The characters’ likings change in the play is troubling, where Lysander is intensely in love with Hermia at first and with Helena at another point. “Transparent Helena! Nature shows art that through thy bosom makes me see thy heart” (Shakespeare and Foakes Act II). The aim of the play is not to observe the nature of true love but reasonably to mock misunderstandings that love brings. Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena are destined not to be romantic classics, but somewhat sympathetic figures thrown into perplexing situations of romantic farce.
Orsino describes himself as “as all true lovers are”. This is implying that he is the perfect lover, and his love for Olivia is real. It also shows that he is quite vain and full of himself. True lovers are thought to be sound in their love, but then Orsino continues with a declaration that his love is “Unstaid and skittish”, further indicating that Orsino often contradicts himself, as his love is restless, opposed to his supposed true love. Orsino discusses love with Cesario, who is Viola in disguise.
This play is about love and suggests the effects of love on a person. On the other hand it can be argued that love is not the sole motivation for all the comedic behaviour. Power is a powerful source which can change a person entirely which is displayed in the play. In act one, scene one Orsino, the ‘Duke of Illyria’ is vainly expressing his love for a Countess Olivia. “If music be the food of love, play on”.
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 metaphor of love being a “heavy burden” is ironic because love should not feel so negative. This reveals how clueless Romeo is about love. It shows that he has little experience with relationships and it is lust making him feel this way. Physically, “heavy burden” could also show the audience how exposed and venerable his feelings actually are. On the other hand, when Romeo has met Juliet he begins to talk in religious metaphors rather than only talking about sorrow and regret.
He was someone who saw that there was more to life then hatred. He states, “Here’s much to do with hatred but more with loves” (Act I, Scene 1, line 165) He knows that the fight is serious foolishness. (line 168) However, Romeo lets the force of illusionary love take hold of him which causes this young intelligent mind not to function to its full potential. From the very beginning of the play, before he even meets Juliet, he gives in to illusionary love with
He appears to be solely interested in women’s sexuality, shamelessly objectifying them. For instance, when Claudio asks whether the world could ‘buy such a jewel’ as Hero, Benedick replies ‘yea, and a case to put it into’. The objectification of Hero as something valuable and desirable (but with no human emotion) is taken further by Benedick; his play upon Claudio’s romantic metaphor is witty but deeply sexist, as he is calling Hero worthless. Whilst a modern audience might see this as derogatory, an Elizabethan audience would have potentially been indifferent; in that age, men were superior; they could be an eligible bachelor, but if they married they would look for a chaste and wealthy wife- talk of ‘buying’ Hero is in a sense quite literal as Claudio would be ‘buying’ into her wealth. On the other hand, Shakespeare hints that this is a façade.
The play has become a symbol of love; the term “Romeo” is used to label passionate young lovers. Shakespeare’s multifaceted treatment of love, by exploring love in its many forms, threaded the key relationships in the play. At the start of the play, Romeo is described as being in love with Rosaline, which is presented as an impulsive, unrequited infatuation. No one thinks his feelings for her will last, even Friar Lawrence: when Romeo queries why the Friar scolds him for loving Rosaline, the Friar replied “For doting not for loving, pupil mine.”(ii. iii.
Explore how aspects of Love and Sex are presented in Much Ado about nothing Love and sex in “Much ado about nothing” are the most important themes in this play because they explore Elizabethan views of chastity and cuckoldry. From this play we can see that they regarded marriage and chastity as being important Benedick and Beatrice create humor through their wit and the way they seem to dislike for each other. The result of this is the positive resolution of their relationship: a declaration of true love, and finally a sincere and very open relationship, all ironically caused by deception. Benedick never listens to peoples suggestions and always ends his conversations with a ‘’jade’s trick’’. He thinks marriage reduces the quality of a man’s life.
One would think this puts him relatively outside the family feud, but we learn that Mercutio is only all to willing to play along with this adversary, and ultimately his quick and volatile nature lead to his untimely death. Mercutio as a masculine character but full of sense of humor through him constantly puns, jokes, and teases—sometimes in fun, sometimes with bitterness. Shakespeare introduces Mercutio in the very first scene was to contract with the romance theme; his point of view towards the love is completely overturns the idea that the story of Romeo and Juliet is an example of perfect romantic love as well as a blind-self-love. Mercutio is an anti-romantic character who regards love as an exclusively physical pursuit this is shown when Romeo complains about the heartache of his unrequited love for Rosaline, Mercutio tells him to get over it “If love be rough with you, be rough with love; Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.” The word “beat” emphasize the view of Mercutio towards the woman is like an enemy; he believed the honor of the man should not be knocked down by anyone. This is reflected to the historical background of the play; during the Elizabeth Age, man’s honor regarded as the first place.