaline are dismissed
Act 1 scene 5 Romeo “I never saw true beauty till this night”
Romeo even questions if Rosaline was just all in his mind not his heart.
Romeo “Did my heart love till now”
I could argue that Romeo going rapidly from one girl to another whilst claiming that he had fallen in love with both isn’t quite traditional romantic behaviour. My idea of a romantic hero is one who falls in love, wins over the girl and loves only that girl.
I feel however that Shakespeare wrote in Rosaline to emphasise Romeo and Juliet’s act of falling in love and the significance of Romeo’s passion for Juliet.
I do feel also that Romeo can be a bit ‘pushy’. Like the first time he kisses Juliet, “you kiss by the book”, and when he proposes to her,
Act 2 scene 2 “O wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied”
Though some people would argue that he was being romantic by sweeping Juliet off her feet.
The balcony scene is the classic example of Romeo showing us his ‘romantic hero’ side. He would even change his name to prove how much he loved her.
“Had I it written, I would tear the word”
Romeo’s love for Juliet can not be stopped by anything. Or so he feels and this line makes me think that he will always protect and be with Juliet.
“Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me”
Within twenty four hours the star crossed lovers are married. In most Romantic tales the story ends happily here, but not for this couple!
Romeo had thought that he had gotten off lightly with going to the Capulet ball but Tybalt had other ideas. Tybalt and Romeo fight, Romeo being very pitiful at this, puts across that he is not the brave hero that we perhaps first thought. The fight ends with Romeo’s closest friend, Mercutio being slain by Tybalt.
Act 3 Scene 3 Mercutio “I am hurt. A plague on both your houses! I am sped.”
Romeo at the sound of his friend’s death kills Tybalt in revenge.
Romeo is then banished from Verona and he goes to see Juliet for the last time. In my view of a traditional romantic hero, the hero would stay with his love till death or would take her with him. Instead Romeo runs away leaving Juliet.
Act 3 Romeo “I must be gone and live, or stay and die”
This line does not give a heroic image of Romeo who after sleeping with his wife leaves, choosing safety and survival over love.
Juliet however feels that she cannot cope with out Romeo.
Juliet “be not so long to speak. I long to die”
After pressure from her family to marry Paris, a helpful friar tells her to take a potion that will enable her to act dead for two and forty hours and when she awakes Romeo will be there to take her away (the romantic thing to do). However Romeo gets the wrong message and thinks that Juliet is really dead, so goes to her side to kill himself to show his love for Juliet. This one action to me really does prove that Romeo, like most of us, does have his weaknesses, but is nevertheless a true traditional romantic hero.
“Juliet I will lie with thee tonight.”
“Here’s to my love! Thus with a kiss I die”
“I love thee”
