Romeo and Juliet, one of Shakespeare’s most renowned works, tells the tale of two teenagers who, through chaos and hatred, fall into an illusion of love. Set in the city of Verona, the Montagues and the Capulets, two opposing families, suffer avoidable deaths when their two children, Romeo and Juliet, commit suicide. Romeo, the son of Montague, and Juliet, the daughter of Capulet, are infatuated by each other after briefly meeting at a party and are driven to desperation due to their family's dispute. The two share multiple romantic and intimate moments, yet it is outrageous to say that they truly reached what is considered to be “true love.” Love at first sight is merely an attraction based on appearance, conceived without ample knowledge …show more content…
Attraction is a superficial obsession, often concerning what a person finds ideal, physically. It is a relative of lust, as both are as deep as sexual desire, which does not encompass love. It can be someone’s body language, the way they carry themselves, or how they present themselves. In Romeo and Juliet’s case, the term “fatal attraction” comes to mind, not “true love”, which is usually the term associated with what the two felt. The difference is clear because of the fact that the majority of comments that the two make concern physical perfection and an idealization of the other. Both of these things concern what is on the surface, while love encompasses the person as a whole; it is not skin deep. An example of their idealization is Romeo’s, “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon...See how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!,” (Act 2, Scene). Romeo speaks of how perfect and beautiful she looks, proving that what they had was a strong attraction, but not quite true love. They speak in entire monologues with various references to the other’s beauty, but none to their nature, or psychological makeup. Love is much more complex than what the other person is presented as, and it cannot be produced by mere sight. The question may arise, if they weren’t in love, why would they go to such extremes? Why place such priority on a mere attraction? Because this attraction gave them both something to escape to. Romeo, just heart-broken over Rosaline and known to be a Petrarchan lover, finds Juliet to fill the hole Rosaline left. Juliet, aware of the fact that she’s most likely going to marry Count Paris (a man she has no interest in), longs to marry someone she loves as well, and at the right time. She has no faith
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a play commonly viewed and known as a true love story; however, after analyzing several hints portrayed by the protagonists, it is evident that Shakespeare did not intend to make Romeo and Juliet seem like a true love story but a criticism of how superficial society’s view on love is.
Aspects of Love in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare There are many different views on love in the play. Love portrayed by different characters at different times in the play, some characters show more than one type of love. The first type of love shown is sexual or physical love. It is the most basic form of love; this is shown by Sampson and Gregory. reduces everything to sex.
Romeo is desperate to be in love, and is in fact in love with the idea
Sometimes what you think is true love, especially when you’re young, might not turn out to be the perfect romance you dreamed of or imagined. William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two young star-crossed lovers, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. They come from two different feuding families, but their unfaltering affection ends with a fair amount of tragedy on both sides. There is no question of their unconditional dedication, but there is one question of whether this love really just stems from lust. You can’t fall in love in a day or come in and out of it so quickly, making their “love” a simple, young infatuation.
It is obvious that the love Romeo has for Juliet is true and deep, it
Juliet, being at the age to marry, Capulet asked her nicely to look and meet the young gentlemen for a possible spouse. Whether by fate or purpose, Juliet is undoubtedly attracted to Romeo and “falls in love at first sight”. This connects to the topic and genre of fairy tales. In a fairy tale, the main plot is that a princess falls in love with a prince and they fall in love after a struggle and they live happily ever after. Shakespeare’s drama is also very similar to these stories but takes a dark turn and “the love at first sight” is what causes the demise of the lovers.
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the views of love held by the character Romeo contrast sharply with the views of Mercutio. Romeo's character seems to suffer from a type of manic depression. He is in love with his sadness, quickly enraptured and easily crushed again on a passionate roller coaster of emotion. Mercutio, by contrast is much more practical and level headed. His perceptions are clear and quick, characterized by precise thought and careful evaluation. Romeo, true to his character begins his appearance in the play by wallowing in his depression over Rosaline who does not return his love:
There are many types of live whether it's romantic, parental, friendship, family honor, or unrequited love. Often times love is interpreted differently. Each type is presented in its own way. In the story of Romeo and Juliet each type of love is clearly shown. Although they are all presented in this story, William Shakespeare, the author had put both parental and friendship love very frequently in this story. Each type of love has many similarities and differences.
In the first scene of Act one there is the servants Sampson and Gregory talking about sexual love. As they both talk about taking girls virginity. They both sound arrogant as they talk as if it is through experience. To them the thoughts of taking a girl’s virginity seems a joking matter.
The way one chooses to use anything can be immensely powerful, with positive or negative effects on his or her surroundings. Friar Laurence, in Romeo and Juliet, wisely notes this fact. One example of this is how love affects different characters in the story. The Nurse loves Juliet to no end as if Juliet were her own daughter. This way, Juliet has the mother figure her biological mother is incapable of being, and receives the care that every child craves. The Nurse is willing to deliver materials for Juliet’s secret wedding, too. The Nurse says, “Hie you to church; I must another way, / To fetch a ladder, by the which your love / Must climb a bird’s nest soon when it is dark” (Shakespeare 2.5.71-73). Here, love is given to Juliet in a manner
‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a tragic play about two star crossed lovers written by Shakespeare in 1595. The play is a timeless teenage tradgedy. “The play champions the 16th Century belief that true love always strikes at first sight,” (Lamb 1993: Introduction) and even in modern times an audience still want to believe in such a thing as love at first sight. Act II Scene II the balcony scene displays that romantic notion perfectly.
Ah! Romeo and Juliet! It is widely regarded as a classic story of true love, but was their love really true? And why should we care about something written over four hundred years ago? Shakespeare’s representation of true love in Romeo and Juliet is still relevant today because he manages to portray the complex, multi-faceted ways in which humans display love. This is particularly important to young people today, because like Romeo and Juliet, they can be led astray by their emotions, by physical appearance and selfish desires.
Have you ever been in love before? Many would say that love is hard to come by, and even harder to maintain, while some would say the opposite. In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, he explores similar concepts related to love and infatuation. Although the reader never directly hears from Shakespeare, one could infer that his own thoughts are similarly mirrored in his characters, with the play serving as a warning tale of sorts, and the various roles echoing different dangers when it comes to love, which of there are many. More specifically, Romeo Montague and his actions in the play are very intentional, as they help explain Shakespeare’s intentions and his own personal thoughts on the topic of love and its hazards, as well
Romeo and Juliet is a play that explains the strong love between two teenagers that soon results in their demise. This play is categorized as one of Shakespeare’s tragedy plays. Yet, many people prefer categorize this play as a romance or play about love. What does this really mean you might be asking. I think that a play about love means that this play is attempting to explain what love is and why it makes people do the things they do. I believe this because throughout the first act it discusses Romeo’s past love and how it affected him. It also describes the love that begins to develop between Romeo and Juliet just through a single conversation and a kiss. However, there are many different views on love throughout just the first act.
Mercutio tells this story because that is the way he feels about love; which is