Love in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Essay
1608 Words7 Pages
Love in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
"Romeo and Juliet" is a love tragedy based on different kinds of loves. Romeo and Juliet become married in a forbidden relationship over the high tension brawl between their rival families which Shakespeare clearly shows in the play. Despite the family brawls, the pair decides to let their "perfect" love defeat all. Peoples ideas have changed in the space of 400 years, for example back then some loves featured in this play would produce different reactions to the audience, than today.
Shakespeare opens the play with the chorus who speaks a sonnet, where love imagery is found;
"Two Star-crossed lovers" =========================…show more content…
The type of love for these two is Elizabethan courtly love, this is when some one uses flowery words and actions with out really meaning them, Benvolio describes this supposed love in Act 1, scene 1.
Courtly love is unrequited love between two people. In this case Rosaline is apparently too good or unattainable and Romeo is inadequate for her, and he is using what we now call false love language to show her his fake or empty love for her.
"Alas that love so gentle in his view should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!" ======================================================================
Benvolio in truth says that this love is fake and very different to the love we see later on in the play with Juliet.
When Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time in the Capulet party Romeos language changes from Elizabethan courtly love to real almost perfect love. Shakespeare shows this to us because he uses religious words and thoughts to highlight the quality of their love. The sonnet split between them is a form of love poetry used quite a lot in Shakespeare's time. The actors also shows love by language and hand movement as the part played by Juliet was played by a man 400 years ago.
"if I profane with my unworthyest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this."
Already we can see a big difference in language from the language he used with
Romeo and Juliet - theme love Essay examples
743 WordsNov 21st, 20133 Pages
The author, William Shakespeare, efficiently employs various events and characters in the play, Romeo and Juliet, to convey that love conquers all. Through manipulation of Act 2, Scene 2, also renowned as the 'Balcony Scene’, Shakespeare effectively demonstrates how Romeo and Juliet’s love surmounts numerous things, in the play. Additionally, Shakespeare portrays that/how the strength of Romeo’s love for his murdered friend Mercutio, creates a desire for revenge despite potentially receiving death penalty; displaying that Romeo’s love for his friend conquers the fear of death. Furthermore, the final scene also depicts how love triumphs over the terror of death and how the Montague and Capulet parents’ mutual love for their children, Romeo…show more content…
As a friend of Romeo’s, Mercutio supports the Montague’s in the ancient feud. An example of Mercutio defending the Montague’s is when Tybalt, a member of the loathed Capulet family, abuses Romeo and Mercutio intervenes on Romeo’s behalf. Attempting to restore peace, Romeo gets between the two combatants and Mercutio “hath got his mortal hurt” (Page 149; Act 3, Scene 1) on Romeo’s account. In spite of his “life shall pay the forfeit of peace” (page 17; Act 1, Scene 1), Romeo seeks revenge on Tybalt as he loves his murdered friend. As Romeo kills Tybalt out of love for Mercutio, Shakespeare suggests that love conquered the thought of being penalized with death.
Shakespeare manifests the final scene of Romeo and Juliet to illustrate how love triumphs over the terror of death and depicts how the Capulet and Montague parents’ mutual love for their children dismisses the ancient feud. The protagonists, Romeo and Juliet’s preference of being killed rather than “death be prorogued, wanting thy love” (Page 91; Act 2, Scene 2), indicates they would rather die than death be delayed without the fulfilment of each other’s love. Romeo commits suicide as he is unaware that Juliet’s death is fiction, which results in Juliet finding his corpse when she awakens and stabs herself as they both do not wish to live with the absence of each other’s love. Again, Shakespeare portrays that love conquers the most feared prospect of life: