The Theme of Love in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and in the Baz Luhrman and Zeffirelli Film Versions

The Theme of Love in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and in the Baz

Luhrman and Zeffirelli Film Versions

Love is one of the main, if the not most important, themes in the play

'Romeo and Juliet'. The aspect of love in the play can be interpreted

in many different ways and this is shown in the Zeffirelli and Baz

Luhrman film versions.

The theme of love is, quite obviously, continued throughout the whole

play. When Romeo is first seen in Act One, scene one it is clear that

love is one of the most important things in his life and in a way he

lets it rule his actions and emotions. We see that he is upset because

the girl he 'loves', Rosaline, does not love him back. Although he

knows she does not feel the same way he continues to think of her a

lot and talks about her to Mercutio. He uses oxymoron, such as 'O

brawling love, O loving hate'; to express the love and sadness he is

feeling at the same time.

Act One, Scene Five (Line 42 - end)

In Act 1, scene 5 Romeo and Juliet first catch sight of each other.

Romeo is amazed by her beauty and is instantly attracted to her looks.

This is the idea of love at first sight, it makes it seem as though

they both knew as soon as they saw each other that they were meant to

be together. When Romeo says 'For I ne'er saw true beauty till this

night' we know for sure that he thinks Juliet is the girl of his

dreams. Some may say that Romeo does not really know what love is.

After all it is only four scenes ago that he claimed to be in love

with Rosaline. Rosaline is soon completely forgotten about when Juliet

catches his eye. Could it be because he falls in and out of love too

easily? Or is it that Romeo was not really in love with Rosaline at

all? It could well be that Rosaline was a crush of Romeo's and the