Romeo And Juliet - Theme Of Love

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The Theme of Love - Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet portrays various forms of love; unrequited love between Romeo and Rosaline, true love between Romeo and Juliet, and cynical love from Mercutio and the Nurse. The first form of love that is depicted in the film is that of unrequited love between Romeo and Rosaline. Romeo, played by DiCaprio, is first seen writing in a diary on a beach with the sunrise in the background suggesting he has been on the beach all night obsessing over her. Moreover the dialogue by both Romeo’s parents and friends puts across the idea that he hasn’t seen them for a long period of time. Romeo doesn’t love Rosaline but instead loves the idea of love, he demonstrates physical desire and lust rather than actual love and a romantic connection, a stark contrast with the love he shares with Juliet. Mercutio is anti-romantic; for him, love is a physical pursuit, which he emphasizes through his lewd dialogue, “If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking and you beat love down.” Mercutio's repeated references to the sexual aspect of love, contrasts with Romeo’s romantic connection with Juliet that is portrayed as going beyond simply a physical attraction, illustrating his cynical belief that romantic love does not exist. Moreover he curses specific people, the houses of Montague and Capulet, rather than an external force such as fate or love. The Nurse, similar to Mercutio, makes lewd references to the sexual aspect of love. The Nurse doesn't share Juliet's idea of true love, for her, love is a temporary and physical relationship, so she can't recognise the intense and spiritual love Romeo and Juliet share. When the Nurse brings Juliet news of Romeo's wedding arrangements, she focuses on the
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