At the beginning of the play Romeo is in love with Rosaline, his only true love, or so he thinks. Romeo later discovers that his love for Rosaline is nothing but ‘puppy love’. The implication of Romeo’s exaggerated artificial, contrived and elaborate language is that his feelings for Rosaline do not run deep. Romeo is in love with the idea of being in love.
Soon after meeting Juliet Romeo forgets all about Rosaline and realises that Juliet is his one true love. Immediately Romeo is caught in love’s spell, he now only has eyes for Juliet. Romeo’s love for Juliet is a sensual and ‘cloudy’ one. He worships Juliet and is forever telling her how much she means to him. He expresses his love for her in poems. His poems for Juliet are full of real emotion, they are beautiful and imaginative.
“It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night as a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear – Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear:”
Romeo is comparing Juliet to a rich jewel that African’s would wear in their ear. He believes her beauty is too precious for everyday use, and too valuable for this world.
Mercutio’s view on love is very different from Romeo’s view on love. Mercutio has a very jokey attitude towards love and when he is describing Romeo’s love for Juliet he uses sexual innuendos, puns and frequent bad language. Mercutio says, “O Romeo, that she were, O that she were an open-arse, thou a pop’rin pear!” Mercutio is being very rude here, he is comparing a lady’s vagina to a fruit, ripe and ready to burst open with juice. He also mocks Romeo soon after he has met Juliet as he assumes Romeo is still in a relationship with Rosaline and that it is sexual. Mercutio recites this poem, “An old hare hoar, is very good meat in lent; But a hare that is hoar, Is too much for a score, When it hoars ere it to be spent.” This basically means that a prostitute is a prostitute but if she’s an ugly prostitute then she’s not even worth paying for.
Whereas Romeo is in a more dream-like state, Juliet has both feet on the ground. Juliet’s love for Romeo is a strong, romantic and passionate love. It is so great that it cannot even be measured. She has more love for Romeo than she could ever have money. Juliet has a mind of her own, and follows her own feelings. Her love for Romeo is real, she does not pretend but freely admits her love for him. Whereas Romeo is in a more dream-like state, Juliet has both feet on the ground.
The nurse’s love for Juliet is that of a mother. She cares for Juliet as if she were her own child and is more of a mother to Juliet than Lady Capulet could ever be. Although the nurse deeply cares for Juliet sometimes she interferes too much with Juliet’s love life. The nurse’s romanticised views are dangerous for Juliet as they share two completely different views on love. The nurse shows a bawdy type of humour when talking about Juliet’s sexual relationships with both Romeo and Paris. She refers to sex as being the whole point of love, which is the complete opposite way of how Juliet sees love. Juliet thinks that love is cloudy, magical and romantic and believes that you should only have sex with your one true love, which in her case is Romeo. The nurse however does not share the same views as Juliet, the nurse’s views are immoral as on two accounts she tells Juliet to sleep with both Romeo and Paris, and also refers to sex in a casual way.
Paris’ love towards Juliet is completely different to that of Romeo’s love and feelings for Juliet. Paris worships Juliet from afar like a courtly lover. It is not true love, it is similar to the love which Romeo had for Rosaline in the start of the play. He is in love with the idea of being in love. Paris thinks that he is the right man for Juliet as he has status, wealth and money. Paris acts as a suitor ought to act. He does not share the same passion that Romeo feels but respects Juliet and he is well respected by both Juliet and Juliet’s father Capulet. It is an arranged love that Paris has for Juliet, it is not a true one, although Paris does have feelings for Juliet but does not feel that it is appropriate to show them as he says, “These times of woe afford no times of woo”.
Paris does not feel it is the right time to express his emotions but later in the play when he finds out about Juliet’s love for Romeo he says,
“Poor soul, thy face is much abus’d with tears.” Paris is deeply upset, he feels betrayed by Juliet.
