How Does Shakespeare Present Love In Romeo And Juliet

“Love at first sight”. The famous phrase romance novels surround, classic princess stories base upon, and hopeless romantics dream of. Unfortunately, “love at first sight” is often based off of only physical traits, bringing people to not consider whether one’s personality matches their own. In Act 1 Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Rosaline is portrayed by Romeo to “hath Dian’s wit, And, in strong proof of chastity well armed, From Love’s weak childish bow she lives unharmed” (Shakespeare 188). This allusion of Rosaline to Diane, the Roman goddess of Hunt (known as Artemis in Greek mythology), demonstrates how Rosaline is not the perfect match Romeo thought she was.

In Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin, Artemis is shown as an

unsympathetic, cunning character. When Artemis is irritated, she provides no mercy on her victims. A young man named Actaeon glanced at Artemis bathing, causing the goddess to whip up in fury and “immediately changed him into a stag. Then she whistled up her hounds, who tore him to pieces” (Evslin 35). And not only is Artemis hostile toward strangers, but her own nymphs must also receive the consequences of angering the goddess. When her most beautiful nymph, Castillo, has an affair with Zeus, Artemis “changed Castillo into a she-bear and whistled to her dogs” (Evslin 35). These actions of Artemis illustrates her cantankerous personality and her apathetic punishments to those who unleash her wrath.
In addition to her vicious personality, the goddess has no limits on using her cunning and sly ways to get what she desires.

When Artemis’s father, Zeus, asks her what gifts she would like to receive, she answers, “I wish to be your maiden always, never a woman. And I want many names in case I get bored with one. I want a bow and arrow too---but silver, not gold. I want an embroidered deerskin tunic short enough to run in. I need fifty ocean nymphs to sing for me, and twenty wood nymphs to hunt with me. And I want a pack of hounds, please--fierce, swift ones. I want the mountains for my special places, and one city” (Evslin 32). Fully aware that Zeus favored her and her brother over all his other children, Artemis asked for an extravagant amount of presents, knowing he would agree. Her wily characteristics allows her to get what she wants no matter what.

Alluding Rosaline to Artemis suggests that she will have a hot-headed temper and mischievous characteristics, just as the goddess has. These characteristics do not fit well with Romeo’s traits, who seems to have a very sensitive and overreacting personality. “Love at first sight” gave Romeo a false sense that Rosaline is his true

love.