how Shakespeare presents conflicting attitudes to love in the play Romeo and Juliet

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ROMEO AND JULIET COURSEWORK ESSAY

Explore how Shakespeare presents conflicting attitudes to love in the play Romeo and Juliet

In the play Romeo and Juliet written in the 1600s by William Shakespeare displays conflicting attitudes to love. In his play he demonstrates how there are many more definitions of love which gives the play more complexity and helps add intensity to the audience. In Shakespeare’s day men and women were expected to flirt with one another, it was a regular and frequent act that would show a man confidence and a women’s fun side.

The idea of courtly love was a European tradition and there were rules for every flirtatious male and female to follow. These rules applied mainly for men because usually the female is unattainable or married, usually of a much higher class in most cases.  

Another stage of courtly love is where the lover is consumed by there melancholy because they cannot have they’re man or lady, and they write poems for their chosen one. The lover become possessed by their own constant thoughts about there love and cannot escape from it.

There are several couples in the play that fall into the category of courtly love; for example Romeo’s love for Rosaline at the start of the play or Paris’ love for Juliet. Shakespeare uses the work of a poet called Petrach in the play. Petrach began his work in the 1300s, he wrote a particular type of poem which portrays all the characteristics of courtly love these were called Petrachian sonnets and Shakespeare uses these sonnets in the play and mainly in the poem Romeo writes to Rosaline confessing his love for her.

Courtly love involves a lot of joy and pain and Romeo experiences the painful side in the first few scenes of the play when he is consumed by his love for Rosaline. In act one, scene one, Romeo is talking with Benvolio; Romeo uses oxymorons like ‘O brawling love’ and ‘O loving hate’. These words contradict each other giving the audience a sense of Romeo’s feelings and emotions.

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Romeo is possessed by love but is also scared of it. He is controlled by his emotions and shuts himself away by day and only leaves his house at night. ‘His chamber shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out’. This was said by Montague to Benvolio as Montague is complaining about how he never sees his own son. In a way, Montague is crying out for help, he knows that Benvolio is wise and he plays the role of peace maker.

Romeo speaks to Benvolio and Romeo confesses his love for Rosaline. He ...

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