‘That as she dies, with beauty dies with her.’
This is a typical sign shown of some one in love, as he only sees the good things about her and portrays her as perfect.
The subsequent theme of dutiful love is revealed when Paris asks Lord Capulet for Juliet’s hand in Marriage. It is called dutiful love because of the dutifulness of the fondness that is present in an arranged marriage. There are many different views in the Capulet household of what Juliet should do. Lord Capulet still sees her as a child and doesn’t think she is ready to get married even though, or perhaps he married Lady Capulet when she was about the same age. His wife, by contrast, is very different because she thinks that Juliet is ready. The Nurse also agrees with the arranged marriage. Paris describes her as:
‘the hopeful Lady of my earth.’
Paris sees Juliet as the idealistic wife and doesn’t love her he just wishes to have this ideal bride and lifestyle.
Subsequently when Lady Capulet tells Juliet of Paris’s intention we are shown the love and relationship between the both of them compared to that of the Nurse and Juliet. Lady Capulet’s love for her daughter is very weak I think she loves Juliet as a daughter but not as a person. This maybe due to not being there when Juliet was growing up and as the conversation continues it is shown that the Nurse particularly raised Juliet. Therefore she has a far stronger bond and genuine love for her.
Throughout the conversation about marriage the Nurse brings up funny anecdotes about Juliet as a child, annoying Lady Capulet, probably because the love between Juliet and her nurse is stronger and more mother-daughter like than that of her actual relationship, with her mother.
‘and since that time it is eleven years, for then she could stand high-lone, nay she could have run and waddles all about.’
Lady Capulet may be annoyed at this point owing to the jealously she has for the Nurse who has a better connection with Juliet than her.
When Juliet is asked about marriage she avoids the question, giving the impression that she is not ready.
‘It is an honour that I dream not of’
In the conversation with her mother about Paris she states she has never thought about marriage or Paris in that way. This shows that Juliet clearly doesn’t love or care for Paris, but promises her mother she will try and look at him that way at the banquet.
The theme of love is continued when Romeo goes to the banquet and meets Juliet for the first time. When he first sees her whilst she is dancing and describes her as:
‘Snowy dove trooping with crows’
This metaphor is comparing Juliet to the rest of the people at the banquet. It describes her as beautiful and the rest less so. This makes it clear that he has strong feelings for her from the beginning. This shows irony in that he said to Benvolio he would not get over Rosaline so quickly.
This is shown by their instant passion and lust for each other.
‘To smooth the rough touch with a gentle kiss.’
Although the question is, is the love between Romeo and Juliet love or lust? The fact that Romeo and Juliet have only looked at each other and spoken less than one hundred words to each other they are, apparently, in love. Furthermore Romeo was supposedly in love with Rosaline and now is suddenly in love with Juliet. Also they are both very young and I don’t think they have enough life experience to fall in love properly, therefore I think it would be lust. Although it is possible that Juliet is not a mere replacement for Rosaline. The love Romeo allegedly has for Juliet is more authentic than the love he felt for Rosaline.
In the famous balcony scene, both Romeo and Juliet declare their love for each other. The use of intense language emphasises their passionate love for one another, and their strong desire to be together. This is supposedly true love; though it is possible that it is merely lust. Romeo compares Juliet to the sun transforming the darkness into daylight because this represents a feeling of hope and beauty.
‘In the east, and Juliet is the sun’
Romeo uses the metaphor when he is describing Juliet because he feels she is the light of his life. And as if his life has been in darkness before meeting Juliet. This shows he has strong feelings or her because this means the feelings he has for Juliet are stronger than the ones he had for Rosaline.
This also ironic because earlier in the play because Romeo uses a metaphor and compares Rosaline to the moon. This is ironic because the moon and the sun are the opposite too each other. Thus portraying that the feelings he has for Juliet are completely different. Juliet shares this view she describes Romeo as lightning :
‘which doth cease to be / Ere one can say,” It lightens.”’
Juliet uses this metaphor of lightning to depict the suddenness and overpowering of feelings she has for Romeo.
This is a strong love demonstrated by there ignorance throughout the scene to the dispute between their parents.
“deny thy father and refuse thy name.”
They feel so strongly for each other they are willing to endanger the love their family feels for them. Romeo pushes the pace of this scene and springs into action and asks Juliet to marry him. This portrays that they think their feeling for one another are strong enough to last a life time. However considering Juliet told her mother she was not prepared to marry anyone this is a very big step for such a young girl. This shows that between the times Juliet met Romeo her view of marriage and life have changed. This is the type of love that could change some ones life.
The theme continues with the love which we are shown is the friendship between Benvolio and Mercutio. Whilst talking about the weather and the reasons why Capulet’s and Montague’s get into fights and how ridiculous it is.
Afterwards as Tybalt picks a fight with Mercutio Romeo intervenes and tries to stop the fight. This is because he doesn’t want to fight with Tybalt. He doesn’t want to fight for the reason that Tybalt is know Romeo’s new family. Although Tybalt has only just become his extended family he still feels a sort of love for him and a duty to protect him.
‘Till thou shalt know the reason of my love,
And so good Capulet be satisfied.’
The feeling he had for Tybalt since he met Juliet has changed dramatically before he would have presumably fought Tybalt but due to his marriage to Juliet he has no hate for their family as they are connected to Juliet.
