Romeo, being one of the two characters the story is based on, is extremely hasty, exaggerating every emotion that he feels. When Romeo is first introduced, the audience sees a boy in love with a woman who does not return his love. However, during Romeo's second appearance, at the Capulet's feast, he makes quite a different impression, expressing his love for a female he just met - Juliet. When approaching Juliet in the Capulet's garden after the party, Romeo asks Juliet for "Th' exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine"(2.2.127). Romeo managed to swear his love for two women - Rosaline and Juliet - in one night, which only proves how impetuous he is.
Romeo and Juliet is the most famous romantic play in English Literature by William Shakespeare. The main theme of the play is the romantic love between and the intense passion which springs up at first sight between Romeo and Juliet. Love is a violent, ecstatic and overpowering force which suspends all other values. Juliet places her love above everything when she says, ‘O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet’.
Friar Lawrence makes fun of Romeo saying that young men only love what they see. They do not love with their hearts but with their eyes and thoughts. Their love is shallow and superficial. He questions whether Romeo shed a single tear for Rosaline before moving on. Friar Lawrence brings out Romeo’s fickle minded nature by showing how he falls in love with a new woman, Juliet, in a very short time frame.
First of all Romeo did not even know who Juliet was when he fell in “love” at first sight. In Act 1 Scene 5 of the play when Romeo only sees Juliet he says “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night!”. This proves that Romeo, although it seems like love, only “loved” Juliet for her looks.
In the prologue Shakespeare makes reference to Romeo and Juliet as "A pair of star-cross’d lovers" in line 6. In other words, the two lovers are thwarted by destiny from the very beginning. The imagery of “star-cross’d”; the stars not being in favour of the lovers for Elizabethan audiences would be recognized as love destined for something else which they know leads to tragedy as the rest of the prologue insinuates. Although not meant to be together; as “star-cross’d lovers” with “death-mark’d love”, this ill fated and forbidden love is emphasized by Shakespeare in the prologue so that the audience sympathize with Romeo and
In “Romeo and Juliet”, love’s power of influence is a constant strength and source of courage. Throughout the play, the protagonists fight against the present society and counter their family’s wishes in order to follow their desires and make of two star crossed lovers one. They are both willing to abandon their names for each other “Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet”. This shows that love in Shakespearean literature overcomes and supersedes their reputation, loyalty towards their names and is basically the only key to happiness. This forcefulness of love becomes so strong and intense that it turns to violence and hatred for all obstacles blocking their reunion.
Romeo toke the Nurses advice and chased Juliet. Like the Nurse, the Friar played an important role in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Here the Friar tells Juliet She should not see Romeo because it may spark something between the to families the Montague’s and Capulet’s. “Each part, depriv’d of supple government shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death; Shakespeare 711” This simile offended Juliet and she did not take the Friars advise and continued to see Romeo. Similar to the Nurse the advice that the Friar gave was not always taken by Romeo and Juliet, this is an example of that right here.
This collection absorbs the reader into a raw, honest state of lust, love and obsession. When comparing the pieces, we can get a stronger idea of how love has evolved and developed in the past 400 years, as seeing the love in Romeo and Juliet in conjunction with Rapture we understand how people’s attitude to love has changed. Shakespeare explores lust repeatedly throughout Romeo and Juliet, making frequent sexual puns but it is in Act 1 Scene 1 we witness Romeo in ‘love’ with a woman named Rosaline. With further analysis we can uncover that Romeo is only really in love with the idea of being in love, for his mind shifts so freely and frequently. Romeo talks of Love’s view ‘muffled still’ and ‘pathways to his will’ romantic notions made inconsequential as he follows with ‘Where shall we dine?’ This question causes us to consider the
When he talks about Rosaline it seems as though he is acting the part of an unrequited lover. We notice this, along with Benvolio, which makes his love almost comical as we know that it is not serious. Also he often says “O” with a sign. This makes the audience feel that he is being melodramatic. This expression of anguish seems over the top.
It is obvious from all versions of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, written of performed, that the two characters of Romeo and Mercutio share a very close relationship, even though the two friends have highly contrasting personalities. Romeo is a romantic who loves to be in love, and is quite selfish and introverted. Mercutio on the other hand, believes in lust instead of love, and is at his best in the centre of attention. Act 2 Scene 4 is the morning after the Capulet ball where Romeo met Juliet, and is centred on the two friends’ duel of wit. At the start, Mercutio is outwardly wondering where Romeo is, showing that he likes to be in control of his friends.