From the very beginning of the play, Benedick and Beatrice’s attitude toward each other is a superb representation of this theme of deceit. The two menacingly fight with each other; both determined to better the other. In this “merry war” of witty insults, they are both deceiving themselves into believing they feel nothing for one another. This self-deception becomes even more obvious in masked ball scene, Act 2, Scene 1, in which Shakespeare uses physical deception by having Benedick disguise himself at the party. Benedick’s desire to know what Beatrice truly thinks of him is a sign of the love he feels for her, yet has chosen to not yet acknowledge it, even to himself.
They both love each other however they’re relationship is made difficult when they realise they are enemies “Deny thy father and refuse thy name, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet”. They see no reason as to why they must hate each other, but the rest of the family see it differently “What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet”. This is made even more difficult when Romeo and Juliet get married, Tybalt feels insulted that Romeo entered the Capulets ball and wants to fight him (he feels dishonoured and filled with hate) however Romeo will not fight him because they are cousins now and part of the same
The Friar responds with, “Young men’s love then lies/ Not truly in their hearts but, in their eyes jesu maria, what the deal of brine/ Hath washes thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!”(2.3.68-90). In the first act, Romeo thought himself to be in love with Rosaline. Romeo had been distraught over the fact that his beloved Rosaline was going to become a nun. Romeo would never be able to love Rosoline, or be with her. Friar Lawrence makes fun of Romeo saying that young men only love what they see.
Unrequited love In the Robert browning poem, ‘The laboratory’ and Shakespeare’s famous ‘Romeo and Juliet’, there is a reoccurring theme of unrequited love. Unrequited love is displayed throughout Romeo and Juliet, as we can see with Romeo’s love for Rosaline at the beginning of the play. Romeo's love for Rosaline is unrequited. He loves her but she cannot love him because she is going to become a nun and nuns are not allowed to have relationships. Rosaline is unobtainable, just like Juliet was at first.
The universal truth behind this story is that the innate differences between men and women coupled with lack of communication will cause a marriage to stagnate and become an uneasy compromise. Insensitive and inconsiderate of his wife's feelings, Michael openly admits his attraction to other women. Frances wants to know his true feelings and he gives them to her cold, "I got all this stuff accumulated in me because I've been thinking about it for ten years and now you've asked for it and here it is." (7) He does not acknowledge his wife's despair; he knows he is wrong and yet he feels righteous because so far it has only been a physical attraction. Michael blithely dismisses his wife's pleas for reassurance.
In many of William Shakespeare’s plays, moments of tragedy and tension are lightened by the interruption of comical characters. These characters are referred to as the “Shakespearean fool”. The reoccurring presence of such personalities captivated the audience of the Elizabethan era as it made them laugh. Shakespeare employed the use of humor as means to avoid a dismal atmosphere. This was most effective when the storyline became too serious, as it provided comic relief.
Wilde’s play does not celebrate marriage as the ultimate alliance by love, instead preferring to expose its “unstylish” side stained by hypocrisy and shallowness. It’s quite clear that the institution of marriage is being lightheartedly ridiculed in The Importance of Being Earnest. The main characters in the play appear to treat marriage as something frivolous and are oblivious to the concept of mutual commitment. Cecily and Gwendolen only want to marry Algernon and Jack because they are convinced that their names are Ernest. As Gwendolen points out to Jack early in the play, “…My ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest.
Her love is inauthentic in the way she loves, due to viewing her lover, being godlike, this is inauthentic in the sense that no man is godlike. A woman priding herself over this method of love is eventually disappointed due to her male partner not submitting to her needs. For example the woman’s desire for the man to only care for her, while she expects him to be independent at the same time
Desdemona’s innocent, loyal, and honorable traits contribute to the theme that things are not always as they seem due to Othello’s failure to recognize them in his moments of jealous accusation. Desdemona’s most obvious trait is that of innocence. It is shown clearly throughout the whole play through her religious faith, dedication to Othello and her disbelief in any act of betrayal. In the beginning of the play, Othello too is dedicated and in love with Desdemona. Although, by Act IV of the play Othello is convinced, by Iago, that Desdemona is a “whore” and dishonorable to their marriage.
In Romeo and Juliet, an excess of passion is frowned upon. Romeo had obsessed over other women before, including Rosaline, however for Juliet this was her first love. However, she did not hold back whatsoever, rather she broke the conventions of courtly love, as the women were supposed to play hard to get. A quotation which exemplifies their