Comparing Love In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most influential stories in the world because it centers on a love that is not only passionate, but also forbidden. Romeo and Juliet’s love is so powerful that it even blossomed from the seed of hate. While hostility and love both cloud people’s judgments in the story, love impacts the characters more to do things that are dangerous and unconventional. The ending of Romeo and Juliet shows that while the two lovers died, their love lasts on forever, because the feud finally ends. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet centralizes around the theme that love is the most powerful force of human nature and is therefore stronger than hate.

The circumstances that Romeo and Juliet first fall in love shows that love can develop

even when surrounded by a hate-filled feud. The play opens to the village of Verona where there is a feud between two wealthy houses, the Capulets and the Montagues. Loathing and mockery fuel the feud, though the reason for the feud is never clearly stated making hate in itself seem superficial. Tybalt and Mercutio are clear examples of the bloodlust between the two houses, as they have an intense detestation for the opposing houses. Their views on love differentiate them from Romeo. In a discussion with Romeo, Mercutio proclaims, “If love be with you, be rough with love,” (1.4.27). When Romeo and Juliet are introduced in the story, it is made clear that they are not interested by the feud. They are portrayed as lovers, rather than fighters, and that is what makes their bond unbreakable later in the story. When Romeo and Juliet first meet, their love for each other is strong and true right off the bat, rather than an infatuation fueled by the fact that their lover is from the enemy house. When Romeo and Juliet first meet, they instantly become interested inone another and converse through the evening. It is not until later that it is revealed that Romeo is from the Montague household. Romeo and Juliet’s love is a force that is pure because the first time their eyes connect, they each see somebody just as another person, not as a Montague or a Capulet. Shakespeare uses poetic words to give a raw and emotional depth to the love between Romeo and Juliet, not just a shallow love among youth. As Romeo expresses his love to Juliet, he compares her to the sun and heaven. “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun,” (1.2.2-3). Shakespeare portrays love as a completely different entity than hate in his play by changing his writing styles when a scene centers on either of them. While they are completely different from each other, love and hate balance each other and the characters they affect in Romeo and Juliet.
Both love and hate cloud the characters’ thoughts in the story and inspire them to make rash and daring decisions.

The hate from the feud, along with Tybalt’s hostility towards Romeo, causes the brawl between Mercutio and Tybalt, a turning point in the story. “Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain,” (3.1.61-62). When Mercutio is slain, it is of the hatred from Tybalt rather than Romeo’s interference. When Romeo fights Tybalt, his decisions are clouded by not only his love for Juliet, but also his brotherly love for Mercutio. When he kills Tybalt, we realize that love is so powerful in the story that it compels Romeo to kill someone even though he is a lover and not a fighter. Romeo and Juliet’s love and passion influences them to even take their own lives and go against the hopes and traditions of their families. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet,” (2.2.46-47). Both Romeo and Juliet begin the story as obedient children to their parents, but as the feud heightens and their love deepens, they become more rebellious and make their own decisions. The power of love can morph and influence even the strongest of minds as told by the evolution of the two title

characters.
The ending of Romeo and Juliet ties together Shakespeare’s belief that love is stronger than hate.

When they end their own lives, it is not a symbol of the weakness and dangers of love, but rather its power. The hate in the story is superficial and without reason, while the love is too powerful to be easily contained or understood, “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite,” (2.2.140-142). When the Montagues and Capulets return, the lifeless bodies of their children are an agonizing sight. The bodies represent not only the tragic death of the young lovers, but also the pain brought on by the years of fighting. Romeo and Juliet's tragic ending inspired by a love lasting a mere three days is what finally ends the hate-filled feud that lasted for years. At the end of the play, the Prince proclaims, “A glooming peace this morning with it brings. The sun for sorrow will not show his head,” (5.3.316-317). This shows that while love and hate are both strong emotions, love is the strongest of all because while Romeo and Juliet died, they also took down the feud with

them.
Love is the most powerful theme in Romeo and Juliet, not only because of its beauty as seen with the two lovers, but also because of its power to overcome hate. It turns the tragedy of death between young lovers into the blossoming seed of the rebirth of peace and unity in Verona. While many think that love is loss by the end of the story, it is actually flourishing. The romantic love between Romeo and Juliet lasts forever as a symbol to the Montagues and Capulets that hate is not the answer to their problems. The tragedy in turn, is actually the start of a new beginning between the two houses.