Consequences Of Infantile Love In Romeo And Juliet

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Recommended: Youthful impulsiveness in Romeo and juliet

Bilal Mohammad Qureshi
Crystal Dalgleish
Lit Writ Period 1
12 May 2014
Infantile love in Romeo and Juliet
As Erich Fromm said, “immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says 'I need you because I love you.” Fromm is showing love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love. Romeo and Juliet, written by Shakespeare, tells of a pair of star-crossed lovers who face obstacles the tragic consequences which cause their love and passion to be short-lived. In their appalling consequences, Shakespeare portrays how immature love can engulf young lovers, resulting in decision-making. This love is shown through the actions of Romeo, Juliet, and Mercutio.
Romeo experiences that he is a slave to love, who bends people "to his will”. He also feels that love has a contradictory nature; it is composed of complete opposites. Firstly, Benvolio has been appointed by Lord Montague to find out the source of Romeo's melancholy. As Romeo and Benvolio are discussing love, Romeo explains, “Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs…” (1.1.197). Romeo elucidates how depressed he feels because Rosaline refuses to marry Romeo. This sadness has made him doubt the reality of the world, and, especially of love. Romeo is crying and depressed because his love for Rosaline is not returned. Romeo takes love extremely serious and he is willing to die for true love. When Romeo and his friends are heading to the Capulet party, Romeo asks Mercutio how to handle love when it hurts. Romeo asserts to Mercutio, “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, ...

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...blindfold. Romeo has to know what he wants and what the consequences are before you can never truly love that person. Romeo does not see where love is bringing him and the difficulties or dangers that love may hide. Mercutio treats love as foolishness; love to him is all about sex. Mercutio seems to hate love; to speak out against love.
Throughout the play, Romeo's feelings for Juliet are based on an immature concept of love. Romeo and Juliet believe that the love they have is a deep, lasting, and true love. However, Romeo's actions speak otherwise through Rosaline, Mercutio, and Juliet. Shakespeare bases the book on how two people fall in love and are meant to be together but really is a tale of misguided, immature youth who fall victim to their own childishness.

Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1992. Print.

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