Subsequently Tybalt stabs Mercutio which makes Romeo want to avenge his death. The next type of love shown is the very strong friendship between Romeo and Mercutio. When Mercutio dies Romeo is distraught that his best friend was murdered. So he starts a fight with Tybalt. This shows Romeo and Mercutio bond must have been strong willing to kill one of his kinsmen after trying to stop the fight.
‘Now Tybalt take the villain back again,
The late thou gav’st me, for Mercutio’s soul’
When Juliet finds out that her cousin is dead and her husband killed him she is hysterical. She is grief stricken at the fact her cousin is dead this shows although we haven’t seen her with her cousin throughout the play this shows she must have cared about him a lot. Also as Juliet finds out it was Romeo who killed her cousin. She begins to question the type of man she married and protests that it wasn’t Romeo.
‘Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband.’
She is in emotional turmoil not sure whether to stand by her husband or not. In the end she decides she loves him enough to stand by him even though he has killed her cousin. She can see that Romeo would have avoided it if he could have though. At this dramatic point of the play the relationship and love between the Nurse and Juliet changes because the Nurse tells Juliet to pretend Romeo is dead and marry Paris. The Nurse says this because she loves Juliet and wants the best for her. But Juliet sees what the Nurse said as a sign of betrayal against her husband.
‘I think it best you married with the County,’
At this point Romeo finds out he is banished and is hysterical in Friar Laurence’s cell and tries to kill himself. He loves his family, his friends, his wife and his city too much it live without it. But the Friar stops him.
When Juliet declines to marry Paris this shows the tough love Capulet has for Juliet. He wants the best for his daughter but doesn’t want her to disobey him by not marrying Paris. He calls her horrible names and goes as far to say if she doesn’t marry Paris he will disown her.
‘Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch.’
Perhaps Capulet cares more about what people think of him than Juliet, he is worried what they will say if Juliet doesn’t go through with the marriage. This is a fairly big contrast to what he said a few days ago to Paris. In which he was saying that Juliet was too young to get married to Paris. It’s possible that he cares about her so much he doesn’t like to see her so upset about Tybalt and he thinks marrying Paris will make her happier.
When Juliet finds out the Friar’s plan she decides to go through with it. This scenario shows that Juliet’s love for Romeo goes do deep she is willing to give up her friends and family to be with Romeo. She is also risking her life by taking the potion because the Friar might just be trying to cover up his mistakes. Juliet agrees to the friars plans:
‘And I will do so without fear or doubt,
To live an unstain’d wife to my sweet love’
When Juliet takes the potion and is found supposedly dead by the Nurse and Lady Capulet we see how Lady Capulet really feels about Juliet.
‘O me, O me my child, my only life
Receive look up, or I will die with thee:’
This shows she would rather die than be without her only daughter. The bond between the two is clearly stronger than thought earlier on in the play. This shows guilt that Lady Capulet feels for not genuinely loving or having a bond with Juliet. It is very ironic that she doesn’t realise how much she cares about Juliet until she is dead.
When Romeo finds out about Juliet’s ‘death’ he is distraught not knowing the Friar’s Plan. He knows immediately that his life is not worth living without Juliet.
‘Well Juliet I will lie with thee tonight’
Nothing will stand in Romeo’s way of Romeo trying to commit suicide.
As the suicidal Romeo approaches the Capulet monument he meets her ‘fiancé’ Paris this shows that Paris’s feeling for Juliet must not have been as superficial as first thought. He has gone to the monument to grieve for Juliet’s death. He wants to tries to protect her grave even till his death. This is a very big sacrifice. And changes my earlier opinion that he doesn’t love but does very much.
Romeo enters the vault he sees Juliet led there; it shows Romeo has clearly matured enough to die for love. We have known from the very beginning of the play that the lovers were fated to die:
‘A pair of star-cross’d lovers, take their life:’
It is a sequence of near misses which cause the inescapable work of fate and yet Romeo screams against the stars against fate.
‘Then I defy you stars’
Throughout Romeo’s speech Shakespeare makes references to the metaphors used in the balcony scene. Romeo describes Juliet as:
‘And her beauty makes
This vault a feasting presence full of light.’
This metaphor is full of irony it is stating that she looks beauty and full of light compared to the other dead people. It’s only the readers or audience that know it’s because she’s not actually dead. He compares her to light, and light is usually a sign of life and hope not death. Also ironically he says that ‘death’ has no power on her beauty, which of course it doesn’t because she is merely sleeping. Romeo then makes the ultimate sacrifice to be with Juliet by committing suicide. This shows his love is so strong he is willing to die to be with her in the next life.
After seeing Romeo has killed himself and the plan has failed Juliet proves the purity of her love by committing suicide too. She uses the word ‘friendly’ to describe the poison which she takes this makes it sound like she is not afraid to die because she thinks she will be with Romeo. This shows the development of Juliet’s character and how she has grown up.
The theme of love runs strongly throughout the play shown in many different types. The purist type of love shown is clearly that between Romeo and Juliet who risk all of the other love that people have for them, their parents, their friends and many others just to be together. This love is so strong they cannot bear to do the easiest of things without each other to live. Their love shows even through the hate of their families’ true love can be found.